Ashley auctioned off the yacht and private jet Ethan had given her . The shares ? She offloaded them straight to other stakeholders of the Whitmore Group without a second thought Still unwilling to give up , Ethan stood outside her house , holding a container of Corn and Short Rib Stew he had cooked himself . " Ash , " he called softly , standing beneath the massive red banner that still hung overhead . " I made your favorite - corn and short rib stew . Come out and have a taste . I promise it's even better than before . " Ashley's voice came coldly through the closed door . " Ethan , do you honestly think I'm that cheap ? That a pot of soup and a few flashy gestures could buy me . back ? " Ethan's face stiffened . He didn't know how to respond . In his memories , Ashley had always been frugal - pinching every penny , haggling over vegetables at the market . For a long time , he had looked down on that , even thought she was beneath him , unfit for the life he led . " … I just want to give you the best of everything , " Ethan said , his gaze fervent , laced with longing . Ashley let out a low scoff . " Why don't you just admit it ? You thought I was money - hungry . You thought I was petty and calculating . " " Did you ever bother to remember this ? I was making barely eight thousand a month back then . I'd been working less than a year when you collapsed . Your first surgery alone cost over three hundred thousand . I sold everything I had , maxed out every loan app I could find , scraped together every last cent - just to save you . " " And you ? What did you do besides feeding me empty promises ? You ran food deliveries in sweltering heat for pocket change - and even that wasn't enough to cover one round of emergency care . " " The moment you regained your memory , did you help me pay off those debts ? No. The first thing you did was scorn me - look down on me - and lie to me . " " So tell me , Ethan , what gives you the right to talk about love now ? What makes you think a yacht , a jet , and some flashy stock transfers can win me back ? " " If I'd never met you , I wouldn't have had to suffer through all of that . " Chapter 15 75.00 % Wife on the Run , Again ! ( DUBBED ) > Ethan's shoulders slumped . The sharp , commanding energy that once defined him completely drained from his body . He looked up at her , eyes dulled , his voice quieter now . " I'm sorry … I want to make it right ." " Make it right ? " Ashley cut in with a scoff . " I don't need you to . " " My fiancé is richer than you'll ever be . He's already given me a yacht , a jet , a private island , and shares in his company . " " And if we're talking about love ? " She stepped closer to the door , her voice like a blade . " You don't even come close - not even to a single strand of his hair . " " If you'd stayed faithful to Miss Bennett all along , I might've had some respect for you . But now ? You just disgust me . " Ethan stumbled back , the words hitting him like a punch to the chest . He crashed into the cold , concrete wall behind him , its chill creeping into his bones and sinking deep into his heart . When Lila called him disgusting , he'd felt nothing but irritation . But hearing Ashley say it ? It was like someone reached inside his chest and crushed his heart in their fist . He wanted to speak - wanted to argue - but one glance at Ashley's icy expression left him utterly speechless . They stood on opposite sides of the street . But to Ethan , it might as well have been an entire galaxy separated them - an expanse so vast he could never cross it again . His vision blurred with tears . Somewhere deep inside , he could swear he heard the sound of something shatter . Before , he used to tell himself that Ashley loved him too much to stay away forever . That if he could just find her , she would come back to him . But now … Now he realized Ashley no longer wanted him . " Ash , " he called out , trembling , his voice hoarse with desperation . " Can't you give me just one more chance ? " Chapter 15 49344