When His Love Changed,He Finally Regretted It

In the bathtub, Ashley and Max were wrapped around each other, bodies pressed close as warm water rippled and spilled over the edge onto the floor.

Lost in the heat of the moment, Ashley’s skin flushed. Every place Max had touched were burning with want.

Gripping her waist, he thrust deep, his breath hot against her ear as he murmured, "Ash, you want me too, don’t you?"

Her only response was a breathless whimper, her body trembling beneath him. With a low groan, Max buried himself inside her and together, they came undone.

Steam curled in the air as Max took a quick rinse. Stepping onto the terrace, he lit a cigarette, his gaze fixed on the city skyline.

By then, His phone buzzed against the table.

Ashley reached for her own phone and noticed a missed NosChat call from Lili. Her brows knitted slightly.

When the call finally cut off, she hesitated before tapping into Lili’s social feed. Just like that, it was as if she had opened Pandora’s box. A storm churned inside her.

Her timeline was flooded with Lili’s love-filled posts—And there, staring back at her as a profile banner, was a photo of Max and Lili, locked in an intimate kiss.

A message popped up on the screen. [Bad boy, didn’t you say you’d always pick up my calls right away?]

Ashley barely had time to read more before Max returned, the scent of smoke lingering on him.

She caught his gaze, then tossed the phone back to him, forcing her voice to stay steady. "So, it’s true? You have a new girlfriend?"

Max paused for a beat before narrowing his eyes, lips curving into a lazy smirk. His tone was casual, almost indifferent.

"Yeah."

"Is this just another distraction, or—"

Before she could finish, Max cut her off. "No. This time, it’s real." He shrugged, his voice still rough from their earlier intimacy.

A cold weight settled in her chest, spreading through her limbs. "So that’s it, then."

Max exhaled slowly. "I was hoping we could at least have one last good night together. But since you saw Lili’s message…"

His tone was almost teasing. "Might as well be honest. No point dragging it out."

Ashley’s eyes swept over the lavish suite, roses covering every surface. For a fleeting moment, she had believed—wanted to believe—that on this Valentine’s night, Max had finally chosen her.

To be honest, this moment had been inevitable. Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke.

"After all these years… what am I to you?"

"Was I just a convenient body warmer to you?"

Ashley kept her head down, nails digging into her palm. It took her a moment to force out the words, barely above a whisper.

Max didn’t even look up. He was too busy texting, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips. And maybe that was an answer enough.

After all, how easily he had sentenced their ten years together to death with just a few careless words.

"Did you think I was just looking for a fake girlfriend to fool my grandfather?"

"At first, yeah. But after spending time with Lili, I finally understand what love really is."

"Whatever this was between us... I’m done with it."

"The thought of continuing our secret relationship like this? It’s suffocating. We’re better off as siblings."

A NosChat notification chimed. Max slipped on his shirt, still typing with one hand. His gaze flicked toward Ashley, her face eerily still. His brows knit together for a split second—then smoothed over just as quickly.

"Lili’s waiting. I was going to spend Valentine’s with you, but clearly, you’re not in the mood anymore. I’ll get going."

Ashley barely registered the sound of the door clicking shut.

Her vision blurred, a thin veil of tears forming. She stared at the empty space where he had just stood, the weight in her chest growing heavier.

The Paroxetine pill under her tongue didn’t taste so bitter anymore.

At least this was better. At least she hadn’t cried in front of him. That would have been the final humiliation.

Ashley told herself to let it go—to treat this like any normal breakup, to walk away with dignity. But the more she tried to convince herself, the harder the tears came.

Ashley stumbled into the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. She forced a smile at her reflection, but all she managed was a bitter, twisted mockery of one.

Siblings. Could they really go back to being siblings?

The thought alone drained the strength from her. She slid to the floor, knees drawn to her chest, as memories came flooding back.

She was sixteen when it all started.

Max had been the one to close the distance, always finding her at school, always pulling her into his orbit until she finally gave in.

They were young. Reckless. In love. And then, just like that, it was over.

Ashley never imagined that her mother’s new husband would turn out to be Juan Laguna, Max’s father.

Overnight, they went from lovers to something they weren’t allowed to be. And in the aftermath, nothing between them felt the same.

Then came the accident. A skiing trip gone wrong. A ruptured kidney. A coma. Suddenly, the boy she had been forcing herself to forget was slipping away entirely.

The doctors told her to prepare for the worst—to accept that Max might never wake up. That was the moment she stopped pretending.

She loved him. She had always loved him. But all she could do was sit by his bedside, day after day, holding his hand—nothing more than the devoted little sister she was supposed to be.

Back then, she visited the hospital every day, telling Max about school, about the world outside—anything to fill the silence, anything to make it feel like he was still with her.

Then one night, when the adults had all left, she finally broke down.

Staring at his motionless body, her chest tightened with helplessness. No matter how much she talked, he never stirred. The weight of it all crashed down on her and she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

That was when she felt it.

A faint twitch of his fingers. Then, slowly, weakly, he curled them around hers.

Max was waking up.

“…So loud, Ash.” His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. “I thought I was gonna die.”

Her breath caught. She jerked back, trying to pull her hand free to call for help, but Max tightened his grip, holding on with what little strength he had.

“Ash… just for a little while, stay with me.”

His eyes—still heavy with exhaustion—held something raw, something vulnerable.

She should have said no. But she didn’t want to let go either.

So she stayed.

That night changed everything. Facing death made them realize just how much they meant to each other. Their love burned even brighter, even hotter.

But they were young. Too young to know how to tell their parents. Afraid of being torn apart, they kept their relationship a secret.

By nineteen, they were siblings in name—lovers in the dark.

By twenty, Max promised that once he had the power to stand on his own, he would make their love known.

But by twenty-seven, when he had finally made it, when nothing stood in his way anymore—he gave her nothing but indifference.

All these years, she had followed in his footsteps, hoping that when the day finally came—when they could be together openly—the world would look at them and say, they were meant to be.

But now, none of it mattered. She couldn’t pretend to be his sister. And she never wanted to see him again.

Without hesitation, Ashley opened her laptop, pulled up her email and filled out the application for a transfer to the overseas branch.

Putting an ocean between them was the only choice she had left.