Chapter 456. Away from All the Noise

ASHER

After everything that had happened, my phone was flooded with messages and missed calls from Paige and Sarah. Instead of replying to them one by one, I decided to send a message in our group chat, knowing that Tate would hear about it soon enough. I expected him to call, and sure enough, he did.

But I didn’t want our call to last too long. After explaining what had happened and reassuring him that I was okay and that he didn’t need to worry, I told him I was going to sleep. It was true—I was already feeling guilty that Lee was in the room with me, and I didn’t want to disturb her with our conversation.

“I miss you, Ash. Sorry I’m not there to protect you…” he said.

His voice was laced with sadness, and hearing it made my chest tighten. How could I not feel weak at those words? He missed me. Those simple words held so much weight, and I wasn’t sure how to handle them.

“It’s okay,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s not your res