He knew it wouldn"t be Carl, it couldn"t also be Blake and Devon as they knew he didn"t want to be bothered on this day.

Despite not wanting to get up, the knocking was insistent and showed no signs of stopping.

He could only get up and change into a plain white s.h.i.+rt and jogging pants before going out of the office and open the door.

"Yo."

Amber pushed him aside and went in after that greeting, her knuckles are red and it was a normal person, it should be aching after knocking for half an hour.

"What are you doing here?" Ashton asked irritatedly.

"Wasn"t it normal that I would suddenly appear here?" Amber asked as she sat down on the couch.

She then started bringing out containers upon containers of food from the paper bag in her hand.

Seeing that all of it were his favorite dish, he squinted his eyes and looked at her coldly.

"Get out."

He opened the door and told her coldly.

Amber instead raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "I came here for breakfast and your throwing me out?"

"Then eat in your own home."

"No, it"s valentines and it"s lonely."

Ashton slammed the door shut when she brought out a box of straberry cake.

"What the h.e.l.l do you want!!" he asked in gritted teeth, trying his best not to turn the table over.

"Why are you so angry? I am just here to eat with you because its valentines. I thought chocolate cake was not a good one so I decided to bring strawberry cake. And now you"re getting mad at me?"

"Who told you. Who told you about today?"

Seeing as he was close in erupting, Amber stopped trying to act clueless.

"Your sister."

*BLAG*

The whole table filled with food was turned over right in front of her.

"GET OUT!!! NOW!!!!"

He angrily pointed at the door and his eyes were blazing.

Instead of backing down Amber instead leaned back. She didn"t look at him but was looking sharply at the wasted food.

She somehow did not feel sad about it for she had prepared herself for such an outcome.

Liana actually called her last night and told her that it is also fine if she don"t spend the day with Ashton.

He might flare up at her, if she insisted.

Hearing her sad and worried voice. Amber knew that Ashton"s birthday was when his most tragic event have happened.

Since she decided to be with their family, whether in contract or not. She had promised herself that she will help them in any way.

She had obviously noticed the thin wall separating him and his parents, even from his grandfather whenever she hear him speak with him on the phone.

The only one who could get close to him was Ashley, but it is obvious that Ashley still have some fear towards him.

Even when she told her about his birthday, yesterday. A tinge of fear was in her voice.

Her thoughts were disrupted when her arm was suddenly pulled up, harshly.

The pull and grip was strong, she knew that would once again leave a bruise.

"Why is it that when I get bruised it was always inflicted by this person?" she had this in mind as she look at him.

"I told you to get out," Ashton said menacingly as he pulled her to the door.

But before he could open it, Amber leaned on it and faced him. She didn"t bother with her arm that was gripped even tighter.

"I. Don"t. Want."

"Are you really courting death?"

He was caught off guard when she suddenly kneeled him in his abdomen. Causing him to release her and move back.

"Is this how you always push everyone away? By scaring them? Then what? Huh? What? You will then wallow in your own tragic past? Do you think you"re the only one suffering when you do that?"

She locked the door and glared at him.

Ashton stood straight and stared back at her, anger visible in his eyes.

"What do you know? We are just engaged in paper. Don"t act like you really are my fiance. What? Do you think the help we willingly gave you made you closer to me?"

Amber laughed disdainfully at his remark.

"You really are narcissistic aren"t you? Do you think I forgot about that? I am very much aware of my situation thank you very much."

She once again leaned back on the door and crossed her arms.

"What did I know? I don"t know anything. But don"t you think that its unfair? You know so much about me but I have no idea on what is going on for you."

Ashton sneered, "You willingly told us your story. No one pushed you to do so."

"Indeed, but that is because I can trust you. I know that I can trust you with my story. I just didn"t think that until this point you still don"t trust me."

Ashton wanted to rebuke that the thing that"s happening now was his personal matter.

"Are you going to tell me, that this is your personal matter? Well h.e.l.l yeah it is. But let me tell you, even though this is your personal matter. You are not the only one suffering."

"Your mother, your father and your sister are suffering with you. Do you have any idea how worried they are about you? Do you? Yet look at you acting all high and mighty right now. As if all the problems of the world are in your shoulder."

"ENOUGH!!"

"What couldn"t accept it? You couldn"t accept the fact that you are still hurting your family whom you didn"t want to hurt? Well I"m slapping you now, I"m slapping you with the truth that you are indeed hurting them."

Ashton was rendered speechless. He has no rebuke or answer to her at all.

"Don"t you think that you should be happy? Because people are still worried about you. I have no idea who you lost but atleast you still have your family. They are all waiting for you, they all wanted to be with you."

Ashton looked away.

"Let me guess, it was that girl. The girl that was on your laptop when you enter the pa.s.sword."

He looked back at her as if ready to lash out once again.

"So I guess right. What was she, your first love?"

"SHUT UP!! You don"t know anything."

"How many times must I tell you, I indeed don"t know anything. Despite my disposition, I still wanted to be of help to all of you. You have all given me so much favor but I am not someone who just wanted to receive."

"Well leave it for some other matter, don"t go poking your nose on things you must not poke it to."

"And then what? I have no sister that it pains me everytime, Ashley would call me and ask me about you. Especially this past few days, I didn"t understand it at first until she told me that your birthday is today. And know what? There"s a tinge of fear in her voice."

She walked close to him and pointed at him.

"Do you remember the anger you showed me when I seemed like taking Ashley"s life like it was nothing? You acted like some loving brother but why? Why is she scared? What does she have to fear in regarding your birthday?"

"Is this how you show your love to her? By allowing her to get scared everytime your birthday is here?"

"How many times must I tell you to shut up?" he gritted his teeth as he slapped her hand away.

"Just get out, before I lose myself and hurt you more."

"Hurt me more? Hah!! Is that what happened? Was that how you pushed Ashley away? If you are hurting then don"t go and hurt the people that loves you. You have no right Ashton. You have no right at all."

"ENOUGH!!! That"s right, she fears me especially when this day is here. But what can I do? This day is nothing but a stupid day, I couldn"t even protect someone. What right do I have to be happy on this same day huh? WHAT??"

"There it is, you finally admitted it. Then tell me, hmmm, you couldn"t protect her, but isn"t it that you are not protecting more and more people when you push them away on this same day? Are you only going to stop when everyone is already too tired to worry about you and you suddenly find yourself all alone?"

"SHUT UP!! YOU ARE BUT AN ORPHAN, WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO JUDGE ME?!?"

He could no longer hold himself and ended up pus.h.i.+ng her by her shoulder. The push was strong enough for her to slam on the door. Her hand hit the doork.n.o.b and it wounded her in the process.

Even Ashton was shocked upon seeing the blood dripping from her hand.