تسجيل الدخولIsla inwardly hissed under her breath when she realized she had accidentally entered the male restroom again.“I'm so loving this our tradition” a curve formed on Damien's face as he teased.“It was an accident, Damien. Am I not allowed to have accidents now?” she seethed and tried to leave, but he stepped closer, pinning her against the edge of the sink.Her eyes widened at his sudden closeness, she tried pushing him but there was little to no space to move."What do you think you're doing invading my personal space like this?" She gritted her teeth, glaring at him."Speaking of invading of space, you're the one who's here" He countered with a casual shrug."Asshole!" Isla cursed at him. She painfully turned her head sideways, her eyes turning misty all of the sudden.“Now that you’re here, let’s talk.” “What if I don’t want to talk to you?” she sharply turned back to him with her glare burning.“If you don’t want to talk to me, then who do you plan to speak with? Your husband?” He
Chatter from men and women filled the hall. Many flocked around the bride and groom while others mingled among themselves. Speaking of mingling, Isla couldn’t relate. She sat alone, sipping her champagne, watching Gareth comfortably chatting with other men and women who laughed a little too closely around him.She inwardly rolled her eyes and took another sip.“And may I ask why the great Mrs. Khan is all alone without her man?” a light voice said beside her.Looking sideways, she saw Victoria and rolled her eyes even more.“Long time no see.” A smirk danced across Victoria’s face as she extended her hand for a handshake, but Isla kept both hands wrapped around her champagne glass and purse.Victoria snorted a chuckle and slipped her hand back to her side.“I thought we’d be friends now since the man is out of the picture, but damn, Mrs. Khan, you sure know how to hold a grudge.” She shook her head helplessly.Isla gave her a questioning look, silently urging the annoying woman to exp
The taxi halted in an old, familiar neighborhood. The driver was about to help Isla out of the car, but she waved him off.“I can manage, thanks.” She opened the door, stepped down, then tipped him. “You can keep the change.”A bright, grateful smile spread across the driver’s face. “This is very generous, ma’am. Thank you so much.” He happily drove off afterward.Isla sucked in a deep breath as she stared at the worn-out, pale buildings before her. Once upon a time in her life, she had shed bloody tears, rolled herself in mud, and eaten dust just to live here, it was a season of her life she would never forget.She slowly approached the neighborhood. Unlike before, when it had been lively and filled with children, it was now empty, almost as though no one lived there anymore.“Isla?” a familiar, crooked voice called out.Looking ahead, Isla saw a skinny old woman walking toward her. As she drew closer, Isla recognized her; Lady Rohana, the witch disguised in human form who had paid d
“Welcome, loved ones. We are gathered here today to join Mr. Dev Rajan and Mrs. Priya Menon in holy matrimony…” The officiant’s voice faded within seconds, and all Isla could hear was white noise and the loud thudding in her chest; her heartbeat.It was taking everything in her to pretend Damien wasn’t standing beside her, dressed in his neatly pressed black suit, fully buttoned and tied this time, a white rose tucked into his chest pocket. His extremely glossy black hair was styled in tapered sides, highlighting his striking face even more.It had only taken a quick glance earlier, and she already recalled the way he looked from beginning to end. A sudden ripple of applause burst through the air, slicing through her thoughts. Looking ahead, she saw Priya and Dev had already sealed the deal with a kiss.“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Rajan. I hereby pronounce you man and wife,” the officiant announced, followed by louder claps from the guests.Isla wore a fake smile and forced a clap,
Evening.“Cheers, to the latest bride-to-be,” a female voice announced, and a small circle of burgundy glasses gently clicked together in the air.Priya’s bridal shower was happening in one of Khan’s Empire’s luxurious hotels. She had her close friends with her, including Isla, Elise, and some other well-known women.They were seated outside, perched on the concrete edge of the fifteen-meter-wide swimming pool. The girls were dressed in matching white silk robe gowns, their bare feet dipped into the glowing, shimmering blue water of the pool.“Cheers!” they jeered together and sipped their red wine.“I’d love to make another toast.” Isla took the opened bottle of wine and poured half its contents into her glass, then raised it. “To my best friend, Priya. Heaven knows how much I’ve waited for a day like this, where we’ll go for a drink together as married besties and talk about our husbands, and how much of jerks they can be!” she spoke in a lazy slur.“Cheers,” the women said as they
Later that afternoon, Gareth invited Isla out for lunch. As Isla stepped out of her company building, she sighted Gareth’s shiny black Lexus waiting in the parking lot. Before, he would have been standing outside, and leaning against the body of his car while waiting for her with the warm smile he always wore, but now he simply sat inside the car.These past days he's been trying to act like everyone was fine but he was simply bad at it.Isla sucked in a deep breath, using the fingers on her right hand to hide her ring finger. She entered the car and sat down.“Hey,” Gareth glanced at her very quickly and greeted softly.“Hi,” she forced a smile, also nodding at him briefly while fixing her seatbelt. After she had settled down, Gareth passed her an iPad with a free hand while he drove with his other hand out of the Khan’s Empire building to the road.“Pick the restaurant you'd like to eat at,” he said casually, keeping his eyes straight ahead.Isla only glanced at the menu sharply be







