Ayla made her way into the room again with a crumpled letter in her palm. She had given it a lot of thought, stared at the scribbled words over and over again as she tried her best to make up her mind.
The chance to go back to living her life the way she had been till now had presented itself to her. She wanted nothing more than to make the most out of it. But at the same time, she was hesitant to avail the opportunity.
If she was to step back now, that would only implicate her father. The help she was promised in exchange for marrying Claude would no longer be offered to her. Hence, she had to push that option off the table even if it hurt her.
She had to continue keeping up the front.
"Ayla?"
"Huh?" She looked up to meet her father's gaze as she pulled herself out of her thoughts.
"What was it?" He inquired seeing the ghastline
The next day. A frown was evident in between her brows as Ayla flipped through the pages of her book. Even though she didn't have any lectures today, she came to the campus along with a couple of her books. All because she wanted to be on her own—be in her own bubble. But no matter how hard she kept trying to focus on the printed pages, her thoughts kept drifting to the conversation she got to have with her mother-in-law. The lady had so heartlessly asked her to spend the next few days back at her family's mansion. Despite the fact that she didn't have any issues in obeying her demand, the idea of doing it didn't settle well with her. She had already had a rough start, and now this was coming through. The more she thought about it, the more she was starting to detest things. And as if it was not enough, she now had to put up a face before a hall full of people she barely ever talk
"Won't you be coming inside?" Ayla spoke up as her steps slowed down to a stop, her eyes never leaving the man's figure. She was busy attending to her guests, greeting them on her way around the hall, when she received a text from an unsaved number. Much to her surprise, the sender was not someone she was completely unfamiliar with. The text came from Ethan. He had asked her to meet him somewhere private. "Don't tell me that you came all the way just to hand me another apology letter from your boss?" Ayla didn't want to show him how displeased she was, but she couldn't hold herself back. "I am sorry, but that's not the case this time." Ethan hurriedly clarified the situation. Getting her all worked up would be the last thing he wanted. "It's true that I am the messenger once again, but this time it's not a letter I come bearing." He took a couple of steps closer to her and handed her a black file.
It was just like another day for Ayla back at her college. She was busy going through her notes before wrapping things up for the day. But just like before, her thoughts keep drifting to the same old thing. Or more precisely, the same man: Claude.The more she tried to think less about his existence in her life, the more frequently he would pop in her thoughts. It only served as a reminder for her that things were not the same. No matter how badly she wanted them to be.It's been exactly a week since the day she married, and exactly a week that her everyday routine was nothing but a mess. Even though she was still living back at her family's manor along with her father, things were not the same for her. Nothing was, and she knew that nothing would be.There was only one thing she was dreading to see coming true. It was the day she would have to leave everything behind and shift to a completely different
"Please, tell me that this is not real!"Rage filled words left his lips while his eyes stayed glued to his mother's face. He had only stepped inside the tall and wide building he used to call home when his own mother had dropped a bomb on him.Claude was looking forward to correcting some of his wrongs, but now that he was looking at things, he had lost the chance to make amends. He was instead left to deal with the kind of people he detested the most. His mother had taken it on herself to arrange an event for the couple. Not only that, she made sure that some top news channel representatives were invited to cover the event as well.She wanted to use this opportunity to announce it to the world that her one and only beloved son had finally tied the knot. That too with a lady who came from an influential background, and was no less the manifestation of grace itself."You told me tha
"Ayla?""Do you need me to call the doctor?" Claude spoke up again when he didn't hear a reply from her. His worrying mind was already thinking of the worst. He could only stand there as he contemplated what had gone wrong with her."N-no."A sigh of relief left his lips when a stuttering reply made its way into his ears."Are you sure?" He was still doubtful about it. Her pale face and shallow breaths told him a completely different story."Yes. I am fine." Ayla replied to him hurriedly this time. She would hate herself for creating a scene right after arriving at the Atkinsons' family manor. "I think I only need some food." She added as she kept her eyes glued to the covers.She was trying her best not to look him in the eye. The thought of it alone made her feel weird. What added to her nervousness was how casually he was taking it
"You purposefully went to another city, just so you could avoid meeting me before our wedding." Ayla couldn't believe her ears. She was struggling to believe Claude's words, but knew better than to not trust him."Sort of, yes. I was hoping to surprise you right on the wedding day. I didn't know that things would go south before I was able to return." He exhaled out a tired sigh as his thoughts returned to that eventful day."Even if I have chosen to stay here, I would have to leave eventually because someone decided to not do their job." He continued, giving her a better picture of things."Did you fix the problem?" Ayla couldn't help but inquire about it, trying to keep the conversation going."Of course. Otherwise, I would not be here." He replied to her. "One more thing, do you know about the event tonight?"Claude decided to address the bigger i
[Half an hour later.]Ayla made her way down a not-so-narrow corridor as a maid guide the way. She didn't know that Claude's room was literally located in another wing. If she had an idea prior, she would have rather had the maid call him to her.But given the circumstances, she didn't want to bother him much. Especially after how he helped her with her outfits and everything else. It wouldn't be wrong if she was to say that he was acting like the ideal husband one could ask for. The only problem was that she wasn't someone who'd thought about it—ever."There you go, Young Mistress." The maid stepped to the side and bowed her head ever so slightly.Ayla thanked her with a small nod before her eyes shifted to the wide oak door staring back at her.'Do I go inside or not?' She began to contemplate over it once the maid left.
The couple walked down the staircase, Ayla's hand resting in the crook of Claude's elbow. It wasn't long before they entered the hall where the guests were gathered. Since Sylvia had arranged it to be a big event, the doors of an adjoining hall were also pushed open to ensure that the place would not end up being too crowded. In addition, the buffet was supposedly arranged outside in the garden, ensuring an open atmosphere for those who wanted to enjoy the outdoors. "Your mother outdid herself it seems." Ayla could only remark at the arrangements. The place itself lacked nothing, but the dull white fabric of the sheer curtains only added to the charm of it. Especially combined with floral arrangements which added color to the atmosphere. "She does not take this lightly." Claude shook his head, reminiscing about all the past events that were arranged by her. "But this i