002

Layla returned to the mansion after her husband informed her of the news. It took everything in her to come home, with the information stuck in her chest. Standing by the doorframe, her gaze darted from one corner to the other.

The house seemed a bit quiet until she heard a car engine from behind her. Spinning around, she watched closely until the car pulled over, and her husband stepped out.

He had this satisfied smile, one she had never seen on his face. He walked to the other side of the car. As he pulled it open, Ashley came into view, with a smirk on her face. She shook her head, her hair wiggling on her shoulders, making her look even more stunning.

Layla's heart dropped; she stood there frozen, her legs trembling to give out, but she managed to keep her expression. Her daughter, Zara, stepped out of the car and soon wrapped her hands around Ashley's legs, giggling.

They seemed so happy, and it made her wonder what could be making them this delightful. She had never been this close to her husband, and Zara had never smiled at her with so much affection.

She's either complaining about one thing her mother has done or why she's never been loved by anyone. Always finding fault with things she does. The only thing she's ever gotten was hateful words from her daughter. But today, right in front of her, she's seeing her give someone the love she deserves.

Ashley left years back; she did replace her after she was asked to marry him by his father for the compensation he thought she deserved after saving him from a ghastly accident. Layla was employed as a maid for the family. Time went on, she got closer to him, and they developed a good relationship with Nolan until his father proposed marrying her, seeing how well they got along.

Nolan was asked if he wanted to marry her, and he didn't reject the proposal. It didn’t take long, less than a month, before his true nature began to surface. Since then, their marriage has been a difficult experience for her.

The way he doesn't consider her has been the same; even his mother doesn't value her or their daughter.

She was in the house, yet she lived no better than the maid she once was. Even other maids were treated differently, treated better—but for her, it had always been the same. Everything started after his father's death, and since then, it has remained the same.

Her bag dropped to the ground, causing some noise, which diverted everyone's attention. Just like always, the smile on their faces vanished, as if they had seen their worst nightmare. No one was smiling at her, not even Ashley, whom she was meeting for the first time. Layla was aware she was in the picture, but she had never met her in person until that day. The next thing she heard was a loud hiss from her daughter, scrunching her face with so much exasperation.

“Do you always love to ruin the beautiful moment?” Nolan asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

“She had always been like that, remember,” Zara chimed in, rolling her eyes at her with a scoff.

Layla stood her ground, her face strong despite the shivers that ran through her. The pain in her chest intensified, and she longed to clutch it tightly, but that would only make her weaker. She refused to show any vulnerability in front of Ashley.

“Come on! She's your mom!” Ashley said, feigning to be concerned, though deep within her, she was just as happy as everyone who didn't like her.

Zara scoffed again, not sparing her a glance.

“Not this kind of a mother, please. I would choose you a thousand times before I even consider her; that's if I ever get to choose.”

Layla gulped; the statement burned her, but she held back her tears. This was far too difficult for her, not her daughter uttering such words at her in front of her father's mistress.

What for? Being a mother to her?

Ashley burst out laughing, making everyone look at her, and soon apologized for her outburst. She felt a sick sense of satisfaction watching Layla engulfed in pain, a pain inflicted by her daughter.

“I am sorry about that. Don't take what she says to heart; she's just a kid. You know how they beh.....”

"It's fine.” Layla interrupted, cutting her short.

She squatted to the ground to pick up her bag before turning to look at them. “I understood she's still a kid.”

It had always been like this for her. Nolan wasn't concerned with what she said. If his mother had been present, it would have been worse than what she had already received, and she was glad they weren’t.

“Daddy! You can't keep her outside; it's not good for her skin, and the baby's too. You remembered what the doctor said,” Zara whispered in excitement.

Layla’s eyes widened in shock, her jaw dropped, and the last hope she had inside her shattered. Her mother-in-law had told him to have a surrogate, but she was already pregnant.

She had been at the hospital alone while he was with her for antenatal care. He knew she was pregnant and thought it was the right time to inform her of the surrogacy.

A tear dropped down her cheek; she quickly wiped it off, exhaling deeply.

“Zara is right. Let’s take you inside. You need to rest before my mother comes home.”

Nolan placed his hands on her shoulders, with her hands clutching Zara, who couldn’t stop smiling as they directed her to the entrance of the house.

She moved from the road, giving them space to walk past her. Ashley made sure to make eye contact with her, a sinister smile plastered across her face.

This was enough proof for Layla to be sure that nothing she did in the house would make Nolan change his mind about her.

The door slammed in her face. She reached for her chest, hitting it as she tried to comfort herself. This time, the tears streamed down her cheeks, but it didn't take long before a maiden approached her.

“Mrs. Watson!” She fidgeted, hurriedly wiping the tears off her eyes.

She sniffled, turning to look at the maiden. “Hey! Uhm! Did you make dinner for…?” She trailed off, unable to complete the statement, as the incident played in her head.

The same husband and daughter who didn’t regard her, she still worried about what they ate and made sure their demands were met.

“Yes, ma’am! But why were you crying?”

“It is nothing. I am okay,” she responded and soon marched her way inside. Layla didn’t stop until she was standing in her room. She dropped to the ground, burying her face in her pillowcase to suppress the sound of her crying, as tears streamed down her cheeks.