Reminder of The Past

“What are you doing in my home?” Kylie asked once the shock on her face had finally vanished,

“Sebastian and Sienna wanted me here, Kylie.”

As soon as she heard those words, she tilted her head towards Sebastian, waiting for an answer, but instead, he ignored her and turned to Judy,

“Let's go.”

As Kylie watched everyone head towards the stairs, a tear rolled down her face but when she heard Sienna's voice, she immediately wiped them away,

“Mommy, can I sit beside Dad and Aunt Judy at the dining table please?”

Kylie didn't utter a word, but seeing the excitement on her daughter's face as she spoke about Judy made her heart break even more. Before she could utter a word, the nanny came rushing towards them,

“Come along now, Sienna. You need to freshen up quickly for lunch.” The nanny said, suddenly staring at Kylie with pity in her eyes. Even she wondered how a child could love a mistress so much over her own mother.

Then, her daughter walked away too, leaving just Kylie in a daze.

*

At the dining table, Kylie couldn't eat her meal just like the rest of her family, and of course, Judy.

She stared as each of them chatted happily, excluding her from their conversation and truthfully, it made her feel like she was the outsider instead of Judy.

Even Sebastian's mother loved Judy so much more than she loved her. Maybe it was because Judy was from a wealthy family, while her father used to work for the Clarks' household after her mother died. He had died saving Mr Clark from a fatal accident when she turned 16 and after that, Mr Clark raised her in school.

“So Judy, tell us, why did you come back to town one year ago? You were obviously happily married, weren't you?” Kylie uttered, her voice loud enough to suddenly break off whatever conversation they were so engrossed in without her

She had been trying so hard not to butt in, but not when another woman was clearly trying to steal her position even in her presence,

Judy tilted her head towards Kylie, her face clearly drenched with hurt that managed to fade a second later. She held her head high and replied,

“Sebastian wanted me to come back to where it all started. I have so many memories here and I realized I never should have gotten married and left where I was truly home in the first place. Besides, I quite enjoy Sebastian's company, along with Sienna. They are the best people I could ever ask for.”

Kylie didn't utter a word afterward. Instead, underneath the table, she clenched her fingers, keeping her tears at bay as she fixed her gaze back to her meal,

Just like she never existed, the happy conversation continued between them. Even Sienna couldn't hide her happiness and it hurt even more.

When Kylie felt her heart tighten even more and her lungs unable to produce air, she dropped her fork loudly on the table and rose to her feet,

“I lost my appetite. I'll be upstairs.”

She didn't wait for their response as she walked away, heading for the stairs. Once Kylie got to the room and shut the door behind her, she leaned on it, letting her tears roll down freely with her fingers clutched to her chest.

Just suddenly, her phone began ringing in her pocket, but she didn't reach out for it until it rang for the fourth time. She stood upright and slipped her finger into her pocket, snatching the phone from it.

The screen flashed her best friend's name and immediately Kylie saw this, she sniffled and swiped to answer,

“Hey….”

“Goodness Kylie, I have been texting you for over an hour now.” Elena's voice snapped, but not too cold,

Kylie walked over to the bed and sat down on it, “Family dinner…” She suddenly paused and Elena's voice floated,

“Did something happen again? Tell me the truth, Kylie.”

Kylie still didn't utter a word as she was a bit scared of letting Elena in on everything that had been happening in her marriage. She was scared of what Elena would think, but right now, she needed someone to talk to

Once Kylie was done talking, Elena heaved a sigh loud enough to echo through the phone. There was a beat of silence, then Elena's voice echoed again,

“Do you remember who you were seven years ago?”

The world suddenly paused for Kylie for just a few seconds, and a tear slid down her face,

“You were the Vice president Kylie Vale at Lumina Global. The same Kylie who closed the Aurora campaign in six weeks when the entire team said it was impossible. The Kylie who had the boards shocked to their bones, who had people terrified of you in the best way. You were literally the most sought-after by other companies with high-paying figures. A freaking queen.”

Kylie pressed the heel of her hand against her chest as she tried to breathe, “I gave it all up–”

“For him–” Elena finished, “And look where that got you. Valued? Respected?” You became a background noise. But that woman in you, that woman at Lumina, she still exists and she does not belong in marriage where she has to drop her fork to be noticed.

Kylie stared down at her wedding ring–the one she used to think was the start of her fairytale,

“Divorce him and take back your name, take back your life, and start the company you used to daydream about in our old cubicles. You already know how to build empires, Kylie. You did it for other people so now do it for yourself.”

Kylie let out a deep sigh at the thought of her past life. Although she missed it, she had a family now, and Sienna, she couldn't just walk away for her daughter's sake.

She bit her lower lip and sighed again,

“I'll think about it, Elena. Thank you for calling.”

As soon as the call ended, she rose to her feet and headed for the hidden safe box behind her wardrobe.

Pulling out a file from the safe box, Kylie opened it and every bit of memories, every bit of the past came back lingering in her mind again and at that moment, it suddenly dawned on her just how much she had sacrificed all for love and how much she wanted her old life back again.