Silas Locke was dumbfounded.
This crazy woman—what did she think she was doing, acting like this in his workplace?
However, despite his seething anger, he stood at a distance and touched the small bump that had quickly formed on his head.
Moving his finger to his face to check for blood, he exhaled in relief and tried to speak to her calmly.
"Honey, did you not take your pills before coming this morning? You know, the pills you take whenever you have panic attacks?"
Since he had no explanation for why his wife suddenly hit him, he had to come up with a fake illness to rid himself of the shame and blame everything on her.
But to his surprise, Ayla didn't respond.
The woman who would blame herself if she felt he was about to be shamed, wasn't responding and he was caving in under the judging eyes of his colleagues.
Ayla gripped the lunch box tight, her wide eyes wandering around the place.
It wasn't one of her flashbacks?
Just now, when she hit this scheming bastard, she'd felt the lunchbox vibrate in her hand.
She hadn't questioned her fair skin earlier, assuming she was in a flashback, but this… why did it feel so real?
She had done good all her life. So, was this a special part of heaven?
Tossing aside the lunchbox, she didn't stop to see it had broken open and spilled its contents onto the floor as she turned and bolted out of the company.
She didn't know how long she ran, but as she brushed past people on the streets and felt sweat trickling down her back and face, her eyes swelled with tears.
She was aching all over from running so long. This definitely wasn't a flashback.
She was alive! Alive!
How that was possible, she didn't begin to imagine, but She. Was. Alive!
She only stopped and dropped to her knees when she reached the beach.
Falling into the water, she reached out to pinch herself, and her body reacted to the pain, causing a large ball of tears to spiral down her cheeks.
She was alive.
Relaxing into the water, she couldn't help recalling the logo she'd seen in Hale Consortium.
If they still had that hideous logo, then this was barely two years after her marriage to Silas.
For the past year and for another year still to come, she'd played the supportive wife.
Now that she had the time to think clearly, she remembered going to the company earlier to deliver lunch to Silas, only to get screamed at for 'embarrassing" him.
Back then, she thought he was simply shy and didn't want his colleagues to know she often pampered him, so she quickly apologized to him, in front of everyone, before leaving.
"What a pathetic fool you've been," she exhaled shakily, her fingers rubbing against her aching heart.
Recalling everything Silas had said to her before she died still made her heart hurt.
However, the immense love she'd had for him over the past nine years seemed to have vanished.
In place of all that love was now a deep-seated hatred.
Staring up at the blue sky, she sucked in a deep breath.
Until now, she hadn't realized how nice the air smelled, or what a privilege it was to feel the sun on your face, or move your body however you pleased.
A few minutes into enjoying nature in her newfound life, something buzzed in her pocket.
At some point in her past life, Silas had confiscated her phone because he didn't want her talking to other men without his permission.
Having gone without a cellphone for almost six years, it took her a while to realize what the buzz even meant.
Scrambling out of the water, she reached into her pocket for the soaked phone and answered without checking the caller.
"You little… do you know how long I've been trying to reach you? How could you do this to me?!" A woman lashed out the moment the call connected.
Ayla paused, wracking her brain, trying to recall who was speaking and what she was talking about.
"Ayla freaking Caddel! If you do not get here in the next thirty minutes, I will skin you alive!" Came the voice again, now screaming louder.
Then she hung up.
Ayla was about to call back to ask where she was meant to go when the phone screen suddenly went dark, clearly as a result of the water it absorbed earlier.
Squeezing it in frustration, she groaned and stomped over to stand under a shed to think.
Too many years as a housewife and working in a pastry shop had taken a toll on her. Now her brain was foggy.
Oh, Silas Locke, when I catch you…
Pressing her index finger against the side of her head, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself down to think probably.
She was Ayla Caddel.
Married to that douchebag Silas Locke after meeting him at a socialite party and falling for him three years ago.
She had a job… a job he claimed was 'too uncomfortable' for a married woman. A job he didn't see anything wrong with when they dated.
That's right! She was a Bespoke Tailor.
That's when it all came rushing back to her.
To be specific, she was a bespoke tailor for men. She chose this career because it made more money.
Most of the men she designed suits for came with women they needed to impress and often splurged.
This was her third year in the business, and this year, she was making a major breakthrough that had earned her sponsorship.
By next year, she was going to come into some big names which would elevate her status.
Her dream would've come through if she hadn't quit for Silas's sake.
Not only did he make her give up so much, give her STDs, and get his mistress pregnant, but he even planned to kill her after using her as his child's nanny for five years.
Thinking of it again made her subconsciously shiver.
His cruelty must've already begun by this time. So she was sharing a bed with her number one enemy the entire time.
But enough of him. She'd deal with him later.
Now, she just needed to save her career in order to earn enough money to ruin his life.
Given he did ruin her first one, it was only right she returned the favor.
With that, she flagged down a taxi to take her to her workplace—Gentile Studio.
Stopping outside the building where the studio was located on the third floor, she paused and gulped hard at the realization of something
The lunchbox she had brought for Silas had her transportation fare in it.
So now… she had no money.
The driver noticed this was the issue almost immediately and glared at her, "You wet my seat and now you have no money?"
She smiled nervously, "Sir, you wouldn't believe my story, but please give me a moment to go up to my workplace on floor three. I promise to be back with your money in a jiffy."
However, he got out of the cab and blocked her path threateningly.
"Hmph! If I had a penny for every time someone told me that, I'd be a millionaire. So save that explaining for the police when they get here!"
He had just raised his phone to his ear when a hand reached out, took the phone, and offered him bills worth more than the fare.
"Will this be enough to cover it?"