The evening sun shone on the villa that was located halfway up the mountain. Through the huge French windows, the sunlight shone on the face of the woman in the house. A gentle breeze blew past, causing the wind chimes to tinkle.
Seemingly disturbed by the sound of the wind chimes, the woman on the bed frowned. Her eyelashes fluttered twice before she finally opened her eyes slowly, revealing a pair of glass-like eyes. However, there was a look of confusion in her gem-like orbs.
Everything felt like a dream.
Her eyes gleamed and she beamed upon such thought. Maybe, just maybe, what happened in that hospital was all a dream!
With this in mind, Ashley dashed to the familiar door when she glanced at the mirror she just walked past through.
Seemingly frozen, she looked at the mirror once more and gasped.
The person in the mirror looked very disheveled… and young! Her hair was a mess and her makeup was smudged. The bright red lips were a huge shock to Ashley.
“What… in the world is happening?”
She remembered this time of her life!
It was when Scottie was still in kindergarten! He was four years old and she was twenty-four years old. What made her remember this year because this was the time when she decided to toss away her responsibility as a mother and focused herself on chasing her husband.
Whenever she heard about Jaxon meeting with an investor in a bar, she would go there and spy on him. At that time, Ashley had no time to worry about a kid when her husband alone was already a handful. Whenever she saw how her husband would smile at the waitress, she would confront the lady and make sure that she would know about his wife.
Thinking about it now, Ashley could only spit at herself.
Shaking her head, she traced her reflection of herself in the mirror. “Did God take pity on me?”
A lone tear escaped from her right eye. The thought of having her son back alone was something she could rejoice for her whole life.
Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes and uttered a prayer. “God, if this is not a dream before you take my selfish ass to hell, then let me redeem myself and be the best mother to my son. That is only my desire in this world. I have no more intention of holding onto people. Thank you. I promise I will cherish this second chance of life. I will be Scottie’s best mother. Just You wait.”
With this new resolve, Diana took a shower. While wearing her bathrobe, she opened her walk-in closet. All of the clothes that welcomed her were old-fashioned ones. This was not her usual style, but upon hearing about Jaxon’s penchant for women who used clothes like his grandmother, Ashley foolishly changed her entire wardrobe.
“What a fool you have been, Ashley.” She wanted to pat her old self before slapping her foolish past self. “That man deliberately told me. All her ex-girlfriends did not use this kind of thing. My past self is only blindly in love with Jaxon Elijah.”
Shaking her head, Ashley opened the box which contained her favorite clothes that she deliberately hid before. She did not want to throw this so she hid it here. Who would have known she would be able to use it in her second life?
An elegant cream-colored dress that fell just below her knees and showed her arms and a part of her back was what she had chosen. She wore her favorite white doll shoes.
After dressing up, Ashley walked to her vanity mirror and sat. A look of disdain was reflected in her eyes as she scanned the bottles of perfumed. In reality, Ashley loved the smell of nature and flowers. But before her were the bottles of perfume with heavy scents that she ‘also’ heard that Jaxon liked to a woman.
Deciding not to wear any perfume and just rely on her rose flower gel, Ashley dropped all her dislikes to the bin while the clothes were on her bed.
Looking at herself on the mirror, Ashley sighed once more. “Look at you, Ashley. You are young, but you are wasting your youth chasing on a cruel man who will never love you even if you jump from a building in front of him.”
Her long hair, which she usually braided this time around, was let down to cascade freely. With her wavy brown hair, after drying it, it was naturally bouncy.
Settling with a simple cherry pink lipstick, Diana smiled at herself in the mirror.
“Farewell, Ashley Elijah. From now on, I will reclaim Ashley Connor’s aspiration and beloved son. You may rest in peace now, my poor past self. Starting today, I will no longer chase Jaxon Elijah.”
There was a raw determination beneath her youthful face.
It was at this moment that her phone rang. When she answered it, she was immediately bombarded with Dylan’s shrilling voice.
Despite that, tears swelled in her eyes once more.
‘I miss this.’ Ashley thought to herself.
On the other end of the phone, her manager, Dylan, was still talking non-stop, as if he had been suppressed too much in the past. Now, he finally had a chance to vent.
“Do you still want to be an actress?”
“Isn’t this your dream?”
“Getting married and publicly charging at your husband’s mistresses are not enough, now you want to ditch this contract?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Hey! Did you hear me!”
“Come over tomorrow. We’ll settle this then.” Ashley hung up the phone, and the world finally quieted down.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Dylan froze. It was true that the voice on the other end of the line was Ashley, but why did he feel that something was wrong? Shouldn’t Ashley be cursing at him for disturbing her stalking frenzy with her husband? Why did she become so calm, and what was with that commanding tone?
“What time is it?”
Picking up her phone, she walked to the first floor where she found servants preparing a meal in the kitchen. When they heard her, they came out instantly. “Miss, dinner is almost ready.”
Ashley slightly raised her brows. She was used to this treatment. Everyone in the prestigious Elijah Family how desperate she was to be Jaxon’s wife, thus, they never called her ‘Madam’. If it hurt her before to the point that she would lash out at the employees, now, she merely shrugged it off.
“Go and arrange a car. I’m going out.”
“Miss, where are you going?” Nanny Doris, who had been waiting on her for a long time, was thoroughly disgusted by Ashley’s words. She had just returned home after drinking so much last night, and now she was going out again after waking up. She did not like the way Ashley acted.
“I said, send a car.” Ashley slightly emphasized her words, which attracted Nanny Doris’s attention. Nanny Doris raised her head and was stunned when she saw Ashley.
The woman in front of her had worn a light cream silk dress, with her long wavy hair hanging loosely on her shoulders. The face that was always mistaken to be a face of a middle-aged woman was gone, making her look intelligent and refreshing like the lush mountains after the rain. And what made Nanny Doris most afraid to look straight at her was that pair of imposing eyes.
“Okay, I will have them arrange it now.” Before her brain could react, she had already subconsciously voiced her obedience.
The black car stopped in front of the door and the chauffeur opened the door for Ashley. “Miss, where are you going?”
“Woodhill Kindergarten.”
“Yes, Miss.” The chauffeur was not used to hearing her go to places other than his boss’ company.
‘What’s wrong with her today?’ He could only wonder at the back of his mind.
Ashley leaned against the leather seat while the car drove at a steady speed. Her train of thought was on Scottie.At this point in her life, it was embarrassing to say, but she had never taken her son to kindergarten. Thinking about it, the remorse she was feeling continued to pile up. Indeed, loving Jaxon Elijah was poison.She could not imagine her beloved son growing up without having both of his parents’ attention just because his daddy was always busy and his mommy was always chasing his father.A pathetic smile was reflected on the window’s reflection.“Miss, we’re here.” Ashley only pulled herself out of her thoughts when the chauffeur reminded her.“Wait here.”With that, Ashley pushed open the door and got out of the car. When she left the villa, she had put on a long jacket over her skirt. However, it was still a little chilly on the evening of spring. She could not help but roll down her sleeves.The Woodhill Kindergarten was the most prestigious kindergarten in the city.
“Mommy, I’m done washing my hands.”Upon hearing the little dumpling’s voice and seeing the careful look in his eyes, Ashley smiled gently and pacified him. “Then come and eat with me, Scottie.”“Okay!” Scottie was overjoyed. His fair little hand carefully grabbed Ashley’s hand and sat beside her.“Have some meat and some vegetables.”Ashley could not remember when was the last time she had served a meal to her son’s plate. For her, she was truly an undeserving mother to Scottie. That was why, she would devote her life today avoiding her past mistakes.Scottie buried his head in his bowl, his chubby cheeks bulging like a little hamster as he ate the food Ashley had given him.Under the light, Ashley, who was helping herself with the food, looked exceedingly gentle and quiet. She had an aura that made people calm down. If not for her appearance, everyone would have thought that she was somebody else.Looking at the harmonious atmosphere between the two of them, the servants felt emotio
Soon after they settled down to rest, the night turned into its peaceful slumber. The moonlight shone on the mother and son who were sleeping in each other’s arms, enshrouding the pair in a layer of bright radiance.The next morning, before Ashley woke up, she felt a ball of warmth in her arms. When she opened her eyes, she saw Scottie staring at her with his big eyes that reflected her figure. His long eyelashes fluttered.Having been attacked by his cuteness so early in the morning, a wide smile appeared on Ashley’s face. “What’s wrong? Why are you awake so early?”“So what happened yesterday wasn’t a dream. Mommy, will you be like yesterday in the future?” Scottie clung tightly to Ashley’s shoulders as if wanting to confirm that everything was real.Seeing the combination of trepidation and yearning on Scottie’s face, Ashley’s heart tightened. This reminded her of how poorly she treated her son.Clearing her throat to clear the clog in it, she said. “Of course, Scottie. I’ll be lik
The man standing at the door was dressed in an exquisite suit that perfectly accentuated his figure. He had a face that looked like it had been sculpted, with eyebrows that were straight and his nose bridge high. There was a deep look in his eyes and he exuded the aura of someone who had a high status.Jaxon Elijah was the most outstanding person in power in the Elijah family in recent years. Young and promising, he was known for being decisive in his actions. Because his parents had passed away in a plane accident when he was young, he had been living with his grandfather, who was the previous head of the Elijah family.Years ago, the Old CEO had stepped down and handed over the huge conglomerate to Jaxon Elijah. Jaxon Elijah had lived up to expectations and successfully brought the Elijah family to its most prominent period. Although the Elijah family had always kept a low profile, no one dared to offend the Elijah family, especially families with power and wealth.Logically speakin
The next day, Ashley brought Scottie out for breakfast before taking him to school. As she watched him get into the school bus, she was reluctant to part with him.Last night, she had agreed to divorce Jaxon in three months. The Elijah family would definitely not give her custody of the child. However, she was the child’s mother. As long as Scottie wanted to see her or be with her, Jaxon could do nothing.She took out her phone and saw the messages from Bright Red+. She had not been out for the past two days and her friends had sent her a lot of messages.Ashley searched for ‘Heynes’ in the search bar at the top. As expected, the face of an elite young man who was dressed in professional attire appeared.Ashley had a special status, so it was unavoidable that she needed to contact the Elijah family. However, Jaxon had no interest in dealing with her, so Harold Heynes was mainly responsible for contacting Ashley.Ashley opened up the chat and typed something.Special Assistant Harold H
With a pile of snacks, she returned to the villa. The moment Nanny Doris saw the things in her hand, her expression twisted once again. It was unacceptable that Ashley was carrying all of this junk food. Ashley had eaten her fill in the afternoon, so she placed the snacks on the table and went upstairs to take a shower and a nap. The villa was located in the suburbs of the city. It would take one to three hours to get there. By the time Jaxon arrived, Ashley had already woken up from her afternoon nap. She asked Nanny Doris to heat the snacks she had brought back. Having the shake from Domin*s that she had iced in the fridge, Ashley felt so relaxed and young. She could not even remember the last time she had this leisurely time. As expected, marrying and loving Jaxon Elijah was a one-way ticket to hell. It was at this moment that an uninvited guest at the door shattered Ashley’s leisure time. The man was still wearing that well-tailored custom-made suit, which accentuated his col
Ashley was wide awake the entire time that Jaxon and her son were sitting beside her as they watched the talking pig on the television. For the first time after her two lifetimes, Ashely felt incredulous about how this was the only time that the three of them sat as a family while watching a cartoon. A daily occurrence in a normal family was something akin to impossible for a family like Ashley, Jaxon, and Scottie. And this seemingly impossible event was happening right now, making Ashley tense all of a sudden. Like Ashley’s tense form, Jaxon acted as if he was entranced with the talking pig on the screen. Unmoving, Jaxon’s back was straight as he crossed his legs and arms. Scottie was the only one acting normal between the three of them. His little chubby legs dangled the sofa as he leaned to his mother’s side and his father’s side. His cute little cheeks were like buns and his eyes were twinkling happily. The odd tranquility was shattered by the ringing tone of Jaxon’s phone. On
Staggering, Ashley barged into the hospital’s morgue.Not minding the numbing cold, with her bare feet, Ashley raced to the place she loathed the most. Never in her forty years of existence did she expect that she would be coming to this place for her beloved son.Her knees wobbled and her shaky breath stopped when she saw the only body covered in a white blanket. Blood was smeared at the other end of the mantle where a head was being covered.In a blink of an eye, Ashley hovered over the table where the corpse was laid. With trembling hands, Ashley mastered the courage to confirm her doubts.After all, she just called her son a few hours ago. He told her he was fine! Her darling child assured her, even joked at her, as he whined at her to prepare the apple pie he always loved to eat in secret – their little connection in that desolate house of glory and splendor.The moment she lifted the blanket, the disfigured face of her son welcomed Ashley.A cry escaped from her raspy throat as