Ashley saw familiar porch and she felt her throat constrict and the dryness returned. The calmness and everything she had practiced in her head dissolved into smoke.
Dylan parked the car and smiled at Ashley who clearly looked troubled, he enjoyed seeing that expression on her face but part of his heart was....
"Stupid heart." He said in his mind.
"Ashley, we're here."
Ashley wanted to smack that grin off his face but instead eyed him and opened the car door.
She walked to the entrance of the doorand pressed the doorbell.
"Who is it?" Taylor voice was heard and Ashley's face turned pale.
Wasn't Taylor supposed to go for her check up today?
Dylan leaned towards her with a playful grin and said to her,
"This is gonna be fun."
Ashley glared at Dylan and exhaled then they heard Taylor's voice again.
"If you can't answer, then stay there."
"Lory it's me." Ashley spoke hurriedly hearing Taylor's footsteps becoming distant.
"Ashley?"
"Yes, it's me" Ashley could hear the hurriedly footsteps of Taylor and felt guilty.
Ashley saw the door open and Taylor freeze immediately she came into view, the tall figure could not be overlooked, and his aura can't be ignored.
"Lory..." Ashley said but stopped when Taylor's eyes moved to her.
"Can you explain why this guy is behind you?" Taylor could feel her anger rising.
"Lory..."
"Ashley!," Taylor cut her short. "Don't Lory me, I need an explanation now!" Her voice laced with anger.
"There are pedestrians ,and I care about my image if you don't."
Dylan said bored and unconcerned as if he was not the subject of the matter
Taylor and Ashley looked around and saw curious pedestrians staring.
Taylor left the doorway, and Ashley and Dylan entered. Taylor walked to the balcony and Ashley followed her, while Dyalb sat on tye couch like he owns the place.
"Ashley, please tell me both of you are not together." Taylor said as soon as they reached the balcony.
Ashley inhaled, exhaled, and sighed, but eventually answered,
"We are."
Two words but they hit Taylor like arrows. She winced as if shot by an arrow, and she fell to the chair.
"Why?"
Ashley knew it had hurt Taylor alot as the bubbly girl had quiet down.
"Lory, I'm so sorry, but I had to do it else we'd lose everything, I didn't do it willingly, I didn't do it for myself, I didn't for you, for..."
"You are dating the guy who shattered me for me? Wow, Ashley, wow."
"Taylor, we...um, we are not dating, we...got...married."
If the first words pierced Taylor like arrows, then this one was being smashed by a huge rock and getting stabbed at the same time.
"Lory, if I didn't do it, we would have..." Ashley spoke hurriedly as she saw Taylor eyes lose it's luster. But the words Taylor spoke cut her short and made her blood run cold.
"You proved to me that you aren't my real sister, that we aren't related by blood, that we don't share a relationship, even our countries are different. You proved to be just like your fellow countrymen. In movies where sisters betray sisters, I laughed at how absurd it was but you did ur. You proved me wrong. I am American and you are Nigerian, you've always been and always will be." Taylor concluded her words by pushing the hand of Ashley which were on her knees.
The push was with so much force and anger that Ashley fell on ger butt. Every word Taylor said hit, wounded, pierced, bruised, and cut Ashley. Breaking her soul into two and her heart into a million pieces while her body lost its strength. Ashley eyes blurred as she started at Taylor receding figure.
She sat on the ground and cried her eyes out, her heaving chest was showing how much agony she had as she buried her head in her knees.
"It did it for us Lory, not for me, for us..." She mumbled as she cried.
☆
Ashley washed her face in the sink but her nose and eyes were still red. She went downstairs and met Dylan and Nicole talking. Dylan seemed like a good son, while Nicole seemed to enjoy the conversation.
"Here she is." Dylab said with a warm smile as he sighted Ashley.
Nicloe faced back and saw Ashley standing g with an odd expression.
"Ashley, why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend? And a charming and handsome one at that."
"I..." Ashley couldn't find any excuse to give.
"Mother, she wanted to give you a suprise and that's why she didn't tell you, but I had troubled her a lot before she agreed to let me meet you." Dylan spoke in a surprisingly warm tone.
"Oh, this girl," Nicloe said chuckling. She turned to Dyaln and said,
"You must stay for lunch, okay?"
"Of course, mother."
"Great, let me get cooking. Ashley, take him to your room and serve him some juice, I don't need any love play at my old age." She spoke and stood up with a happy expression and trotted to the kitchen.
"Don't call her mother, she is not your mother." Ashley snapped when she saw Nicole enter the kitchen.
Dylan flinched but it was barely noticeable. He flashed a 'all the girls would die for' grin.
"Well you are my wife."
Ashley gritted her teeth and grabbed Dylan hand.
"Come with me."
She didn't see that Dylan eyes were glinting with s dangerous light. As she closed the door to her room, she also didn't notice Taylor emerging from behind the wall that leads to the balcony.
"Ashley, I'll remember this for life."
Taylor vowed as she walked into her room. Taylor room was a mix of yellow and pink, a typical girls room. She sat on the bed and said to herself,
"Is this karma?" Taylor frowned as she remembered the incident thar she regretted happening.
She picked up her phone to call Michelle.
"Hey meech, the past is coming to hunt me...Ashley and Dylan got married...Yes meech, this ain't funny, Ashley betrayed me she hurt me, and I'll make sure this marriage fails, I'm going to hurt her so bad...but ...Michelle–" Taylor said, but Michelle had cut the call.
"Damn it!" She exclaimed as she threw the phone on the bed.