"What the hell are yoy trying g to do?" Ashley asked as they entered the room.
"What do you mean?, I'm just chilling with mother..."
"Shut up, she is not your mother, and cut the crap Dylan. You've done enough!, you've made my sister hate me, ruined my life, and I don't know what you want to do to my mother." Ashley was really angry, hurt and confused.
"
Dylan playful grin wiped from his face and his expression became cold and vicious, he became the Dylan that she knew, the Dylan who was out to ruin her.
"She is not your mother Ashley, you know it, I know it, Taylor knows it. You aren't even American, you're a Nigerian, this woman was nice enough to pick you up and train you. If she found out that you married the same guy who left an emotional trauma on her daughter, do you think she'd ever forgive you?"
Dylan voice was a deadly gun shooting poison laced bullets into Ashley, doing more dame to her. She flinched. Her eyes became misty but she couldn't let herself cry, not in fron of him.
"Ashley Ogadinma Dean or should I say Ejime?" Dylan sain with a devilish smirk but that smirk was a sword. It pierced deep into Ashley breaking the last bit of resistance in her.
"No..." Ashley whispered, her tears began to fall. "I am not an Ejime."
"You were never wanted by anyone, not by your real parents, not by your classmates both in Nigeria and America and definitely not by me." Dylan slowly but it was deadly.
"No..." Ashley held her held in agony.
"You know, Nicole taking you in was by a stroke of luck,"
"It's not." Ashley stepped back as she started to lose her balance.
"And today, you proved that you didn't deserve it by marrying me."
"No...stop..." Ashley fell to the bed and Dylan sat on the sofa in the room.
"You are treacherous, ungrateful, truly undeserving of anyone's love. You see this marriage, it's just for name, just the title." Dylan said ruthlessly breaking Ashley.
Ashley looked pitiful– she was crying with her hands blocking her ears, and her head bowed which made her hair fly crazily. She sat on the bed squirming and shifting uncomfortably as if being tortured.
Dylan smiled coldly at Ashley.
"Tbis is just the beginning Ogadinma, this marriage is your doomsday"
"You lied to me?" Ashley raised her head, her face full of agony, confusion, self-loath, and distraught.
"Dyaln walked to Ashley and held her chin, his handsome face close to her face, too close. Ashley stiffened, not from the effect Dylan had on her but the look in Dylan's eyes.
It was cold and vicious, a gaze filled with malice and disgust.
"No baby, I didn't lie, I just took advantage of the situation."
Ashley shuddered. Dylan voice was filled with malice. He threw her head to the side and walked off, but Ashley saw the tissue he threw on the ground,the tissue he used to wipe his fingers.
Ashley eyes welled up again and a feeling of fatigue washed over her. She didn't have the strength to cry but the tears came out nonstop.
When Dylan came out of the room he bumped into Taylor whose room was close but not next to Ashley's room. Their eyes jammed but Dylan eyes held no emotion but it still made Taylor scared.
The night of their breakup was one that made her fear Dylan even till now. Taylor quickly looked away and hurriedly went downstairs.
Dylan tried not to feel uncomfortable, but he did. His stupid heart felt a stabbing pain when he saw Ashley's face, he had actually walked over to comfort her as if his heart controlled him but his sane and rational mind drew him back and brought out the right words.
The strange itch in his heart was unbearable.
"Stupid heart." He mumbled as he went down the stairs.
---------------------------------
Hamilton Diner.
Michelle walked into the staff lounge for her break when her phone rang,she took it out and said the name annoying brat.
"why is Taylor calling?, I'm sure she she needs to use my room for her skit." She picked the call with a little smile on her face.
"Hey Lory, I hav..."
Taylor did not give her a chance to talk as she greeted and she said next confused Michelle.
"Hey Meech, the past is coming back to hunt." Taylor spoke startling her.
"What do you mean?" Michelle smile had changed into a frown.
"Ashley and Dylan are married."
Taylor's words made Michelle freeze.
"What the hell Taylor, this ain't funny." Michelle voice was a little agitated.
"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..."
Michelle couldn't hear anything else, her mind was blank. The part she heard was, "hurt her so bad..." and she immediately said,
"You'll do no such thing Taylor, nothing." Her voice was a little raised which made her colleagues stare at her.
"No buts Taylor,.I'm coming home." Michelle said, immediately hanging up.
"Michelle, what's wrong?" Candice asked her with a worried look seeing Michelle with a terrifying expression.
Michelle ignored her question only throwing a "help me apply for a half day" at her and stroking out of the lounge.
"How I'm i supposed to lie?" Candice shouted at her back but Michelle was long gone.
☆
Michelle got to the house very quickly and pressed the door bell multiple times within three seconds.
Dylan heard the door bell and it seemed no one was here, besides Nicole who was cooking in the kitchen and Taylor was probably at the back of the house and didn't hear a thing.
"Dylan dear, could you please get the door?" Nicole said to Dylan from the kitchen.
" Yes, mother." Dylan replied, and stoop up to answer the person who seemed like he had come to collect a dept. He opened the door and saw Michelle who looked worked and impatient.
" you're scum" were the words that Michelle used as a greeting to Dylan. Michelle immediately took hold of Dylan collar which made him frown.
"What disgusting method did you use to make Ashley marry you, you despicable man, I don't know what Taylor actually saw in you..."
Dylan threw Michelle hands off his collar making her pause.
"I didn't use any disgusting method, sister-in-law, I just saved your family from being exiled from the US,and Taylor actually has good eyes by liking me, I'm really handsome, you know." Dylan winked at Michelle I the latter part of his words. Michelle chest was heaving to show how angry felt, and Dylan's word's made her aggravated, she opened her mouth to talk, but Dylan continued, and the friendly tone he used before had changed into a cold voice and his eyes becomes dangerous– plain old Dylan.
" I suggest you check up on your sister before she does some harm to herself, or go crazy." He turned his back to leave and Michelle said angrily,
"What did you do to Taylor?"
"You see why she can't be your sister even with the name."
Michelle quickly realised that he was talking about Ashley not Taylor. Without words,she dashed inside and hurried to Ashley's room.
"Ash." Michelle entered the room and saw Ashley on the floor beside the bed, her hair disheveled and her body looked weak and frail.
"Taylor?" Ashley raised her head to see if it was Taylor but she met with Michelle worried eyes.
Ashley face was still red from crying and her eyes were also red, there was traces of tears on her face and Michelle clearly swa the agony, frustration, pain, self loathvand distraught in Ashley eyes. Her eyes were also unfocused like she was confused. It made Michelle jaw clench and her fists tightened, her heart broke at the sight of Ashley's pitiful state.
"Ash,you..." Michelle walked over to her and hugged her.
"Meech, Taylor Hates me, everything is ruined, I betrayed her, I'm ungrateful, look at me,I paid back good with evil, after all the care and love,look what I did to you guys, if mum finds out, she'll hate me,I'm bad person,I'm..." Ashley broke smfoqn in tears again.
" No, Ash, No, you're not bad, you're not bad, don't let him get to your head, and Taylor doesn't have you she just angry, it's only for a while, she'll calm down, you'll see, don't cry."
Michelle comforted her and hugged her tighter.
"Meech, why does this happens to me,why?,what did I do to deserve this?" Ashley voice cracked as she spoke her voice had turned hoarse from crying.
"You did nothing, baby nothing.'
"Why did my parents not want me?, why did Dylan not want me?, why did I have to hurt Taylor like this?, why?"
"Ash," Michelle didn't know how to answer or what to answer. Her eyes glinted with a dark light, a dark terrifying light.
"Shh, Ashley shh," Her voice was hypnotic and the continously rhythmic tapping at the back of Ashley's neck made Ashley quiet and close her eyes.
"Ashley, you need to rest, yoy want to go to sleep." Michelle voice was slow, low and inviting, one that makes a person just want to close their eyes and listen to, and it the quiet room, it made Ashley sleepy. The continously tapping at the back of her neck didn't stop but, just made Ashley more sleepy.
"Ashley, do you want to sleep?"
"Hmm." Ashley answered, her mind hazy.
"Then sleep, alright, everything's okay, sleep." Michelle voice like a drug, when it stopped, Ashley drifted off to sleep. Michelle carried her up effortlessly and placed her on the bed. She sat beside Ashley and carressed her face.
"Ashley, I'm sorry you have to stay in this marriage for long but don't worry, i won't let Taylor hurt you. I won't let it happen." A trace of viciousness flashed in her eyes. She leaned in and kissed Ashley on her lips.
She wiped Ashley lips with her fingers and licked her lips.
"I won't let it happen because you are mine and mine alone." She smiled fondly at the sleeping Ashley, and patted her head before leaving the room.