The Substitute Bride: Making Memories Of Us (Lois Stone)

Ayla sauntered towards the sofa and sat down gently.
Turning to the man, she asked, "Mr.Clark, do you still plan on spending the night here?"
He had been using her sofa as his bed for days now and it seemed like he was in no rush to leave her alone.
As expected, she hadn't been getting enough sleep knowing he was in the same house as her.
She was acutely aware of his strong presence and it was making her uneasy, so she'd do her best to drive him away.
"Do you want me to sleep on this sofa or on your bed?"
Brian teased, a playful smirk forming on his full lips.
The sofa was too small for him but he didn't mind cramming his body into it.
He didn't even push to sleep beside her, as much as he wanted to.
Was she still thinking of throwing him out of her apartment? Ayla's answer to his question was to shoot daggers at him.She
turned on her heel and stomped back to her bedroom.
He could hear the faint click of the lock once the door slammed shut.
Brian knowingly smiled and just shook his head at her response.
It was typical of Ayla to react that way, so it didn't come as a surprise to him.
‘She will feel comfortable around me eventually and by then, maybe she'd be the same as she was before, ' he thought.Brian
knew how she'd grown close to Lucas over the years but his dark secrets were bound to be revealed at some point.
Even if it would hurt Ayla, she deserved to know what kind of person Lucas was.
Meanwhile, Lucas hurriedly came back to the hotel after Haley called him.
"What's wrong, Haley? Why did you get sick so suddenly?" he asked while trying to control his rising irritation.
Although Lucas was reluctant to go out of his way for her, his heart softened when he saw Haley lying on the bed.
It was evident on her face that she was not feeling well.

Her cheeks were unusually warm to the touch, a clear indication of having fever.
"I don't know what's wrong with me.Maybe this fever was caused by something I've eaten.Don't worry yourself too much
though.I've already taken some medicine," she reasoned out in her small soft voice.
In truth, Haley purposely ate something she was allergic to.
She didn't want Lucas to be with another woman and this was her way of making him stay with her.
Although she didn't know who the woman was, Haley was confident that she was better than her.
Lucas laid a gentle hand on her forehead to check on her temperature again.
"I'd better take you to the hospital for good measure,"he said.
Not wanting to lose this moment with him, Haley shook her head and disagreed, "No, thanks.I'd rather stay here and rest.Can
you hold me? I'm feeling a bit cold."
She pulled on his sleeve with her frail hand, willing him to get on the bed with her.Lucas felt like he wanted to bolt out of that
room but he ended up nodding to her request instead, "Okay."
He circled his strong arms around Haley's petite frame, but he couldn't get Ayla out of his mind.
He had been abroad for so many days and he hadn't had a chance to spend more time with her yet.
'What would she feel about my relationship with Haley? What about my promise to her?’ he pondered.Haley was trying to hide
her smile while enveloped in Lucas' embrace.
She was secretly glad that her plan worked out perfectly.She wouldn't let that woman steal her beloved man away, no matter
how beautiful she was.
Anna was patiently waiting for Brian in the living room of the villa.
After what happened, she knew he wouldn't come back to her anymore, but a part of her was still hopeful that he would return.
She tried catching up with him at work, but he was always occupied with business meetings.
‘It's also possible that he was with that bitch Ayla, ' she sneered.Anna left it at that and didn't bother talking to Brian.

They had a terrible fight the other day and it was unclear who started it.
Maybe she was the only one who got angry because she actually had feelings, while Brian could care less about her.
Upon seeing that the lights were still on in the main villa, Maria came over and said, "Miss Anna, it's getting late now.Mr.Clark
may not be coming back tonight."
"It's none of your business, Maria! You're nothing but a servant here.Stop meddling in our relationship.You know nothing!"
Anna's pain and anger were fueled by the amount of liquor she had drunk.
With no one to share her problems with, she kept on cursing and poured her frustrations over to Maria.Despite Anna's drunken
tirade, Maria still cared enough to remind her about what she was doing.
"Miss Anna, I'm doing this for your own good.Drinking too much is bad for your health." Maria also knew that the woman had
always desired to have a baby, but she was never blessed to conceive one each time.
Her drinking habit surely must have taken a toll on her reproductive health.
‘No wonder she's having a hard time getting pregnant!’ Maria shook her head disapprovingly.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's none of your business?!"
Anna shouted and sent the glass flying across the room.It shattered into countless tiny pieces.
"You keep on bothering me.Why can't you leave me alone here? I'm waiting for him to come back.I was the one who stood by
him all these years and now that Ayla came back, he suddenly abandoned me like I'm nothing!"
Anna sobbed helplessly, her tears rushing down her face like a waterfall.
"Maria, is it because I had had sex with other men in the past that Brian can't fully accept me? But that bitch, Ayla, isn't pure
either! She has a parade of men around her.She would seduce them for her own gain and pleasure, while I'm with other men for
Brian's sake.Everything I do is to help him achieve his goals.But now, he can't be bothered to return here because he's disgusted
with me! Do you think I'm dirty, Maria?" she rambled on and on.
Not caring to drink from a glass, Anna grabbed the wine bottle by its neck and chugged the deep red liquor.
Maria moved closer and snatched the bottle away from her grip, causing some of the wine to spill on her clothes.

"Miss Anna, you've had too much to drink.You should stop now.If you really love Mr.Clark, you should understand him from his
point of view," she stated, trying to pacify the drunk woman.
Anna humorlessly laughed at what the maid said.
"Understand him? He never once tried to understand me.Why should I do that for him now?" she asked incredulously.
Anna tried to stand up but collapsed on the sofa instead, her drunkenness taking the better part of her.
Ever since, her love had always been humble and giving, but now she was done being selfless.
It only caused her too much pain and suffering and she didn't want to go through that anymore.
However, Anna clearly knew that she would eventually eat her own words.
If Brian came back and stood in front of her, she would still accept him and give up her pride and dignity just to be with him.
After taking a good look at her, Maria was certain that Anna was totally wasted.
She assisted the woman going up the second floor and laid her down on the bed.
Maria knew that Anna had always been in love with Mr.Clark, but he only had eyes for Ayla and no one else.She also heard that
Ayla had already come back, although she didn't drop by the villa.
Maybe she didn't want to remember the memories she had in this place.
The next morning, Ayla got up early to prepare breakfast.
When she saw Brian lying on the couch in the living room, she immediately thought, ‘Why did he have to cram himself in the
small sofa in my room?’
No matter what kindness or good attitude he showed, she couldn't find it in her heart to forgive him for what he did before.Her
heart was hurt badly a lot of times already.It was no easy feat to recover from that kind of heartbreak.
It would take a long time for her to learn how to fall in love again.
She had been hurt by her past love, whether it was Toby or Brian.

As for Lucas, if it was necessary to do so, she would also have to let him go.
Staring at Ayla while she busied herself in the kitchen, Brian rubbed his sore and swollen forehead.
It was quite uncomfortable for a man who stood at 1.9 meters to sleep on a three-seater couch.
However, this woman was quite heartless for turning a blind eye to his predicament.
Aware that Brian was already awake, Ayla didn't offer him breakfast.
She leisurely ate her meal, although she did prepare a cup of coffee for him to kick start his day.
"I'm going to work,"
Ayla informed him after taking a few bites of food.
Brian simply nodded without any complaint since her studio was only across her apartment building.
As soon as Ayla left the apartment for work, Brian's phone rang.
He was a bit hesitant to answer the call when he saw the number but decided to get on with it eventually.
"Mr.Clark, this is Maria.There has been an emergency.Miss Anna drank too much last night and fainted after vomiting blood this
morning!"
Maria relayed what happened frantically.She felt sympathy towards Anna because she knew her love for Brian made her
become this way.
"Ask the driver to send her to the hospital right away," Brian replied with a frown forming on his face.
After dropping the call, he wasted no time and left the apartment to drive to the hospital.
When Maria arrived at the hospital, Brian was already there.
"Mr.Clark," she called silently.
"Doctor, please."
Brian had already arranged what needed to be done.

Things were not looking good at all.
Anna was in a coma and she needed immediate medical attention.
With her unconscious form lying on the stretcher, she was wheeled away to get her to the operating room.