Chapter 2
I wondered if Aisha, without any secret techniques in this life, would be able to escape Darryl's torment.
I gently brushed a fallen leaf from her shoulder.
I said, "God has plans for everyone. If that is the future I'm meant to have, I believe I can make it through on my own.
"What really gets me is when some people, instead of facing their problems, take it out on others. If that's not pathetic, I don't know what is."
Aisha's pupils shrank sharply as she suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Denice! You've come back to the past too, haven't you?" she blurted out.
No way a young girl would have eyes that cold.
"So what if you came back to the past? I'm the one marrying Darryl now. Just wait. You'll be the one crying over that short-lived guy," she snapped.
With that, she stormed off, fuming.
Watching her walk away, I found myself lost in thought.
Aisha's words had a point. If Javier really died, what was I supposed to do?
Javier's family were ruthless. If Javier died, they'd tear me apart and leave nothing behind.
I couldn't stop thinking about it until night fell, when a gentle voice suddenly called out from the window.
I pushed the window open and was stunned.
Javier was leaning against the windowsill, drenched in sweat, his face illuminated by the moonlight.
He was so ridiculously handsome I couldn't help but gasp.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not some creep. It's just, they said you were going to be my wife, so I wanted to get a look at my future bride," he said.
He was panting, but there was a bright spark in his eyes that couldn't be hidden.
He said, "Can I ask you something?"
The way he hesitated made me a bit uneasy.
"What?" I replied.
"Are you a fairy or something? Why are you so beautiful?" he blurted out.
As soon as he said it, his face turned bright red.
I burst out laughing, when suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Well, well, Denice. Caught you fooling around with a guy before you're even married. Let's see how you talk your way out of this one," Aisha snapped.
Aisha shoved the window wide open, but when she saw Javier, she was caught off guard.
"What are you doing here?" she blurted out.
Javier couldn't hide the disgust in his eyes.
"I'm here to talk to my future wife about our wedding. Got a problem with that? Seriously, you can't help but run your mouth. Ever heard of manners?" he shot back.
Aisha's face turned bright red with anger, and she immediately lashed out at me.
"Don't get cocky. So what if you two are all lovey-dovey now? He's not gonna live long anyway," she snapped.
Javier scoffed, giving her a look of pure disdain.
"Our marriage is none of your business. All I know is, I'll never wrong Denice," Javier said coolly.
Aisha was grinding her teeth in rage.
"Denice, I can't wait for the day you become a widow!" she snapped.
Aisha couldn't stop throwing the word "widow" around whenever she got the chance.
The nightmare from her previous life had been etched deep into her bones.
So now, as long as Darryl was still breathing, she was satisfied.
Honestly, her standards were rock bottom.
"Aisha, maybe you should start learning how to do laundry and cook. The Lacour family doesn't have servants to wait on you. You'll have to do everything yourself," I said, my tone icy.
I hit Aisha right where it hurt, and she stormed off, fuming.
Downstairs, I could hear Aisha whining to Mom, trying to coax a little more money out of her.
Javier went right back to that puppy-eyed look, resting his chin on the windowsill and gazing up at me.
"Denice, trust me. As long as I'm still breathing, I'll never let anything hurt you," he said, voice low and sincere.
Hearing him say "still breathing" made my chest tighten.
Without thinking, I reached out and covered his mouth with my hand.
Our skin touched, and I could hear his heartbeat thunder in the quiet night.
Funny, I had been married in my last life, so why was I still getting all flustered now?
I coughed to hide my reaction.
"Javier, I don't need you to be rich or powerful. All I want is for you to stay alive," I said. "Do you understand? Nothing matters more than you being alive."
After a long pause, Javier grinned up at me, resolve shining in his eyes.
"I promise," he said, his voice firm.
Mom, always trying to pinch pennies, married off both Aisha and me on the same day.
To make sure Aisha looked impressive, Mom basically blew her entire life savings to throw her a massive, showy wedding.
The food was gourmet, and even the decorations were ridiculously fancy.
But the original wedding she had planned for me was so pitiful, it was honestly just sad.
Javier took one look at it, grabbed my hand, and walked us right out. The very next day, he arranged a wedding that outshone Aisha's in every possible way.
While we were greeting guests, Aisha and I crossed paths. She made a show of linking her arm with Darryl's.
She said, "Denice, I swear I've never seen anyone as clever as Darryl. He can navigate all the family drama and power plays with ease, spot business opportunities in a flash, and thanks to him, I'll be living the high life in no time."