Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 360: Lucky to Have You (2)

In contrast to Adrienne’s loving marriage, Ayla’s marriage was filled with constant arguments and tension. Ayla and her husband seemed to have different priorities and struggled to find common ground, leading to frequent misunderstandings and disagreements. Despite her efforts to work through their issues, her marriage with Alistair ultimately suffered from a lack of emotional connection and compatibility.

Alistair refused to have a decent talk with her and would only seek her out to have sex with her. He was rough and uninterested in meeting her emotional needs, leaving Ayla feeling neglected and unloved. Initially, she thought her husband was punishing her and still blamed her for his failure to be with Adrienne.

Ayla thought that, with enough time, Alistair would come to his senses and fully accept her as his wife. However, her husband’s remained the same as the days turned into weeks. Alistair wouldn’t return home for days, and if he did, he would come straight to her quarters and pin her beneath him to get his release. It seemed that even their sexual life was merely an obligation to him to give the Han family the heir they needed.

Even when she tried to talk to her husband, there was no warmth behind his words, and his expressions were cold and distant. He was absolutely unresponsive to her, but one thing was sure: he was very interested in her body.

Ayla woke up one morning with her entire body aching from last night’s activities with her husband. As usual, Alistair was nowhere to be found, though she could still feel the lingering warmth he left on the sheets. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness and loneliness creeping in, as if their physical encounters were the only connection they had left.

She knew that the Han family didn’t have a good impression of her anymore after the scandal. However, they still expect her to bear a child that will continue their family’s lineage.

A bitter smile spread on her lips. She couldn’t help but wonder if they truly valued her for who she was or if she was merely seen as a means to an end, a vessel to fulfill their expectations. The weight of their expectations and the pressure to conform felt suffocating, making her question her own worth in their eyes.

Ayla forced herself to slip out of bed, taking a sheet to cover her nakedness before going to the bathroom. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she grimaced at the dark bruises and marks Alistair had left on her body. Alistair was wild in bed, never giving her enough time to get ready, impaling himself on her impatiently. She could only cling to him as he pounded on her mercilessly without taking the time to make sure she was thoroughly aroused.

He was more concerned with his own pleasure. Ayla could feel his thrusts becoming more erratic as he neared his climax. As he reached the height of pleasure, he would lose control, pushing her against the bed violently. Once she was done, he would turn his back on her and sleep, only to leave her alone before the sun rose.

She deluded herself by saying that it was alright. However, after a while, she began to feel increasingly uncomfortable, wondering if he was being rough on purpose. Who was he even thinking when he made love with her?

Ayla’s expression turned grim. Of course, it was crystal clear to her who it was. She thought Adrienne would remain a thorn in her side.

She couldn’t believe how much pain she was willing to endure to keep up appearances and satisfy the Han family’s demands. But then again, what other choice did she have? Because of the scandal she had previously experienced, if she were to leave her husband, society would shun and disown her.

Ayla had nowhere to go. The Jiang family had already lost its prestige, and she had no career waiting for her.

She was once one of the rising stars of the showbiz world, but she was reduced to a laughingstock. Her father abandoned her and left the country with his mistress, which not only shuttered her world but also broke her mother’s heart. Ayla hadn’t seen nor heard anything from her mother for the past three months and wondered how she was faring after her father’s betrayal. As much as she wanted to see her mother, she was no better than a prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment in this massive mansion.

Ayla had always thought that her parents’ marriage was perfect, and it never crossed her mind that her father was cheating. He even fathered a son, an issue her mother couldn’t overcome despite trying hard to conceive again after having Ayla. Ayla knew of this as she saw her mother desperately trying to find methods that would help her fall pregnant again.

Maryam made sure to take care of herself. Even as a mother, she paid attention to her looks and kept her husband interested. However, after so many years, she failed to get pregnant and give her husband the son he’d been yearning for.

Ayla found it ridiculous, but she could not criticize her mother’s choices.

She stepped into the shower stall and allowed the warm water to cascade on her naked body. She gave a blissful sigh as the water trickled down her body, washing off Alistair’s sweat and intimate scent. As the water flowed down her thighs, she noticed how swollen they became and a faint shade of red. She gave out a low groan, wincing in pain as memories of Alistair forcefully taking her last night came flooding back.

Ayla had always wondered why his hands and his eyes always roamed around her body and why his gaze always lingered on her breasts when they were making love. She already knew the answer to her question but never wanted to believe it.

She didn’t feel clean as the water washed away the sweat on her body. She wanted to feel clean, but she knew that she couldn’t with Alistair. He was all she had right now, but she couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life with a man who made her feel so unloved and unworthy. If she knew she would live miserably with him, Ayla should have given up on him a long time ago. This wasn’t what she had in mind when she married Alistair.

Ayla felt empty inside. It’s difficult to describe how much she craved companionship and intimacy. She had a terrible feeling of loneliness that was consuming her, like a fish out of water. She wanted to feel safe and secure and know that someone truly loved her for who she was. But, alas, she could only blame herself. She was miserable because she had caused herself to be trapped in the lie that was her marriage to Alistair. And because it was a marriage of convenience, their relationship had been built on a pile of lies.

Ayla covered herself with a robe when she stepped out of the shower. She then went to take a towel to dry her hair but stopped in her tracks as she spotted a box of pregnancy tests on the counter of the bathroom. Ayla hesitated to touch it. It had been months since Alistair asked her to test herself regularly, but each time she did it, Ayla wasn’t sure if she wanted to be pregnant or not.

She already lost a child from miscarriage, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to keep the baby if she conceived again. However, she was also aware that having a child would improve her position in the Han family. It would also keep her safe from Alistair.

Ayla’s hands shook as she reached for the box. She stared at the small boxes as if they were poisonous snakes poised to attack her. She finally took a deep breath and picked up a box at random. She then went to the bathroom and sat on the toilet, removing the box from the plastic.

She stared at the instructions on the white box, her eyes trained on the section where it said, "If you are pregnant."

It was all a matter of minutes, and now she would know the truth. She swallowed hard as she read the instructions on the box and the sample testing stick. With shaky hands, Ayla conducted the test, following the instructions carefully.

For a moment, she stood still and watched the pregnancy test result. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally steeled herself and looked at the test. She was shocked to see that it was positive.

She was pregnant.

Ayla stepped back, threw her head back, and covered her eyes with one hand before bursting into hysterical laughter. If someone could see her at that moment, they would have assumed she had totally lost her mind.

"I can’t believe this," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Ayla couldn’t believe she could only rely on the child in her belly in order to survive the nightmare she was in.