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

A young lady was walking along a busy street of Milan in Italy.She was over dressed a little due to the cold.

She was in a green base shirt and a gray skirt, a pair of silky black stockings that was underneath to protect her legs from the cold and a pair of high heeled boots to show off her style.

To finish it off, she had a light beige coat and a purple scarf that covered her fair neck.

The slight wind that was present brushed past her, blowing her long hair slightly with it.The slight smile on her face made her look more elegant when she walked through the streets.

A few men had even catcalled her though she had ignored them all.

The young lady was none other than Ayla.

She sauntered into a coffee shop.

It was time for her afternoon tea time and being a caffeine lover, she needed a cup of coffee accompanied by that piece of tiramisu that she loved.

She came here every day for an hour and looked out of the window at the people who came in the coffee shop and left it.

She also looked up at the sky and watched the clouds shape into different shapes that she always tried to figure out while thinking of her future life after all that she had gone through in the past.

In short, this was her new favorite spot.

She had come to Milan two years ago to start a new life.

For the first year here, she had been suffering from the relapses of the drug addiction, and she had thought that her body would never recover.

Never in her wildest imagination did she expect that she could recover all of a sudden.

She would never forget that stormy day.She had stayed indoors in the small apartment that she had rented out with the little money that she had been left with.

Lucas had insisted on renting the apartment across from hers so that they could become neighbors.

That day, her hourly employee had left.

The pain in her body was less excruciating so there was no need to call Lucas.

She recalled that, that day was special for Brian for it was his engagement party to Anna.She had never expected that the couple would take this long to finally get engaged but here the day was when she was finally going to witness the long awaited event.

Brian was still that same handsome man with cold features, although he looked like he had lost a lot of weight.

She looked at him on the screen and her gaze couldn't avert away from his interlocked hands with Anna's.

Brian was a famous man but since she left Antawood, this was the first time to see him on media.

'Perhaps, my being here is the reason why I've not heard of news about him all these times?' she thought to herself.

But, he was Mr.Clark, a world famous man.Even if she was in Italy, there should've been news about him.She could only tell herself that maybe no news was good news.

Now that she finally see him again on TV, she only felt pain in her heart.

The tightness in her chest made her feel ill.

The air she took in felt like razor blades cutting her insides.

The ache in her heart made her wish for death as she read the news that had popped up on TV, the news of Brian's engagement ceremony.

at the smile that had cracked up on his lips, she huddled up in her bed, bearing the pain

die without regrets

her apartment later that day, she had already fainted

bitten her lips with her teeth causing them to bleed

on Lucas' face showed that

pain she must have endured before she fainted, '

miraculously,

had stopped working the part time fashion designer job she had found.She instead joined school so as to improve her skills and perfect them to topnotch which she succeeded for one of

changed her name

called her by

most people, Ayla

only one who knew

particular afternoon was a

made her feel warm all

light smile on her face was

back to her apartment, she saw Lucas who was

black suit and his features showed how exhausted

you

stood in front of him."I just got back and I wanted

the cigarette butt away

and had

them, he had been worried about her

Ayla replied, the smile on her

a cup

neighbors after all and it wasn't new to her when Lucas had dropped by to check

in her house

friends and they weren't in a

didn't want to force her; he wanted her to love him

on the

in his hands while Ayla held a glass of clear water

working recently? I called but no one

seldom took it with her when she went out, so he only called the

nodded, "Yes.There will be a show next month.I have several

line but since she was a beginner, doing this

hard.You have

Lucas commented.

felt sorry for

he was

slow but still, she had done it

and stated, "I

not suffered as much as compared to the

"Lala," Lucas whispered.

her hand, with deep

Ayla withdrew her hand.

couldn't accept the love

pointed it out though in everything that Lucas

Why can't you forget him?"

mentioned Brian in front of her, but it had been so long, so she

nothing to

her