The room fell silent.
The next moment, Talia rushed forward, grabbing her by the hair and yanking it roughly as she yelled.
"My son already told you to sign the divorce papers and get out! You're unwanted, and I won't stand here and watch you tear down this wonderful family he's built with my daughter-in-law!"
Like the docile little chick who continually held Talia in high esteem, Ayla didn't fight back.
No, she didn't even attempt to struggle and remained silent as Talia dragged her across the floor by her hair.
By the time she finally stopped, Ayla's scalp burned, but that didn't stop her from pointing at Elena, thinking Talia had simply misspoken earlier.
"M-Mother, what do you mean? I'm not the one tearing down the family, it's that woman who…"
Smack!
Talia slapped her hand and continued yelling in her face, "I know what I said! He's getting on in age, so you'll only drag him down if you don't get your barren self out of here!"
Tears pricked the corners of Ayla's eyes, falling freely as she turned her blurry gaze to Silas.
"But I love him. I love your son, Mother. I love Silas, my husband. Please don't make me leave him—I promise to do better."
Nine years ago, when she first saw him, she instantly felt at peace.
Even before he said a word to her, she already knew he was the one.
He was the first man she ever loved, and she intended for him be the last.
Just then, the housekeeper walked into the living room, several men trailing behind her and glancing around the house suspiciously.
Talia frowned at the sight, while Silas squinted at them.
The second man looked around before striding over and grabbing Ayla, pulling her roughly to her feet.
Ezra Hale, who had remained silent until now, stepped in their way with a frown.
"What are you doing?"
The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, flashing it at Ezra.
"We're loan sharks. Three years ago, this woman's husband came to borrow money from us—in his wife's name."
Ayla's immediately huffed. "What do you mean? I handle the taxes for our family, and we've never owed that we had to borrow from loan sharks. You must be mistaking my husband for someone else."
"Did she pay you to say it was my son?" Talia gritted her teeth, throwing a spiteful look Ayla's way.
"Don't you see the house we live in? Why would he borrow money from you of all people instead of a bank?"
The loan shark with the paper exhaled tiredly, folding it to dip into his pocket again, taking out something else from his other pocket.
"If I'd known you'd cause us this much trouble, I would've come to collect the moment the loan became due two years ago. But I guess I should be grateful. Thanks to you, I've made triple in interest on the money I lent."
"And for proof—here it is. Our company always documents the faces of everyone who borrows, even if they don't bring ID."
He held up a photo that unmistakably showed Silas. For the second time that evening, the living room fell into dead silence.
"Honey… why would you borrow when we're financially capable?" Ayla did what any caring 'wife' would do and turned to ask her husband, a soft smile grazing her lips as she totally ignored how he took out the loan in her bank.
Silas didn't spare her a glance. Instead, he reached into his pocket for something.
When he pulled out a shiny red box, Ayla felt a lump form in her throat, her eyes darting down to the wedding ring on her finger.
So this... was really happening?
All this time, she thought he was just throwing a tantrum to punish her, but he was really…
Her thought stopped when Silas suddenly got down on one knee, his eyes brimming brightly as he began speaking, "My life changed for the better the day I met you, Elena Simmons."
"At first, I was ashamed. But now I can proudly come out and say I've never once regretted knowing you. Please make me the happiest man in the world by marrying marry me!"
Elena's eyes swelled with tears and she nodded, sniffing slightly as she reached out her hand for him to slip on the ring.
Watching him do this, strength surged in Ayla out of nowhere. She shoved aside the man holding her and stormed toward the duo, furious.
"No! I won't allow it! You're still married to me—me!"
Ezra stepped in just in time, dragging her toward him with all the strength he could muster.
Silas ignored her and slipped the ring into Elena's finger, then straightened up to glare at her.
"I already told you to sign the divorce agreement! Sign the damn thing so Elena and I can announce our engagement to the world!"
"But I love you! I don't want to! Please don't make me! I love you so much—I'll actually die if you leave me. Please don't leave me, Silas. You're all I have… you're really all I have…" Elena pleaded, stomping her feet and struggling to escape Ezra's grip.
Listening to her grovel, hiccuping from the tears, the corners of Elena's lips tugged into a faint smile.
Ah, how satisfying.
She could still remember the condescending look on this wench's face five years ago when she threw her an envelope filled with money.
With her shoulders held so high, Ayla made her vow not to say a word about the affair to anyone.
Hmph!
The universe 'offered' them the same man, just because Ayla married him first didn't give her the right to look down on her.
She made him happy. so happy he always praised her in bed and badmouthed how dull and stiff his wife was.
So yes, she figured she was the perfect match for him.
It may have taken time, but at last, she was here—about to become the wife of a wealthy man and kick this snotty woman to the curb.
Holding Silas' hand, Elena harrumphed in disdain, "Stop raising your voice at him. Yes, he may have used your identity to borrow from loan sharks, but that's only because the baby was craving expensive things, and I didn't want him breaking the bank. So I told him to borrow using your name."
"He's been your husband for nine years, and all that time, you've lived under his roof and eaten his food."
"Think about it, this is the first time you've ever been truly useful to him. You have no right to get so angry over something so little."