Chapter 384: Chapter 384

Aliya, never in her wildest mind, expected the scene that greeted her. She had thought that Ian would come out to meet her but that did not happen, and she did not despair. Her anticipation increased as she walked along the familiar hallways of the Thornston estate to the receiving room. A smile on her lips as she called Ian with her favourite endearment, "Prince Ian!"

Aliya had expected to see Ian’s welcoming smile, but rather, she stopped short. Her words stuck in her throat.

Ian sat in a gigantic chair at the central point of the room, making him look like the head of the family, but what Aliya did not get was why that woman was sitting in between his legs! Did she want to flaunt that she was married to him? Why do such an intimate thing in front of everyone?

Little did Aliya know that, in Ian and Shelby’s level of public display of affection, this was considered nothing. At least Shelby was just sitting, and Ian was ’behaving’.

Aliya swallowed her words at the clear dissatisfaction on Geneva’s face. She wondered what she had done but knew that she was in no light to question anything. Well, Geneva had never liked her much, so Aliya never had much hope for that anyway. Just beside Geneva was the old Chairman, Alex and right by him was Brad, whose looks echoed that of his mother.

Her three children sat beside an unknown young man and a woman, whom Aliya did not understand why she was seated in the first place when she had on a similar uniform as the rest of the workers.

"Erm," Aliya started,

Geneva started with a sharp edge to her voice, but Alex stilled her with just one look. He did not have to say any words for Geneva to understand that they should let the youngsters handle it. Geneva harrumphed and stared down at Aliya from her seat.

Aliya found herself squirming on the spot,

"You should have let us know that you have been discharged-"

To Aliya’s surprise, this was from Ian’s wife. Her heart clenched, as did her hands. Aliya decided to ignore Shelby instead,

"Miss Aliya, please have a seat..." Suzie stepped in adeptly and then gave quick instructions. In no time, Aliya was seated on the farthest seat in the room, firmly in a seat that a guest would be placed in.

Tea and a few snacks were served as well. This was all great treatment for any guest or stranger, but Aliya felt that she was no guest and that this should be treated as her home as well. The thing was that her face showed all these sentiments without her opening her mouth.

Shelby relaxed in Ian’s embrace, allowing her back to finally lean against his chest. Ian was thrilled as she had been as stiff as a stick earlier, at the same time, there was a slight unease as he took in Aliya’s movements.

On the contrary, Aliya felt put on the spot. Her hands shook as she reached out for the tea and then stopped.

Aliya felt utterly exposed as the entire room had its attention on her as if waiting for her reaction. This was not how it was supposed to be! Yes, she had a fiancé—had a fiancé—and children.

But none of that seemed to matter at this moment, not when her heart was torn apart by the realization that Ian, who had once harboured a crush on her, had never looked at her the way he now looked at his wife. Yes, it tore Aliya apart from the inside to come to that realization. Ian had always had eyes for her but never liked how he was looking at his wife at that moment!

Aliya’s eyes darted to the faces of his family and how comfortable they were with Ian and that woman’s display of affection. It seems that even the children were used to this, and even though this kind of display shouldn’t have mattered, she should have ignored it. But it stung! It burned!

’That should have been me!’ the thought came out of nowhere. Jealousy clawed at her chest, raw and relentless. It was so much that a slight shiver ran through her.

’Have I always thought so, or is it because someone else is in Ian’s arms?’ It was an emotion Aliya hadn’t expected, hadn’t even thought herself capable of feeling. But seeing Ian —so tender, so devoted, and to someone else—stirred something in her that she couldn’t suppress.

The Thornston family had always been cordial to her in the past, but that slight alienation had always been there ... and the way her children flocked to that woman, like she was the sun holding their little world together? That broke her even more. None of the three had so much as run to her in happiness when she had entered. Aliya felt so much alone in the room full of people.

Her chest tightened as her mind screamed,

’That really should have been me! Why is it someone else? Why isn’t he happy to see me? Why isn’t he asking me about my health? Why does he have so little interest in me? What went wrong?’

Aliya couldn’t fathom why it hurt so deeply. Oh, she knew but was trying not to hold her emotions up high for everyone to see. She’d loved her fiancé, hadn’t she? But the thought of his presumed death didn’t bring her the same sharp ache as this moment did.

Watching this woman—that woman—stand in the place that had once belonged to her, taking what should have been hers: the attention of the man who had once adored her, Ian, the affection of her children who barely remembered her. It all seemed unreasonable to her in many ways. No matter how many times Aliya thought of this, that raw feeling was the same!

A bitter thought sliced through her: ’What right does she have? What right did this woman have to claim everything she had lost? To be living the life she could no longer have, to bask in a happiness that seemed to mock her from across the room?’

Aliya’s fingers trembled as she clenched them into fists, her jaw tight with the effort to remain composed. But inside, her heart shattered, and for the first time in her life, she truly understood what it felt like to lose everything—to stand in the shadow of someone else’s light, yearning for something that could never be hers again.

That woman they had called Shelby was living in her shoes! ... and Aliya did not like it one bit, but she also knew one thing.... there was a time for everything, and she needed to bid her time. Her witty self was careful.

Even though most eyes were on her, one was more particular than every single one of them. Aliya raised her head to meet one of her daughter’s gazes, and for a moment, she was flustered. Her, of all people, was flustered under a child’s gaze. It was as if the child could see everything... like she was being scrutinized in her naked state. That was too unsettling!

Aliya cleared her throat, especially when a voice called out,

"Miss?" She turned to see a maid by her side, holding a dainty cup to her. The workers were trained to see every one of their guests’ comforts. So, when one had seen Aliya’s hand tremble slightly, she had hurriedly walked over to help her pour the tea. It was just that she had her hand stretched out in front of Aliya for what felt like forever, but the woman looked to be frozen and deep in thought.

Aliya forced a smile at the maid, forcing her gaze from the child, then, took a tea and took a sip, then placed it down. In all these, she had never answered a single one of Shelby’s questions.

Aliya turned back to her audience, still feeling like an animal on display in a circus and not the mother of three, who had just been discharged from the hospital after a near-death experience and also after being presumed dead for years! However, ...

"How are you doing?" That rich, husky voice sounded in her ears. This was the voice that Aliya had longed for. That gentle voice was gentle but guarded, and Aliya did not mind that.

The question made her heart skip a beat, momentarily freezing her world. He still cares! This thought flooded her with warmth, softening the lingering bitterness she felt earlier.

Aliya’s lips curled into a small, hesitant smile that quickly blossomed into something brighter, almost radiant.

"I’m... I’m doing well," she replied, a little too quickly and her voice lighter than it had been moments before, as though the words themselves carried her hope.

The change was so drastic that almost all eyebrows raised a notch, including that of the children!

For Aliya, and in that fleeting moment, nothing else mattered—not the awkwardness of the gathering, not the people watching, not the turmoil swirling within her. All that mattered was that he had asked, and she felt seen.

Shelby rose to her feet and away from Ian’s embrace with a deliberate, almost menacing grace. The action took Ian by surprise, and he reached out for her but missed her by a few inches.

It was clear as day that this Aliya person was making moves on her husband, and it pissed Shelby off in a sharp way. Shelby’s eyes were dull yet glinting with an icy sharpness that cut through the room.

"You just don’t take a hint, do you?" she said, her tone deceptively calm but brimming with restrained fury. All eyes turned from Aliya to Shelby, and a few lips rose by a notch.

Shelby’s gaze locked onto Aliya’s, unflinching and cold.

"Why do you keep calling someone’s husband like that?" The words hung in the air like a challenge, daring a retort that would only ignite the simmering tension.

"Your Prince? Huh? Haha!"

There was no humour in that dried two-syllable laugh, though.

Then, with a thin smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Shelby added, "My patience is running thin at the moment, so please—excuse me." Shelby did not trust herself to stay there for another moment even though they had a guest. She had no idea, and frankly, Shelby did not care how that made her look because she decided from that time that there was no need for decorum!

Shelby’s voice, sharp and final, left no room for argument as she turned and walked away, leaving a charged silence in her wake. But then, to make matters worse,

"Mummy! Let’s go together!"

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