Lilian's irritation never subsided, not even when she made it back to the hotel. The more time passed, the more agitated she grew. She didn't think there was anything that could worsen her mood until her phone began ringing.
She snatched the cell. "You jerk…" But her words faded upon seeing that the caller was not her ex-husband. Instead…
Dad.
The sight of this name left a hurtful pang in her chest. Her hands shook even as she answered the call.
[Lilian Marchello, are you out of your mind? Are you insane?!]
Lilain was quiet.
[Who do you think you are?] Her father yelled on the other side of the phone. [Who gave you the permission?]
She remained quiet.
[Are you hearing me, you useless good-for-nothing! You signed the divorce papers? Didn't I warn you against doing such nonsense? You assured me you wouldn't! What is this crap I'm hearing? You divorced Caesar Stoman? You know what, I want you at the family's house! I want to see you, and you should not waste my time, understood?]
Lilian stood there silently in the middle of her room. It was the month of heavy rain, and so the rain was once again pouring, beating heavily against the roof and the opened window.
She did not understand. Why did she feel so hurt?
All these curses rained on her…
This family that was meant to be on her side licked Caesar's shoes as though he were some god. No matter what, not even if he shoved her into a fire, she was not to divorce him. She was not to feel wronged or indignant. The marriage had elevated her family's status in the society, and now she had gone ahead and broken off those precious ties without their permission.
She was their fortune token. In all her life, aside from being a useless trash, this was her only worth. Being married to Caesar Stoman.
"Why does my chest… hurt?" Lilian subconsciously rubbed her chest, confused.
She tried to catch her breath.
It all made sense. The original soul was treated this way by her own family. Caesar gave her attention at some point, and she latched onto it, clinging to it as if it were salvation. And because of this, she was willing to crawl and even live like a dog for this man.
She felt irritated.
She felt hurt. It hurt so much and it almost made her panic.
"What is wrong with me?" She furiously rubbed her chest more. "This life is not originally mine. So then why must I feel this way? Why does it feel as if it's all happening to me? Why am I… why do I feel so hurt… so much anger…"
[Lilian! What are you mumbling about?]
It was only now that she realized the call remained ongoing. Angered by all this confusion, she hung up and tossed the cell onto the bed.
Sadness.
A sense of brokenness that might never really be repaired.
Irritation.
Rage.
All these emotions congealed and boiled inside of her as if she had been the one to live all this. As if she truly shared one life with the original soul. As if this life truly was hers. For a moment, Lilian felt like she could not really tell anything apart anymore.
The memories, all these incidents, were etched in her mind. They affected her body, mind, and soul. They complicated her emotions so much that she found herself feeling deep hatred towards this family of hers equally as she felt hatred for Caesar Stoman.
The original soul hated this family. And she herself…directly hated Caesar Stoman.
"This is ridiculous."
Lilian plopped down into the bed.
A few hours later, by the time she woke up the very next morning, she made a bold decision. Lilian paid a visit to a particular someone. Someone too familiar.
Her original… self.
In this place, her original self and status existed as well. What Lilian wanted to confirm now was who exactly was in this body of hers now. If she'd somehow transferred into someone else's life, a stupid TV show that became reality, then some soul must occupy her own life.
At this moment, she stood in a familiar place. Her company.
"Ma'am, how may I help you?"
"I want to see Beccalin Kas. The owner of this company."
The staff who'd approached blinked several times. "Ah… well, to meet Lady Kas, you will need an appointment. If you do have one, please go ahead and–"
"Tell her that Lilian Marchello would like to see her," Lilian interrupted.
The staff paused. Lilian Marchello was a big figure even though it was through her husband, Caesar Stoman. The majority of the net users had seen the ongoing scandal.
Turning away someone like that… it might be a mistake. And so, the staff decided it was much safer to make a visitation report.
She took the elevator to the second floor, where she made her way towards the largest office in the company.
She knocked.
"Come in," a lady's voice rang.
The staff opened the door. She went inside and bowed at the waist.
"Is there a problem?" the woman seated at her desk, leaving signatures upon documents, asked.
The staff finally straightened. The woman before her, Beccalin Kas, was a beautiful brunette, not just wealthy with class, but also listed as one of, if not the top beauty. Compared to her and her bright hazel eyes, only Lilian Marchello held a candle to her beauty.
"What is the problem?" Beccalin asked. Her lips were a rich red.
"Um… boss, someone wants to see you."
"Who?"
"Ms. Lilian Marchello."
The moment the name left the staff's mouth, Beccalin froze. Her signature stuttered, and the pen slipped from her fingers.
If one looked too closely, they would notice her go deathly pale, breathing flickering. "Lilian… M-marchello?"
"Should I invite her in?"
"No–! Ah, yes, yes! Invite her up. We did have an appointment with each other. Go quick!" Beccalin shooed her off.
As soon as the staff left, she shot to her feet. This fake Beccalin began to pace back and forth in the office. She anxiously bit her fingers for minutes, and the moment she heard the creak of the door, she jolted.
Turning around, she came to a pause. Her shoulders rose and fell in heavy breathing. She could hardly catch her breath.
Lilian stepped into the office. She did the job of closing the door. She also made sure to lock it, leaving just her and her original self now face to face with each other.
She made her way over to the table. A slow grin emerged on her face. "You must be having fun in my body, huh, Lilian Marchello?"