Reincarnated As The Billionaire's Bride

ASHLEY’S POV My eyes twitched as I fought hard to keep them open. The conference room lights shone brightly. My knees buckled as I collapsed on the table, and the stack of files flew scattered. “Ashley! Are you alright?” I opened my mouth to speak, but the words betrayed me. A black blur edged into my vision, expanding, swallowing the table, the faces, the world. From the corner of the room, Daniel, my husband and business partner, shifted in his chair, adjusting his cufflinks as though this were an inconvenience, not my life unraveling. Katherine, my best friend and COO, leaned forward with a look that was all sympathy to the others in the room but full of something sharper when her eyes cut to me. “I’m sorry, Ashley hasn’t been well for months now.”Daniel turned to the board, letting out a crooked smile as soon as he turned to me. “She has been taking antidepressant pills for months now, and she often complained to me about the stress and burden from the company.” Katherine moved to Daniel, her fingers brushing against his. “Lies!!!” I wanted to scream, but a deep pain gnawed at my throat. I had walked in on Daniel and Katherine earlier that morning, making out in her office. I couldn’t afford to prolong the confrontation as the board members arrived immediately. I forced myself to breathe. I couldn’t break here. Not in front of everyone. “Here are the pills.” I turned to the rattling sound of my pills in Katherine’s hands. She waved it in the air for all to see, her lips curled into a sneer. Those were my supplements and not antidepressant pills. Daniel had bought those for me, telling me they were supplements for my health. I had since taken it without fail. I looked to Daniel, searching for the man I once knew—my university sweetheart. The one I married with dreams of forever, but the man in front of me wasn’t that boy anymore. He was a stranger. “Daniel, you planned this with Katherine. I… trusted you both.” I forced out those words as I couldn’t bear to watch the situation. “My love, all I ever did was love and support you.” Daniel broke down in tears as he moved closer to me. He wrapped his arms around me as he placed a kiss on my forehead. “We can all see that she is no longer fit to lead the company; she needs to rest.” Katherine rushed to me as she hugged me. I tried to push her away, but then the floor tilted. I collapsed in their arms. The last thing I saw before the darkness enveloped me was Katherine and Daniel’s expression. Cold. Calculating. Like they had been waiting for this. I woke up in a hospital bed, and my ears were ringing as my head pounded heavily. I tried to get up but couldn’t; my wrists were strapped to the bed. Panic flooded me. “Lily. Where is my daughter?” my voice tore from my throat. A nurse glanced at the chart in her hands. “Your husband said he will take care of her. You need to rest,” she said before leaving the ward. My stomach dropped. Daniel. “Let me out of here!” I yelled in my ward. My eyes twitched as I fought hard to keep them open. “Well, well, well, look who we have here.” The clicking sound of heels drew closer. I turned to the door. Katherine and Daniel walked in with long strides, arm in arm. Katherine swayed her hips as she walked in. “Please let me out. I need to see Lily.” I pleaded with a sleepy, half-lidded look to them both. The frequent medications always made me droopy and drowsy. I had been locked in this asylum for three days already. Daniel came close and sat on the bed. He flicked my hair off my face. “ You nearly gave us a heart attack,” Daniel said smoothly, kissing my forehead like nothing was wrong. “But everything’s under control now. Just sign these forms so we can make sure the company runs without any pressure on you.” Forms. My company. I clenched my fists as I made to sit up, but the room spun. “What is this?” “Power of attorney,” Katherine said gently, though her eyes glittered. “Temporary, of course. Just until you recover.” I looked around the room, hoping a saviour would pop out of nowhere. Something in me knew this wasn’t about helping me or the company; it was about taking all I’d built. My hands shook as Daniel pressed the pen into my palm. His fingers lingered, gripping mine too tightly. “Ashley, you’re not stable right now. Everyone saw the breakdown. This is best for you.” I looked at him, searching for a flicker of love somewhere amidst the cruelty. I found none. And Katherine, the woman who had been my shoulder to cry on, my daughter’s godmother, didn’t even flinch as I scrawled my name on the line. The pen slipped from my hand. A piece of my soul went with it. Katherine moved to the bed, grabbed my pillow from underneath my head. She leaned in and whispered into my ear. “Lily is safe with me.” Before I could say a word, she placed the pillow on my face. I threw my legs in the air as I fought hard. I lifted my hands and somehow grabbed her by the hair as she screamed. Soon, Daniel rushed, pinning my hands to the bed. I struggled hard, but seconds later, silence and darkness swallowed everything.