Back in Time: Unshackling From Love (Mikayla Davidson)

Chapter 17

As Mikayla laughed, tears streamed down her face.

Images from her previous life of being beaten, cursed at, and tortured at the mental hospital flashed before her eyes.

In the flashback, the hefty caretaker had gripped her by the hair, forcefully pulling her away and causing her only bowl of plain soup to spill.

They would even forcefully pinch her mouth when she refused to take her medication, shoving handfuls of pills down her throat.

Mikayla always thought it was the mental hospital deliberately tormenting her to please

Jerome.

Little did she know, the demonic woman from the previous life was Kylie’s relative.

So, all the misery she endured in the mental hospital was orchestrated by Kylie.

Thinking about the abuse she suffered and the torment from stomach cancer, Mikayla wished she could immediately strangle Kylie.

Why did she have to be so cruel?

Jerome, who clearly loved Kylie so much, had even sent Mikayla to the mental hospital for the former’s good.

Why wouldn’t Kylie let her go? Why did she have to harm her?

Jerome looked at Mikayla on the floor.

Although she had suggested keeping the audio call on, he still worried that something might go wrong, so he followed her up.

Unexpectedly, he witnessed Mikayla attacking someone as soon as the elevator doors opened.

She lay slumped amidst a chaotic mess of fruits, her eyes vacant, her body seemingly devoid of strength.

Though her face showed a smile, tears flowed incessantly, as if she had suffered some painful and tragic ordeal, radiating endless hatred and resentment.

Strangely, Jerome’s heart didn’t fill with anger at her madness. Instead, a dull ache

serthed within him:

11

Jerome had just considered going to help Mikayla when he heard Kylie weakly calling out.

Seeing Kylie’s bleeding forehead and the red marks on her neck from Mikayla’s grip, Jerome instruct ed the woman who was standing there in a daze, “Go get the first aid kit!”

an hurriedly fetched the first ald kill.

Jerome assisted Kylie in sitting down and then walked over to Mikayla.

He tugged at her arm. “Get up.”

Mikayla felt utterly limp, and as he pulled at her arm, it was as if he were dragging a lifeless doll.

Jerome suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

“Mikayla, didn’t you come up here to apologize? What’s with this madness again?” he asked, furrowing his brows.

This time, Mikayla heard his voice. Her eyes began to focus, and her body gradually regained strength.

Inexplicably, Jerome felt a sense of relief.

“Jerome, are you planning to be with Kylie after the divorce?” Mikayla asked.

Her voice was hoarse, and her tone betrayed no emotion.

Jerome’s already furrowed brows tightened further as he countered,

take someone’s life over this?”

“I’ve found the first aid kit!”

Are you trying to

The round–faced woman approached at that moment, carrying the first aid kit.

Jerome attempted to help Mikayla stand up, but she coldly pushed him away.

Mikayla got back to her feet on her own, adjusted her clothes, and walked away without casting a backward glance. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Jerome wanted to chase after Mikayla to find out what had happened, but at that

moment, Kylie let out a stifled groan of pain.

Considering that Mikayla was the one responsible for the disturbance, Jerome paused

momentarily before coming to a complete stop. “Shall we go to the hospital?”

With her pale face, Kylie shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“How can you be fine? Another inch deeper, and it would have needed stitches!”

The round–faced woman helped Kylie stop the bleeding while asking, “Who was that person just now? Why did she come in and attack you right away?”

Kylie forced a faint smile. “She might have misunderstood me.”

“What misunderstanding? Kylie, you’re just too kind. You’ve been bullied like this, and you’re still defending her. I think we should call the police and have her arrested!”

Noticing Jerome’s slightly furrowed brows, Kylie said to the round–faced woman, “Aunt Agatha, please go back for now. If there’s anything, we can discuss tomorrow.”

Agatha didn’t want to leave, but she could tell it wasn’t appropriate for her to remain.

“Kylie, rest well. If you need someone to look after you tonight, call me.”

After Agatha left, Jerome asked Kylie, “What just happened? Why did Mikayla attack you?

He had been on a call with Mikayla the whole time, but he hadn’t heard anything unusual.

Kylie’s face reflected her unease. “Jerome, do you think Mrs. Miller is at fault for what happened at noon?”

“I’ve already assured you it’s fine. She can be impulsive and has a childish temper, things will calm down once she cools off.”

but

Kylie’s implication was clear–Mikayla attacked her because she thought Jerome had blamed her, and she couldn’t accept it.

Jerome remained silent, sensing that Mikayla’s behavior was unusual and unsettling. However, he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly felt wrong.

Observing Jerome’s furrowed brows, Kylie weakly said, “Jerome, I’m fine here. Go and check on Mikayla. It’s late. I hope nothing bad happens.”

Upon hearing that, Jerome didn’t insist on staying.

“I’ll call a doctor to examine you. I’ll make it up to you for today.”

With that, Jerome left.

Once Jerome disappeared from the doorway, Kylie locked the door, her expression growing somber.

Mikayla had crossed a line, but rather than assigning blame, Jerome was extending an offer of compensation.

Kylie never wanted compensation!

While Mikayla’s reaction just now was within her expectations, Kylie had felt that Mikayla had changed a lot recently.

The previous Mikayla would explode in anger with even the slightest provocation.

However, the day Mikayla awoke after jumping off the building, she didn’t yell at or throw things at Kylie. Instead, she had calmly allowed Jerome to take the latter out for a meal.

Surprisingly, in the following days, Mikayla didn’t come to bother her.

However, just this morning, Mikayla had sarcastically mocked her.

Could a person suddenly become so clever?