Resequencing DNA

With a countenance that resembled a tempestuous sea, Ashleigh strode across the main hall. Her footsteps reverberated through the opulent space like distant thunder, each step carrying the weight of her anger and frustration. Her destination was the living room, where Elijah stood silhouetted in the doorway, his gaze fixed upon her advancing figure. His expression held a complex blend of apology and trepidation, as he braced himself for the storm that was about to break.

With each step, the tension in the air grew palpable, like the oppressive stillness before a lightning strike.

As she reached the doorway, she paused, her piercing gaze locking with Elijah's. Time seemed to slow as they stood there in a silent standoff. Her heart pounded in her chest, as she met the eyes of her future husband. Without uttering a single word, she continued past him. With a sigh and a gentle click, Elijah closed the door behind them as Ashleigh now paced the floor.

She turned to look at her fiance, her face contorted with a mixture of anger and despair, as she tossed her handbag onto the sofa.

“I honestly…I can’t believe you...Elijah,” she exclaimed, her voice a torrent of disbelief and fury.

Elijah stepped forward, his hands raised in a gesture of apology. But before he could speak, Ashleigh unleashed her tirade.

“What the fuck, were you thinking…the two of you…or were you even thinking at all? I mean…Wes is supposed to be a fucking genius…and you…I thought you were smart…but…FUCK,” she continued, her hand now pressed against her brow, a symbol of the overwhelming frustration that consumed her.

“Ashleigh…I can explain,” Elijah muttered meekly.        

“Oh…you can explain…can you…well, I fucking hope you can, seeing as though the two of you can be so stupid…without so much as consulting me on the matter,” she snarled in response, her words slicing through the air like a whip.

Elijah looked at her, his eyes filled with remorse, a silent plea for understanding. He knew he had crossed a line, a line that had unleashed this ferocious storm that threatened to consume them both.

“Ashleigh…Wesley…I basically saved his life,” uttered Elijah, “my cousin…he…after the whole thing with you…and…and…then the whole father thing coming out…he wasn’t in a good place, Ash…don’t you see that…I feared the worst…we both did.”

His explanation, laced with desperation, hung in the air, a fragile plea against the raging tempest of Ashleigh's emotions.

“So you saved Wesley’s life…” muttered Ashleigh, “you didn’t even fucking have the decency to consult me…Elijah, you claim you want to marry me…and this…this is how you treat me?”

Ashleigh paused briefly to take a breath,                                               

“Elijah…you need to fix this…take him back…bring Wesley back,” she said, her voice now trembling with a mix of desperation and sorrow.

Elijah closed his eyes momentarily, his heart heavy with the weight of her words. When he opened them again, he gazed directly into Ashleigh's eyes, his voice filled with a mix of anguish and determination.

“Ashleigh...I...I can't do that,” Elijah mumbled, his words barely above a whisper.

Ashleigh's eyes widened, the mixture of anger and panic evident in their depths. The simple statement, delivered with a heartbreaking vulnerability, shattered the fragile hope that had lingered in her heart.

“What…the fuck…do you mean?” replied Ashleigh, taking a step towards him, her anger escalating, her voice laced with fear. “Elijah…what the fuck do you mean, you can’t bring Wes back?”

Elijah, his heart heavy with guilt, reached out to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Ashleigh, you need to listen. If we didn't do this, or…or something at the very least, Wes was going to take his own life. Do you understand?” he tried to explain, “When Wes…changed you…he had your…original self…saved…on file so to speak and there, to this day, it remains. In my case…I urged him to permanently ‘delete’ the ‘old me’ as I have no intention of ever returning that way, ” Elijah proceeded to explain. “Now…this brings us on to Wesley…or rather…Sofia. Obviously, Wes programmed his machine to do what it needed to do. In essence…Wes is still in there…however…Sofia has no recollection of her old life, whatsoever…unlike we do. But also…like we did with me…Wes… programmed the machine to automatically delete any ‘backup file’ of his old self…meaning once he became Sofia…Wes…was no more.”

His words, laced with desperate sincerity, failed to quell the storm within Ashleigh.

“Elijah…I suggest you let go of me this very instant,” she snarled, her eyes burning with a fierce anger that mirrored the pain tearing through her.

“Ashleigh…hear me out…” Elijah began before Ashleigh cut him off.

“Get the fuck off me,” she hissed, forcefully removing his hands from her shoulders. “You have absolutely zero understanding of what you’ve done…do you?”

Her anger, though fierce, began to melt away, replaced by a fragile vulnerability as a tear escaped, tracing a path down her cheek. Elijah, driven by a desperate need to comfort her, reached out to wipe it away, but Ashleigh flinched away, her voice a sharp whisper, “I warned you…do NOT touch me…Elijah…stay the fuck away from me,” she hissed. “YOU two with your stupid fucking ideas…you may have saved Wesley’s life…but…I was relying on Wesley…for…for…” she paused as the tears became uncontrollable.

“What…Ashleigh…what is it, my love?” asked Elijah softly.

“It’s my Mum…you bastards…I needed him…to help…my Mum,” sobbed Ashleigh.

Elijah looked dumbfounded,

“Ashleigh…what…what’s your mother got to do with any of this?” he asked, his eyes becoming narrow.

Ashleigh took a deep breath,

“The two of you…you’ve basically condemned my mother to save Wesley,” said Ashleigh, “Cancer…Elijah…she’s dying,” she sobbed, the words barely audible.

“Ashleigh…I…I am so…so sorry,” Elijah replied softly, his voice thick with remorse.

“She’s…erm…refusing to get treatment…so I was…erm, hoping Wesley could…could help her,” explained Ashleigh, “He…he was my last hope.”

Elijah breathed deeply before stepping closer to Ashleigh.

“We will find a way…to help your mother, I promise,” stated Elijah, “And this whole thing with Sofia…I…I should have run all of this by you…to begin with,” said Elijah, “ever since that day we met up with Wes…but the right moment…never materialised,” he explained.

“I…I can’t do this,” stated Ashleigh.

With trembling hands, she pulled off her engagement ring, throwing it straight at Elijah.

“What…what are you saying, Ashleigh?” Elijah asked.

“I…I really, really can’t do this,” she repeated as she quickly snatched up her handbag and made off towards the door leading to the main hall.

“Ashleigh…I need you,” exclaimed Elijah, as he picked up the discarded ring from the ground. As he looked up, Ashleigh had come to a halt by the door.

“See…I know…people depend on me…my mother, being one,” sobbed Ashleigh, “Hell…even that innocent little girl…you know…the one whose life you saved because poor Wes, had Daddy issues and a shit childhood so instead, oh let’s start again…Ashleigh will be your mother,” continued Ashleigh before pausing briefly.

“Ashleigh…” muttered Elijah.

Ashleigh gently placed her hand on her tummy and took a deep breath,

“I’m not quite sure I’m ready to be the mother of one child…” mumbled Ashleigh, her eyes filled with tears. “And you expect me to be the mother of two.”

Silence fell over the room for a few moments, as Ashleigh’s words hung heavy in the air.

“What…what are you saying, Ashleigh?” asked Elijah.

Ashleigh glanced back over her shoulder,

“I’m pregnant…Elijah,” she stated, “I…I’m carrying OUR child,” she added before swiftly leaving the living room, allowing the door to slam shut behind her.