Chapter 13
1013 Words
Isabella
By the time I returned home, the sun had already disappeared. The mansion stood quietly beneath the darkening sky, tall and imposing as ever, but for the first time in years, I looked at it and felt nothing.
The comfort and warmth that usually came with looking forward to spending time with William was nowhere to be found. It was just exhaustion, bone deep nerve wracking.
I stepped inside slowly, leaning slightly on my cane as the doors shut behind me with a soft click.
The house was brightly lit tonight, but the atmosphere felt cold enough to freeze over, and then I saw her.
Evelyn sat elegantly in the living room like a queen overlooking her kingdom. Even with age softening parts of her appearance, there was still something sharp about her, something icy.
She looked up the moment I entered, and immediately frowned.
“There you are.” My mother in law’s voice sliced through the silence effortlessly and I stopped walking.
For one brief second, I considered turning around and leaving again, but I was too tired for another battle.
“Good evening,” I said quietly.
Evelyn’s eyes swept over me critically, lingering for a moment on my cane before returning to my face.
“Where have you been?” she asked coldly.
“Out.” I tightened my grip slightly. The single-word answer clearly displeased her.
“Out?” she repeated sharply. “You disappeared the entire day without informing anyone.”
Anyone. That was funny, because nobody had cared enough to look for me either, not even after I'd stormed out of the restaurant earlier today.
“I didn’t realize I needed permission to leave the house,” I replied calmly and Evelyn’s expression hardened instantly.
Her hatred for me had never been subtle, but tonight it felt even less restrained than usual.
“You may be William’s wife,” she said stiffly, “but you are still this family’s Luna and acting irresponsibly reflects badly on all of us.”
A bitter laugh nearly escaped me.
Luna. That title sounded almost ridiculous now.
What kind of Luna was I? I wasn’t allowed near important discussions, I wasn’t trusted with responsibilities, and was barely acknowledged at public gatherings.
The only thing expected from me was silence, and I was tired of being quiet and walked over all the time.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said evenly.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes at my tone, then slowly, she stood. Even now, she carried herself with the authority of someone who refused to loosen her grip on power.
In truth, she never had. Despite my marriage to William, Evelyn still controlled most affairs within the household and beyond it. Not because she had to, because she didn’t trust me enough to let go, or maybe, because she never believed I deserved the position beside her son in the first place.
“You disappear all day,” she continued sharply, “yet what exactly do you contribute?”
“You cannot assist William properly.”I looked at her quietly as she continued, taking another step closer. “You cannot help him manage anything important.”
“And after three years of marriage, you still haven’t given this family an heir.” She took her last step and this time, her words landed heavily.
They were cruel and deliberate, and my chest tightened painfully, but I forced myself not to react.Evelyn sighed dramatically, disappointment dripping from every syllable.
“If I had known things would become like this…” Her gaze swept over me coldly. “I would never have agreed to William marrying you in the first place.”
Something inside me snapped quietly. Evelyn had always known the topic of children and motherhood was a sensitive one for me, yet, that didn't stop her from being so cruel to me.
I always swept it under the carpet for peace to reign, but not this time. A couple of seconds passed between us before I slowly lifted my gaze to meet hers fully, and for once, I didn’t lower my eyes first.
“It’s not like I desperately chased after William and begged him to marry me,” I said calmly.
Evelyn froze as the room went completely silent. I continued before she could interrupt.
“Your son was the one who knelt in front of me and proposed.”
Shock flashed across her face instantly, real shock, mike she genuinely couldn’t believe I had spoken back, because I never did.
Not to her, not to anyone.
For years, I had swallowed every insult quietly just to keep the peace, but suddenly, I was too tired to keep shrinking myself for people who would never be satisfied anyway.
“What?” Evelyn’s face darkened rapidly. “How dare you speak to me like that?”
Her voice rose sharply now, anger breaking through her usual composure, but strangely, I wasn’t afraid.
I looked at her for one long second before answering softly, “I learned from watching everyone else do it to me.”
“What?” That only seemed to infuriate her more. “You…”
She stopped abruptly, visibly trembling with anger.
For the first time since marrying into this family, Evelyn looked genuinely speechless, and somehow, that felt strangely satisfying.
"How dare you speak to me in that manner?" she finally found her voice, but it had nothing on me. The old me would have apologized immediately, anything to make peace, but I was done. “Have you lost your mind?"
The insult hung in the air, and I let it. As I stared at Evelyn, I could literally count down the seconds left before she would detonate into an angry bomb.
"I'm speaking to you!" she hissed again, her voice pulling me back to the present.
I felt the urge to give her a response, but without waiting for another lecture, I tightened my grip on my cane and walked past her.
This time, I didn’t stop when she called my name.
- Writer
