Chapter 10
1086 Words
Isabella
The moment the words left my mouth, the entire room fell silent, completely silent.
The laughter disappeared so fast it almost felt unreal, like it had never existed at all and every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me.
Some of them were startled, some of them embarrassed while some of them were annoyed at being caught, and William, William looked shocked.
He wasn't guilty, nor was he angry. He just looked shocked, like he genuinely hadn’t expected me to walk in. The tension in the room thickened instantly, heavy enough to choke on and for a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then chairs scraped lightly against the floor as William stood.
“Bella,” he said quickly, walking toward me. “It’s not what you think.”
A bitter laugh almost escaped me. Not what I thought? I had heard every word.
Jason shifted awkwardly in his seat while the others avoided looking directly at me. Only Elisa remained still, her expression unreadable.
William stopped in front of me, lowering his voice slightly like he was trying to calm a situation that embarrassed him.
“They were joking,” he said carefully. “Don’t take it seriously.”
Joking. Of course they were because everything cruel somehow became a joke once the victim heard it.
His hand reached for mine instinctively, probably expecting me to let him hold it like always, but the second his fingers brushed against my wrist, I stepped back and pulled away.
The movement was immediate and sharp and William froze slightly. For the first time, I saw something flicker across his face.
It wasn't anger, but something closer to disbelief, like he couldn’t understand why I was rejecting him.
Jason cleared his throat awkwardly from behind him.
“Come on, Bella,” he muttered with a forced laugh. “We were just messing around.”
“Yeah,” another one added quickly. “Nobody meant anything by it.”
I looked at them slowly, really looked at them. I saw the discomfort on their faces and the insincerity barely hidden underneath their sudden apologies.
Interesting.
They could insult me so easily when I wasn’t in the room, but now that I was standing in front of them? Now they wanted peace.
Wasn't that wonderful?
“Look, we didn't mean anything.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck before speaking again. “Sorry, alright?”
The others echoed similar apologies almost immediately after. It was quick and empty, then Elisa stood up too.
“Isabella,” she said softly, stepping forward, “I’m sorry. Everyone was only kidding around. Please don’t take it to heart.”
For a quick second, I actually thought about slapping her across the cheek in front of everyone. Maybe if I did that and apologized saying I didn't mean it, all would suddenly be well.
Something inside me twisted sharply at the sight of her, not because of jealousy, but because she stood there looking sympathetic while unknowingly existing at the center of every crack in my marriage.
I suddenly felt exhausted, so unbelievably exhausted and when my gaze met hers briefly, I answered coldly. “I don’t find it funny.”
The room went quiet again as William’s expression hardened slightly beside me.
“Bella,” he said, his tone more serious now, “everyone apologized. What more do you want?”
I turned my head slowly to look at him. For a second, I almost laughed again, because there it was. That familiar impatience, that subtle frustration, like I was the difficult one for not swallowing humiliation quietly enough.
“Just because you apologized,” I said calmly, “doesn’t mean I have to accept it.”
William frowned immediately, but I continued before he could interrupt.
“Apologizing is your business.” My voice stayed even. “Forgiving is mine.”
A wave of silence echoed this time, and it was devoid of laughter, excuses and no quick recovery. William stared at me like he didn’t recognize the person standing in front of him.
Maybe he didn’t, because the woman who used to smile through humiliation, the woman who stayed silent to keep the peace, was getting harder and harder to find.
I didn’t wait for another response, didn’t wait for William to stop me. I simply turned around and walked away.
“Bella…”Behind me, I heard him say my name, but I kept walking.
My grip tightened around my cane as I stepped back into the hallway, the urge to use the restroom completely forgotten. With each step I took, my chest felt strangely hollow. It wasn't shattered or broken, but just empty.
By the time I returned to Amelia’s table, she had already noticed something was wrong. Her brows furrowed immediately the moment she saw my face.
“Are you okay?” She asked. “What happened?”
“I'm fine.” I shook my head lightly. “Nothing worth talking about.”
That answer clearly didn’t satisfy her, but she didn’t push.
“Isabella?” Amelia glanced toward the hallway briefly before sighing. “You sure?”
“No.” A tired smile touched my lips briefly. “But I will be.”
Something softened in her expression after that. I didn't waste so much as a second as I picked up my bag slowly.
“I should go.” the words slid past before I could second guess myself.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
The question caught me off guard for a second, and suddenly, the thought of returning home, to that cold house, to William made me feel tired down to my bones.
“No,” I said quietly. “I’ll be okay.”
At least, I hoped I would. After saying goodbye to Amelia, I stepped outside the restaurant alone. The afternoon air brushed against my face gently, but it did nothing to settle the heaviness inside my chest.
For the first time in years, I didn’t know where to go. Home no longer felt like home, and the realization hurt more than I expected.
I stood there for a long moment, gripping my phone loosely in my hand, when suddenly, it rang.
The sound startled me slightly, and when I glanced down at the screen, I froze.
It was Carlos, my former teacher.
My chest tightened unexpectedly as I stared at the name flashing across the screen.
Then slowly, I answered the call.
“Hello?”
- Writer
