Chapter 18
1182 Words
Logan
I was halfway through reviewing documents when my phone rang.
At first, I almost ignored it. Hell,I was this close to setting it to DND, or worse, switching the damned thing off.
The day had already been exhausting, and the constant meetings had left me with a pounding headache. I loosened the collar of my shirt absently before reaching for the phone without looking properly at the screen.
The moment my eyes fell on the caller ID, I froze. It was Isabella calling. For one long second, I genuinely thought I was imagining it.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs as I stared at her name flashing across the screen. Three years, three entire years, and this was the first time she had called me herself.
I allowed the call to echo one more time, and when the caller ID didn't change, I just knew I wasn't imagining things.
My chair scraped harshly against the floor as I stood immediately.
“Bella?” I answered so quickly my voice nearly overlapped with the ringtone ending. “Bella?”
There was silence at first. Not empty silence, but breathing. Small and uneven, like she was deliberating if she should speak up or not.
And suddenly, something inside me tightened painfully.
“Bella?” I repeated, softer this time. “Talk to me. I know you're there.”
Another pause echoed between us, and then finally, “Can you come get me?”
The words were quiet, too quiet that I could have easily convinced myself I was hallucinating if I wanted to.
I closed my eyes immediately.
God.
I had imagined this moment so many times over the years. I had imagined her angry, stubborn, defensive, still insisting she had made the right choice. I had never imagined her sounding broken and somehow, this was even worse.
“Where are you?” I asked instantly, already reaching for my keys, but she ignored the question completely.
“Logan…” Her voice cracked slightly around my name, and just hearing it nearly shattered something inside me. “I’m tired.”
My grip tightened around the phone so hard my knuckles hurt.
“What happened?” My voice lowered dangerously. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” She answered too quickly. “Not like that.”
Not like that. Those three words filled me with immediate rage. I turned away from the desk and ran a hand through my hair harshly, trying to control the anger rising inside me.
For years, I had hated myself for letting her leave.
Back then, Isabella had looked at all of us with so much certainty in her eyes. She swore she was in love, swore she had found happiness, swore this man would cherish her for the rest of his life, and like idiots, we let her go.
I let her go. I should have stopped her, I should have fought harder.
Instead, I watched my little sister walk away from everyone who loved her because she believed love alone would protect her.
“Bella.” I forced my voice to stay calm. “I’m coming right now.”
“No.” Her answer came immediately. “No, don't come.”
“What?” I frowned. “What do you mean by that? You just asked me to…”
“I mean.” She trailed off. “Don’t bring Dad.”
“What?” The words were so sudden I stopped moving entirely. “Why would you even think…”
“Please.” Her voice dropped softer. “I can’t face them yet.”
“Bella…” Pain twisted sharply through my chest.
“I left them for him.” I heard her inhale shakily on the other end. “I defended him for years.”
Every word sounded heavier than the last, but I didn't interrupt her.
“And now…” She let out a broken laugh that didn’t sound like laughter at all. “Look at me.”
“Don't do that to yourself.” I shut my eyes tightly. “Don’t say that. You didn't know.”
“It’s true.” Her voice trembled faintly now. “I’m a mess.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m crippled.” The word came out so quietly it barely sounded real. “My leg is ruined and my marriage is falling apart and I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”
My chest tightened so violently it actually hurt to breathe.
“No.” My voice sharpened instantly. “Don’t you ever speak about yourself like that again.”
Silence answered me, and somehow, that silence hurt even more, because Isabella used to argue.
She used to fight back. Memories of her terrorizing me when we were little flooded my mind, and I almost laughed. I'd always told her she would make a great lawyer if she ever decides to venture into that path.
She used to laugh loudly, she used to burn with life so brightly it was impossible not to feel it around her, but now she sounded exhausted down to her soul.
“You are still my sister,” I said firmly. “Do you understand me?”
“You are still family.” Her breathing hitched softly through the phone as I continued. “Nothing changes that.”
Another long silence followed before she finally whispered: “I don’t think I fit there anymore.”
The rage I felt toward William in that moment was indescribable, not because he broke her heart, but because he destroyed her sense of worth, and that was worse.
Far worse.
“You listen to me carefully,” I said, each word deliberate. “I don’t care what happened over there. I don’t care how long you stayed away.”
“But I want you to know one thing.” I tightened my jaw hard enough to hurt..“You could disappear for another ten years and Dad would still open the door for you himself.”
A soft choking sound came from the other end of the call.
“He cries for you all the time, Bella,” I admitted quietly. “Dad keeps pretending he’s angry, but every birthday he still buys gifts he never sends.”
“And me?”I heard her inhale sharply while I laughed bitterly. “I’ve wanted to drag you home myself for years.”
“Logan…”
“No.” I cut her off gently this time. “You don’t get to decide you’re unworthy of coming home.”
The room around me had gone completely silent now, but my mind was louder than ever, because all I could picture was Isabella limping somewhere alone while trying to convince herself she deserved this life, and suddenly, I hated William more than I ever had before.
Not because he failed to love her, but because he made her believe she was difficult to love at all.
“Send me your location,” I said quietly. “I'll be there soon.”
This time, she didn’t argue.
- Writer
