Chapter 19
1088 Words
Isabella
The call ended almost immediately, but I still held the phone against my ear for several seconds afterward.
I didn’t move, I couldn’t, not when the silence in the room felt different now, lighter somehow, softer around the edges in a way I hadn’t felt in years.
Slowly, I lowered the phone and stared at the dark screen in my hand. A shaky breath left me before I could stop it.
Logan was coming.
The thought alone made something inside my chest loosen painfully.
For so long, I had dreaded making that call. I had imagined disappointment, anger, resentment and even humiliation. I thought my brother would blame me for leaving, for disappearing, for choosing William over the people who actually loved me, but he hadn’t, oot once.
Instead, he sounded relieved. Hell, he sounded happy that I'd stopped shutting him out after all these years. My throat tightened violently at the memory.
“You are still family.” His voice echoed inside my head again and again until suddenly, tears burned behind my eyes.
I blinked quickly, but it was useless as a tear slid down my cheek anyway.
God. Why hadn’t I called him sooner? If I had, maybe I wouldn't be as miserable as I was right now.
The question hit me so hard it almost made me laugh.
Years. I had wasted years convincing myself I was alone simply because I was too ashamed to go home.
I wiped at my face quickly with the back of my hand, inhaling shakily as more tears threatened to fall. Then suddenly, the bedroom door opened and my
head snapped up instantly.
William stepped inside.
For one terrible second, panic flashed through me before I quickly turned away and wiped my face harder.
I prayed he hadn’t noticed. Unfortunately, William noticed everything when it came to visible emotions, just never the reasons behind them.
“Bella.” The door clicked shut behind him softly. “Who were you talking to?”
His voice came immediately, calm but sharp enough to make me still slightly. He didn't ask why I was crying, or if I was still mad about the incident with Eliza, but he was interested in who I was talking to.
Funny.
I lowered my hand slowly before turning toward him. William stood near the doorway with his tie loosened slightly, his eyes fixed directly on me.
He was obviously waiting for my answer, and for a second, I considered telling him the truth.
I was this close to telling him I was in the phone with Logan who was coming to take me away from him, but almost immediately, old memories surfaced.
William and Logan had never gotten along, not even in the beginning. Logan thought William was arrogant and William thought Logan was overprotective and controlling.
Every interaction between them always carried tension beneath the surface, and right now, the last thing I wanted was for William to know my family was involved.
So instead, I looked away lightly and said, “No one.”
“What?” William’s brows furrowed immediately. “I heard you talking.”
The irritation in his tone was subtle, but it was there.
“Well.” I adjusted the blanket over my legs calmly. “You must’ve heard wrong.”
“That’s impossible.” His jaw tightened slightly as he took a few steps further into the room. “I literally heard your voice through the door.”
I said nothing and for a couple of seconds, only silence settled between us.
“I'll ask you again.” William stared at me for another second before speaking again. “Who was it?”
Something about the question irritated me instantly, not because he asked, but because of the entitlement behind it, like he deserved access to every part of me while giving me almost nothing in return.
“It’s none of your business.” I lifted my gaze back to him slowly.
“What?” William blinked once like he genuinely hadn’t expected that answer.
“I said it’s none of your business.” My voice remained calm. “I’m not particularly interested in who you spend your time talking to, so why are you suddenly so interested in my phone calls?”
A dangerous silence followed and I watched William’s nostrils flare slightly.
There it was, anger. Not explosive anger, but the restrained kind William always carried when things stopped going his way.
“You’re being difficult again,” he said finally and this time, I almost laughed.
Again, like I was some exhausting problem he had to manage.
“Am I?” I asked quietly.
“Yes.” His voice sharpened slightly now. “And lately, you’ve been changing.”
Something flickered across his face as he stared at me. Confusion maybe, or frustration, like he couldn’t understand why I wasn’t behaving the way I used to.
“You never used to speak to me like this before.” That statement nearly made me smile.
Before, back when I swallowed everything quietly, back when I bent over backwards trying to keep him comfortable, back when I loved him more than I loved myself.
Before I could answer, his phone suddenly rang. The sharp sound cut through the room instantly and William frowned slightly as he reached into his pocket.
Then he looked at the screen, and his face changed immediately. It was a tiny flicker, but I noticed.
Of course I noticed and a bitter sort of amusement curled inside my chest.
“Elisa?” I asked softly.
“It’s not..” William looked up quickly.
“You don’t need to explain.” I cut him off calmly. “I understand.”
“No.” His expression tightened. “Bella.”
“You can answer it.” I adjusted myself against the pillows slowly. “I don’t care.”
And for the first time since saying those words to him, I realized they were true. I truly didn’t care anymore.
William still stood there like he wanted to say something else, but I was already done with the conversation, and without looking at him again, I reached toward the bedside lamp and switched it off.
Darkness immediately flooded the room.
The only remaining light came faintly from the hallway behind William, casting part of his face into shadow.
Then quietly, I turned onto my side, away from him, away from the marriage, and away from the man whose phone was still ringing in the dark.
- Writer
