Chapter 17
1768 Words
Isabella
The doorbell rang a second time downstairs, sharper now, and more impatient.
William glanced toward the entrance before looking back at me briefly. Whatever irritation had been building between us moments ago was quickly hidden behind that familiar composed expression of his.
“I’ll get it,” he repeated, but I didn’t answer.
I stayed exactly where I was while he walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps fading down the hallway. For a few seconds, all I could hear was the soft music still playing in the background and the faint crackling sound from the stove.
The old me would have walked to the stove to go check it out, but I'd rather it burned. My mind was still crowded when the sound of the front door opening reached my ears.
Lina's voice greeted someone politely, followed by a soft laugh that made my stomach tighten instantly.
Eliza. Of course. Of all people that could have visited, why did it have to be her?
I closed my eyes briefly as I thought, maybe the universe truly hated me. A few moments later, footsteps approached the kitchen quickly, and before I could even fully turn around, Eliza appeared in the doorway carrying a glossy gift bag in one hand.
“There you are!” she said brightly.
Then, before I could react, she walked straight toward me and wrapped her arms around me.
Every muscle in my body stiffened instantly. The hug lasted barely two seconds before she pulled away smiling like we were old friends.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said warmly. “Did I mention how gorgeous you look as well?”
I stared at her silently, stuck on cussing her out first or just waking out immediately. Before I could decide, William appeared behind and walked into the kitchen looking completely at ease, like this entire situation was normal.
“I invited Eliza over,” he explained casually. “She wanted to apologize properly.”
Apologize, the word landed wrong, but I forced myself to not react. Eliza nodded immediately, her expression softening with practiced sincerity.
“I really am sorry, Isabella,” she said gently. “I never wanted to cause problems between you and William. That was never my intention in the first place.”
The way she said his name so naturally made something cold twist inside my chest. She stepped forward slightly and held out the gift bag toward me.
“I brought this for you,” she continued. “I picked it carefully. I just wanted to make peace.”
I looked down at the bag briefly, then back at her face. She looked sincere, too sincere, and somehow, that made it worse.
William crossed his arms lightly beside her, clearly relieved that things were finally “being resolved.”
“See?” he said softly to me. “She came all the way here for you. That's a grand gesture in my books.”
For me. The words echoed again and again in my head, and I almost laughed. Instead, I simply stood there holding Eliza’s gaze quietly, and beneath all the sweetness coating her expression, I saw it.
Satisfaction. It was tiny and hidden, but there still.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said flatly. “It's not necessary.”
“No, I want to,”Eliza’s smile faltered just slightly as she insisted quickly. “I’d feel terrible if you kept misunderstanding things between William and me.”
Misunderstanding. God, was that all it was to her?
“Don't be stubborn now.” William glanced between us before speaking again. “Bella, just accept the apology.”
The exhaustion inside me deepened instantly. I didn’t want her apology, I didn’t want her gift, and I certainly didn’t want this performance happening inside my house first thing in the morning.
Still, before I could answer, William’s phone suddenly buzzed loudly in his pocket.
He frowned slightly after glancing at the screen.
“I need to take this,” he muttered. “It’s important.”
Then he looked toward Eliza briefly. “Wait here.”
The second he walked out of the kitchen, the atmosphere changed completely.
The warmth disappeared, the sweetness vanished, and Eliza’s smile slowly faded into something colder.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then she sighed softly.
“You really are making this difficult,” she murmured. If I hadn't been staring at her all through, I would have told myself that I'd imagined those words and she never said it.
I looked at her calmly. “Are you done pretending?”
A flicker crossed her face as her fingers tightened slightly around the gift bag before she stepped closer again.
“You know,” she said quietly, “William hates conflict.”
“He’s been stressed lately.” I said nothing, not she continued her voice remaining soft. “You constantly pushing him like this only makes things harder for him.”
The audacity almost stunned me.
“You came into my house,” I said slowly, “to tell me not to upset my husband?”
“Don't get me wrong.” Her expression tightened briefly. “I came to apologize.”
“No,” I corrected calmly. “You came to win.”
Something sharp flashed through her eyes then, gone almost immediately. Then, without another word, she suddenly shoved the gift bag toward me again.
Instinctively, I didn’t take it, and the bag slipped from her fingers dramatically and crashed onto the floor.
The sound echoed sharply through the kitchen, and right on cue….
“Eliza?” William’s footsteps approached quickly.
The second he appeared in the doorway, Eliza’s entire expression changed. Her eyes widened, her lips trembled and she looked utterly devastated in the blink of an eye.
“I…” She glanced down at the fallen gift bag before looking back at William. “I was only trying to apologize.”
“What happened?” William frowned immediately. “Eliza?”
“I really meant it sincerely,” she whispered shakily. “But if Isabella didn’t want to accept it… she didn’t have to throw it away.”
I stared at her in disbelief. Oh, she was good, very good.
“And the gift…” Eliza added softly, lowering her gaze. “William and I picked it together yesterday after thinking carefully.”
The moment those words left her mouth, William’s expression darkened instantly.
“Bella.” His voice sharpened immediately as he turned toward me. “What was that?”
I blinked once slowly. He didn't ask me, “Did that happen?” or “What’s going on?”
He just blamed me immediately and something inside me went completely still.
“You’re accusing me already?” I asked quietly.
“The gift is on the floor,” William snapped. “What exactly am I supposed to think?”
I looked at him for a very long second. Then suddenly, I laughed, not because anything was funny, but because it was unbelievable.
“You used my husband’s card,” I said calmly to Eliza, “to buy me a gift?”
“How thoughtful.” The room went silent while me voice turned colder. “I’m truly touched.”
“Eliza didn’t mean….” William started.
“No.” I cut him off sharply for the first time. “Let’s speak clearly since everyone suddenly loves honesty.”
I looked directly at Eliza.
“Whatever my husband spent on you,” I said evenly, “I have every right to ask for it back.”
Her face paled slightly but I didn't stop. “Including the watch.”
William’s expression hardened instantly. “Isabella.”
“No,” I continued coldly, never taking my eyes off Eliza. “Since she wants sincerity so badly, let’s be sincere.”
I took one slow step forward.
“Now please,” I said quietly, “leave my house.”
Eliza’s eyes filled immediately.
“I…” Her voice cracked softly as she turned toward William. “I didn’t want this…”
Then she ran out of the kitchen crying. William stared after her in shock before whipping back toward me furiously.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded.
“What does it look like?” I looked at him tiredly. “She lied.”
“You humiliated her!”
“Humiliated?” A bitter laugh escaped me instantly. “That’s interesting coming from you.”
“She came here to apologize!”
“No,” I snapped finally. “She came here to perform!”
“Bella, what is wrong with you?” William ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “You’re being unreasonable.”
“There it is again,” I said softly. “Every single time.”
“What?”
“She cries, and suddenly she’s innocent.” My chest tightened painfully. “Meanwhile you never even stop to ask if I’m telling the truth.”
“Because this…” William opened his mouth immediately.
“No.” My voice rose for the first time. “You already chose her side the second you walked into this room.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
The silence afterward felt suffocating, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. Then I realized something terrifying, I truly did not have the strength to fight for this marriage anymore.
Not another day, not even another hour.
“I’m done,” I whispered.
“What?” William’s expression shifted slightly.“Bella…”
But I was already turning away. I walked out of the kitchen slowly despite his voice calling after me and headed upstairs without looking back once.
This time, he didn’t follow immediately..By the time I reached the bedroom, my hands were trembling slightly, not from heartbreak anymore,but from clarity.
I shut the door behind me quietly before reaching for my phone almost immediately.
For a few seconds, I simply stared at the contact list.
Then my thumb stopped on one name. Logan, my brother.
I hadn’t called him in far too long. A lump formed painfully in my throat as I pressed dial. The phone rang once, twice and then….
“Bella?”
The second I heard his voice, something inside me nearly shattered..For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
“Bella?” Logan’s voice sharpened instantly with concern. “What happened?”
My grip tightened around the phone..Then quietly, before I could lose my courage, I whispered.
“Can you come get me?”
- Writer
