Chapter Fifteen
Sleep refused to come that night.
Isabella turned from side to side on the bed, clutching the pillow as though it could quiet her restless mind. The ceiling fan hummed softly above her, but the sound only reminded her of how silent the house had become.
Every time she closed her eyes, the image replayed — Gabriel standing by the window, that woman too close, whispering words Isabella could not hear. Then his eyes lifting, meeting hers through the glass.
It was like a scene that refused to end.
At some point, she sat up, resting her back against the headboard. The digital clock by her bedside blinked 1:47 a.m. in dim blue light.
She sighed.
“What am I even doing?” she whispered to herself. “Why do I care?”
It was supposed to be simple. A marriage on paper. No feeling
