Isabella’s POV
The silence after Evelyn’s voice echoed down the hall was heavier than any door slam. Charlie stood frozen in my doorway, caught between two worlds—the woman he had married out of revenge and the one he had loved for years.
His eyes met mine, filled with a storm of conflict, guilt, and something dangerously close to longing.
“Charlie?” Evelyn called again, her voice soft but insistent. “I’ve waited so long to talk to you properly.”
He hesitated for one painful second longer, his hand still gripping the doorframe. Then, with a low curse under his breath, he stepped back.
“We’ll talk tomorrow,” he told me quietly, voice rough. “Stay in your room tonight.”
The door closed behind him with a soft click that felt like the final nail in my coffin. I sank onto the bed, pressi
