Isabella’s POV
I pressed my back harder against the heavy wooden door, my entire body trembling as Charlie’s voice cut through the thick silence like a blade.
“Isabella!” he yelled furiously. “Open the door. We’re not finished.”
My heart hammered so violently I could feel it in my throat. Tears slipped silently down my cheeks, soaking the collar of the wrinkled blue dress. Every instinct screamed at me to stay silent, to keep this flimsy barrier between us for as long as possible.
If I opened that door right now, I wasn’t sure I would walk out of this room the same woman—or walk out at all… my instincts screamed at me.
The handle rattled once. Then again. Harder.
“Don’t make me break it down,” he warned, his voice dropping to that dangerous octave I had come to fear. “You know I wil
