The Rise Of The Fall 1
1084 Words
Chapter Ten
The door sprang open hard, rattling the frame. Isabella didn’t flinch. She calmly walked toward her bed, though her heart felt as if it had been shattered into a thousand pieces. She sank onto the mattress, letting the memories of last night wash over her again, each fragment sharper than the last.
Her phone vibrated against the sheets. She picked it up, the screen lighting up with Arai’s name.
She took a deep, trembling breath. “Hello…” she whispered, her voice breaking after the deep beep.
“Isabella, baby,” Arai’s voice chimed warmly from the other end. “We will meet today. I’ve contacted a personal therapist for you…”
Her lips quivered as the words barely reached her ears. Before Arai could continue, Isabella’s voice cracked through the phone, trembling and urgent.
“Arai… I really can’t stay here… I’m going crazy.”
Her hands trembled violently, fingers curling around the phone as if it were the only lifeline in a storm. It felt like the room itself was closing in on her, the walls pressing, the shadows whispering. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one burning her chest.
“I… I can’t…” she repeated, voice barely more than a whisper, tears spilling freely. “I don’t… I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore…”
Arai’s voice softened, filled with concern. “Shh… listen to me, baby. You’re not alone. Take a deep breath. I’m coming for you. You’re going to be okay. Just… hold on a little longer.”
Isabella’s tears fell onto the phone, smudging her vision. She let herself sink further into the mattress, the familiar weight of despair pressing down on her, but Arai’s voice, steady and warm, threaded through the chaos in her mind.
Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, a small flicker of hope sparked. Maybe, just maybe she could survive this storm without losing herself entirely.
But as she closed her eyes, trying to steady her racing heart, the memory of last night’s fire, the accusation, and the key she had dropped played on repeat in her mind, a relentless echo she couldn’t escape.
And deep down, she wondered: Was she really losing her mind… or was someone else making sure she thought she was?
Between a short lapse of time, a sharp knock came at the door, jolting Isabella awake.
Her heart leapt.
She smiled faintly, hoping it was Aria. Quickly, she reached for her bag, slipped into her flat shoes, and walked toward the door with renewed urgency.
The metal door creaked open.
Isabella’s smile vanished.
Gideon stood there, tall and arrogant, dressed in a perfectly ironed black tuxedo. His boyish face curved into a smug smile as his eyes swept over her.
Annoyance flared instantly. She tried shoving past him, her face folding in clear displeasure, but he caught her wrist firmly.
Isabella inhaled sharply, forcing herself to stay calm.
“What’s wrong with you?” she snapped. “Have you come to lecture me about your family bond again?”
Her scoff was cut short when Gideon spoke.
“Your friend is in the guest room,” he said casually. “Grandpa ordered me to call you.”
He paused, his smile widening.
“And, sister-in-law… don’t see me as a bad person. You and I are family too.”
The words unsettled her.
Without responding, Isabella pulled her hand free and walked away, gripping her bag tightly as though it were the only thing keeping her grounded.
Downstairs, Mr. Samson sat calmly, waiting. Beside him was Aria.
The moment they sensed her presence, both smiled warmly, beckoning her forward.
Gideon followed silently behind her, stopping a few steps away as Isabella sat beside Aria.
“Grandpa,” Isabella began softly, turning to Mr. Samson, “Arai and I would love to go out, see…..”
“Nathan will guard you,” the old man said firmly. “Remember, you’re not fully recovered.”
A flicker of unease passed through Isabella, but she masked it with a polite nod.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” she replied graciously.
She and Aria rose and walked toward the exit of the house.
As they approached the heavy iron gates, a car rolled forward. Nathan sat behind the wheel, the engine rumbling as he stopped for them to get inside.
Isabella hesitated, just for a second before stepping closer.
Something about the smiles, the silence, and the watchful eyes made her chest tighten.
Just as they drove away, the chaos they had escaped began to gather speed elsewhere.
“Marcy’s Therapy Home,” Aria said coldly, her face empty of any smile.
Nathan nodded and followed the order without question.
The silence inside the car thickened. With Nathan present, neither Isabella nor Aria dared to speak. Instead, Isabella reached for her phone and began to type.
Isabella: What are we going for? Therapy, for real?
Aria: Baby, you’ll be fine. I’ve already filled everything in.
Aria: I know how hard the Vandash family can be, but your health comes first. Be strong. We’ll fight this together.
Isabella paused. She lifted her eyes from the screen and met Aria’s gaze. Gratitude passed between them in that quiet moment, unspoken but deeply felt.
Elsewhere in Hill City, Dr. John, the longtime physician to the Vandash family, ended a call from Phyn and calmly stepped into his car.
“The Vandash home,” he said warmly to the driver.
At first, everything felt normal.
Then a sense of unease settled in his chest. The bottle of water in his hand suddenly felt too heavy to lift, impossible to swallow.
His mind replayed the moment he had entered the car. The way the door had closed so quickly. The silence that followed.
Slowly, his eyes shifted forward.
The driver was wearing a mask.
No suit.
No familiar presence.
“Stop the car,” Dr. John said, keeping his voice steady despite the alarm rising inside him.
The brakes screamed as the car came to a violent halt.
“Who are you?” he asked calmly, his hand inching toward the door handle.
The driver turned.
A gun was already in his hand.
It pressed firmly against Dr. John’s forehead.
Fear finally crept into his eyes as the man spoke.
“John Locvado…”
He lifted the mask just enough to reveal his lips.
“What if I told you,” he said quietly,
“that there’s a bomb in this car?”
- Writer
