chapter four
1198 Words
Chapter Four
Isla sat in her room, staring at the dress laid across her bed. Ivory silk. Delicate lace along the sleeves. A vision of perfection.
The kind of dress any woman should feel lucky to wear.
But as her fingers skimmed the smooth fabric, all she felt was the weight of everything she couldn’t say.
Her mother had spent the morning fluttering about—flowers, music, seating charts—treating each decision like it might secure the foundation of a perfect marriage.
But a perfect marriage to Adrian?
She exhaled sharply, fingers tightening around a fold of silk. Love had never been part of the equation. This wasn’t a romance. It was a merger. A legacy.
And she had known that.
She had accepted it, long before Adrian slipped the ring onto her finger.
And yet…
Her thoughts drifted—uninvited—to the café. To Cassian.
“You can lie to yourself all you want, Isla. But don’t expect me to believe it.”
His voice haunted her like a crack in the mirror she’d tried too long to ignore. Cassian had always seen through the polished mask. The only person who ever dared to.
She hated that he was right.
A knock snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Come in,” she called, smoothing her features into something unreadable.
The door creaked open. Adrian stepped in, composed as ever—suit pressed, expression unreadable. But there was something new today. Something colder in his eyes.
“You disappeared yesterday,” he said, voice even. Not quite accusing—but not casual, either.
“I needed air.” She forced a light tone. “Everything’s been a bit… overwhelming.”
He nodded slowly, stepping closer. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve come with you.”
The thought made her stomach twist. Adrian, at the café? Seeing Cassian?
She mustered a smile. “It was nothing. Just a walk.”
His gaze lingered a beat too long. “And you didn’t run into anyone?”
It sounded like a question. But it felt like a trap.
Isla shook her head. “No one important.”
His eyes narrowed drastically, but his face remained the same. Then he extended his hand and grasped her sturdy, steady, and warm hand. It ought to have been consoling.
It was more like a shackle.
"Isla," he said, "I need to know that I can rely on you."
Her breath caught.
"You can," she said in a whisper.
He kissed her knuckles and raised her hand to his lips. It was a gentle—too gentle gesture. Adrian, in particular, never wasted time on softness.
However, his eyes were keen when he turned back to her. Assessing.
"Hopefully," he whispered.
He turned to the door after letting go of her hand.
“I’ll see you at dinner.”
The door clicked shut.
And only then did Isla realize she’d been holding her breath.
He knew. Or at least, he suspected.
And if Adrian ever found out the truth…
She didn’t know what scared her more—his wrath, or what it would mean if he was right.
That evening, the Calloway estate hummed with energy. Black cars lined the drive. Guests swept through the grand halls in satin gowns and sharp tuxedos.
Another dinner. Another show.
Isla sat beside Adrian at the head of the table, all silk smiles and perfectly timed laughter. Across the room, Lena laughed softly at something a guest said—but Isla caught her glance. Always watching. Always calculating.
Beneath the table, Adrian’s hand rested lightly on Isla’s knee.
A reminder.
A warning.
The meal passed in a blur of conversation and clinking crystal. But Adrian barely spoke.
And when the final course was cleared, he leaned in close.
“Walk with me,” he murmured.
She nodded, wordless.
They stepped onto the garden terrace, moonlight draping the stone path in silver.
For a while, they said nothing.
Then—
“My father called this morning,” Adrian said.
Isla turned to him. “What did he want?”
“To remind me of my responsibilities.”
His voice was quiet. Controlled. But tension crackled beneath it.
“He thinks I’ve been too… lenient.”
She hesitated. “Lenient?”
“With you.”
The words landed like a slap.
Adrian stopped walking. Turned to face her.
“He doesn’t believe in weakness, Isla. And neither do I.”
Her pulse quickened. “And you think I’m a weakness?”
“No,” he said, eyes steady. “I think you’re a temptation.”
The air shifted.
“You make me want things I can’t afford to want,” he said, his hand trailing a line down her arm. “And that makes you dangerous.”
Her breath caught.
“I’m not trying to be dangerous,” she said.
“But you are.”
His fingers slipped beneath her chin, tilting her face up to his.
For a heartbeat, she thought he might kiss her. Thought maybe—beneath all the control—there was something real.
But he didn’t.
He stepped back.
“I can protect you, Isla,” he said. “But I need to know you’re mine.”
The words hung between them like a stone dropped in still water.
“I am,” she said softly.
He nodded once. “Good.”
And then he turned and walked away.
Leaving her standing in the moonlight, heart thudding.
If she truly belonged to Adrian...
Then why did it feel like her heart had already chosen someone else?
The next day, Isla escaped to the stables.
She needed the quiet. The scent of hay, the soft nicker of horses. Something real.
She didn’t expect to find Cassian leaning against a stall, arms crossed, watching her with that maddening smirk.
“You’re persistent,” she said, brushing the mare’s mane.
“Or maybe you’re just easy to find.”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Cassian?”
He took a step closer. His voice low.
“You.”
The word hit like thunder.
Her pulse roared in her ears. “You can’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m engaged to your brother.”
The teasing vanished from his eyes. What remained was raw. Unflinching.
“And does that make you happy?”
She didn’t answer.
Because she couldn’t lie. Not to him.
He reached out. Fingers brushed hers—barely there. But enough.
“I know what he is, Isla,” Cassian said gently. “And I know what you’re giving up to be with him.”
A tear pricked at the corner of her eye. She blinked it away. “It doesn’t matter.”
His hand curled around hers.
“It should.”
For a moment, the world narrowed to the space between them. Every breath is too loud. Every heartbeat is too fast.
Then—
“I suggest you take your hands off my fiancée.”
Isla froze.
Adrian stood at the entrance to the stable, eyes like ice.
And in that moment, she knew—
Nothing would ever be the same again.
- Writer
