Chapter six:Old Habits Never Die
947 Words
The dining room remained wrapped in silence.
The only sounds that echoed through the room were the soft clinks of silverware against porcelain plates.
Isla quietly ate her breakfast.
Across from her, Liam did the same.
Neither of them spoke for several moments.
Finally, Isla broke the silence without looking up from her plate.
“Liam.”
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“The meeting documents are still in my bedroom. I forgot to bring them.”
She took another bite before continuing.
“After breakfast, bring them to the car before I leave.”
“Of course, Ma’am.”
Damien remained silent.
He didn’t interrupt.
He simply listened while pretending to focus on his breakfast.
For reasons he refused to admit…
Every conversation between Isla and Liam somehow caught his attention.
A few minutes later, Isla gently placed her fork down.
“I’m done.”
She stood up and walked toward the sink.
Liam also finished eating before quietly excusing himself.
“I’ll get the documents.”
As he walked past Damien, their eyes met for a brief second.
Neither of them spoke.
Liam simply continued upstairs.
Damien watched him disappear before lowering his gaze back to his untouched coffee.
⸻
After washing her hands, Isla dried them with a neatly folded napkin before turning toward the kitchen staff.
“I’ll be having dinner at home tonight.”
The cooks immediately nodded.
“What would you like us to prepare, Ma’am?”
"lasagna."
One of the older cooks hesitated before speaking.
"Ma'am..."
"Every Friday, you always ask us to prepare cream pasta."
The entire dining room fell silent.
Even Damien’s hand froze halfway toward his coffee cup.
Cream pasta.
It wasn’t just another dish.
It had become their Friday tradition.
Years earlier...
The memory surfaced without warning.
When Isla had casually mentioned that cream pasta was her favorite...
Damien had smiled before looking at every chef in the mansion.
"Every Friday."
"I don't care how busy I am."
"Serve cream pasta."
"My wife smiles every time she eats it."
"I'd like to keep seeing that smile."
Isla remained silent for several long seconds.
She could feel Damien’s eyes resting on her.
But she never looked back.
When she finally spoke...
Her voice was calm.
Almost emotionless.
"I didn't stop loving cream pasta."
She paused.
"It simply reminds me of someone..."
"...who no longer exists."
She folded the napkin neatly onto the table.
A painful silence settled over the room.
"Prepare the lasagna."
Without waiting for anyone’s reply, she picked up her handbag and walked past Damien.
Not once…
Did she look at him.
Yet somehow…
That hurt far more than anger ever could.
⸻
Outside…
Isla was about to enter the car when she instinctively looked up.
On the balcony of the master bedroom…
Eva sat comfortably with a cup of tea in her hand.
Their eyes met.
For a split second.
Eva’s lips slowly curled into a victorious smile.
Isla looked away first.
She quietly got inside the car and closed the door.
As if that balcony…
No longer belonged to her.
⸻
“Liam!”
Liam hurried outside with a folder clutched against his chest.
“Your documents, Ma’am.”
Isla rolled down the window.
“Thank you.”
She accepted the file before asking,
“Are you coming with me now?”
Liam shook his head.
“I’ll finish a few things here first.”
“I’ll be at the office shortly.”
A small smile appeared on Isla’s face.
It wasn’t the bright smile everyone once knew.
But it was real.
“I’ll see you there.”
The car slowly drove away.
⸻
The moment the gate closed…
Liam turned around.
Only to nearly collide with Damien.
He was already dressed for work, car keys in one hand and his briefcase in the other.
Judging by his hurried appearance…
He was running late.
But for some reason…
He stopped.
His eyes settled on Liam.
"So..."
Damien finally spoke.
"Don't mistake gratitude..."
"...for attachment."
"When she no longer needs you..."
"You'll leave too."
A faint smile appeared on Liam’s lips.
It wasn’t disrespectful.
It was almost… disappointed.
“After hurting her little by little…”
“You’re explaining her to me, Sir?”
He took a slow step closer.
“I know exactly why Ma’am keeps me around.”
His voice remained respectful.
But every word landed like a quiet accusation.
“It would be better…”
“If you focused on the woman you chose to marry.”
Silence.
For the first time…
Damien couldn’t find a reply.
Liam looked at Damien for a long moment.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Ma'am didn't ask about you this morning."
"Not once."
"She didn't ask where you were."
"What you ate."
"Whether you slept."
"Nothing."
"For someone who spent six years making you the center of her world..."
"That silence should frighten you more than her tears."
Liam turned to leave.
Then he stopped.
Without looking back, he said,
“Sometimes…”
“The hardest punishment isn’t being hated.”
“It’s realizing the person you love no longer wants answers from you.”
He quietly walked back inside.
Leaving Damien standing alone.
Damien remained standing where he was.
For the first time...
A painful realization settled over him.
Isla hadn't cried...
She hadn't begged.
She hadn't argued.
She hadn't even looked at him.
She simply...
Didn't care enough to ask.
Something inside him felt strangely hollow.
Without another word...
He walked toward his car.
Moments later...
The black Rolls-Royce disappeared beyond the mansion gates.
Yet for the entire drive...
Liam's words were louder than the engine.
"That silence should frighten you more than her tears."
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD