Chapter 3: Leaving Everything Behind
1337 Words
The bus stop felt colder at night.
The wind swept through the empty street, brushing harshly against Isabella’s skin as if reminding her that this was real.
Not a nightmare.
Not some painful misunderstanding she would wake up from tomorrow morning.
Her suitcase stood quietly beside her beneath the dim streetlight.
One medium-sized black suitcase.
That was all she had taken from the Collins Mansion.
Three years of marriage.
Three years of loving Andrew Collins silently.
Three years of waiting for affection that never came.
Reduced to a single suitcase sitting beside a lonely bus stop.
A soft, broken laugh escaped her lips.
“How did it come to this?” she whispered quietly.
No one answered.
Only the distant sound of passing cars and the flickering streetlights above her.
The city continued moving forward as though her world hadn’t just collapsed completely.
Isabella lowered her eyes slowly.
Then instinctively, her hand moved toward her stomach again.
A silent reminder that she wasn’t truly alone anymore.
Her fingers rested there softly.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
This apology wasn’t for herself.
It was for the tiny life growing inside her.
Because this child would enter the world already carrying the pain of abandonment.
The thought made her chest ache unbearably.
A bus appeared in the distance, its headlights cutting through the darkness as it slowly approached the station.
For a brief moment, Isabella considered getting on.
Going somewhere.
Anywhere.
Just moving forward.
But where would she go?
She had no plan.
No destination.
And no home anymore.
Her phone suddenly rang inside her bag.
The sound startled her slightly.
She pulled it out slowly and stared at the screen.
Daniel Hayes.
For several seconds, she simply looked at his name.
Then finally, she answered quietly.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
Daniel’s voice came immediately with concern.
Warm in a way she had almost forgotten people could be.
Isabella looked down at the empty street.
Then she answered, “At a bus stop.”
Then Daniel replied, “Send me your location.”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Daniel sighed softly at the other end.
“Isabella, it’s late. And you’re alone.”
“I said no.”
Then his voice softened.
“You don’t always have to carry everything by yourself.”
Her throat tightened painfully.
Because if she let someone help her right now…
If she allowed herself to lean on someone…
She might completely fall apart.
And she couldn’t afford that.
Not anymore.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered weakly.
Daniel remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
“At least tell me you have somewhere to stay tonight.”
Isabella look down at her suitcase again.
Then at the endless road ahead.
For the first time in years…She truly had nowhere to go.
“Not yet.”
The quiet answer said enough.
Daniel exhaled slowly.
“I’m coming.”
“Daniel”
But the call had already ended.
Isabella lowered the phone slowly, staring blankly at the dark screen.
Part of her wanted it, but another part it not willing.
Because tonight…She didn’t want to be alone.
Back at the Collins Mansion.
Andrew sat alone inside his study, a glass of whiskey resting untouched on the desk beside him.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
His eyes move slowly toward the doorway.
Empty.
No quiet footsteps outside.
No soft voice asking if he had eaten.
No gentle presence moving silently around the room.
For the first time in three years…
The mansion felt unfamiliar.
Andrew frowned slightly and said “ridiculous.”
But this was what i wanted.
Freedom and distance.
An end to a marriage that was never supposed to become emotional.
So why did the silence feel so heavy tonight?
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
Abigail Scott entered gracefully, dressed elegantly as always.
“You’re still working?” she asked softly.
Andrew leaned back in his chair slightly.
“What do you need?”
Her smile faltered almost invisibly at his cold tone.
“I was worried about you.”
He didn’t respond.
Instead, his eyes shifted briefly toward the empty doorway again.
Abigail noticed immediately.
And her expression changed for a second.
“She’s gone, Andrew.”
Her voice was smooth, careful and calculated.
Andrew’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I know.”
“Then stop looking at the door.”
The room became silence again.
For the first time since she entered, Andrew looked directly at her coldly.
“I wasn’t.”
Abigail smiled slowly.
“Of course not.”
But something unpleasant twisted quietly inside her chest.
Because Andrew Collins was not supposed to care.
Not even a little.
Back at the bus stop.
A sleek black car finally pulled over beside the sidewalk.
Daniel stepped out almost immediately.
Tall, well-dressed and familiar.
The moment his eyes landed on Isabella, concern appeared clearly across his face.
“You look exhausted.”
Isabella forced a small smile.
“I’ve had a long day.”
Daniel’s ayes shifted briefly toward the suitcase beside her.
Then back to her face.
And something in his expression softened painfully.
Because he understood what the suitcase meant.
Three years of her life packed into one bag.
“Come with me,” he said gently.
Isabella hesitated immediately.
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
Daniel let out a quiet breath.
“You never were.”
The warmth in his voice nearly broke something inside her.
Because after years of coldness…
After years of silence and emotional neglect…Simple kindness felt almost unfamiliar now.
“I only need somewhere for tonight,” she whispered.
Daniel nodded once.
“For as long as you need.”
The drive remained quiet afterward.
Not uncomfortable.
Just quiet.
Daniel didn’t pressure her to speak.
And strangely…She appreciated that more than anything.
His apartment was saller, not compared to the Collins Mansion.
The moment Isabella stepped inside, she immediately felt the difference.
No feeling like an unwanted guest in her own home.
Daniel placed her suitcase near the couch before turning toward her.
“You can take the bedroom.”
“No, I’ll sleep here,” Isabella replied quickly.
“You’re not sleeping on a couch.”
A faint smile touched her lips for the first time that night.
“You’ve always been stubborn.”
“And you’ve always been terrible at asking for help.”
The soft teasing in his voice almost made the room feel normal again.
Then suddenly a wave of dizziness hit her.
Her body swayed.
“Isabella.”
Before she could steady herself, Daniel was already beside her, gripping her shoulders carefully.
“Hey. Sit down.”
He guided her gently toward the couch.
Concern darkened his expression immediately.
“Have you eaten today?”
Isabella looked away silently.
That silence answered everything.
Daniel exhaled sharply in frustration.
“Unbelievable.”
Without another word, he disappeared into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying water and warm food.
“Eat.”
Isabella stared at the plate quietly.
And unexpectedly…Her eyes burned with tears.
Not because of the food.
But because someone noticed.
Someone cared enough to ask whether she had eaten.
Such a small thing.
Yet it felt enormous after years of emotional emptiness.
“Thank you,” she whispered softly.
Daniel’s expression softened.
“You don’t have to thank me for basic decency.”
Isabella answered “Basic decency?”
The words echoed painfully inside her chest.
Because during three years of marriage…She had forgotten what basic care even felt like.
Slowly, Isabella lowered her eyes again.
Her hand move slowly toward her stomach once more.
This time…Daniel noticed.
His eyes followed the movement.
Then froze completely.
Silence filled the room instantly.
His eyes slowly lifted back to her face.
And for the first time since arriving daniel looked genuinely shocked.
“Isabella…”
Her breathing stopped.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Because she realized immediately he had seen.
- Writer
