Chapter 4: The Secret She Hides
1285 Words
“Isabella…”
Daniel’s voice was quieter now.
Like he was afraid of what he had just realized.
His eyes remained fixed on her hand, resting protectively over her stomach.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Too quiet.
Too exposed.
Isabella’s fingers twitched slightly as she realized it was too late.
Slowly…
She lowered her hand.
But it was already too late.
Daniel had already seen it.
He said “You’re pregnant?”
The question hung heavily between them with unavoidable.
Isabella parted her lips slightly, but no words came out.
Because saying it loud would make everything real in a way she still wasn’t prepared for.
Daniel took another step closer.
“Isabella,” he said gently. “Look at me.”
She hesitated before slowly lifting her eyes toward him.
There was no judgment in his expression.
No anger.
No disappointment.
Only concern.
“How far along are you?” he asked softly.
“A few weeks.”
Her answer barely rose above a whisper.
Daniel exhaled slowly, running one hand through his hair as if trying to process everything.
“And Andrew?”
The question made her chest tighten immediately.
Her silence already answered him before Isabella shook her head slowly.
“No.”
Daniel stared at her for several long seconds.
And said. “Are you going to tell him?”
The question came too quickly.
Too directly.
And for the first time since he arrived, something in Isabella changed.
Her expression changed instantly.
“No.”
Daniel frowned immediately.
“Isabella….”
“I said no.”
Her voice wasn’t loud.
But it was calm and final
The room became silent again.
Daniel studied her carefully, trying to understand the thoughts hidden behind her calm expression.
“Why?” he asked quietly after a moment.
Isabella lowered her eyes toward her hands resting in her lap.
“Because I know him.”
The answer sounded simple.
But it carried years of pain beneath it.
“He didn’t want me,” she continued softly. “What makes you think he would want this?”
Daniel replied. “That’s not the same thing.”
“It is.” The answer came out of Isabella mouth quietly.
She lifted her eyes again.
And this time, there was no hesitation inside them.
“If I tell Andrew about the baby, it won’t be because he suddenly loves me,” she whispered. “It’ll be because he feels responsible.”
A bitter smile touched her lips briefly.
“I don’t want my child to grow up being someone’s obligation.”
Her fingers tightened slightly together.
“I want them to be wanted.”
The words settled heavily between them.
Daniel didn’t respond immediately.
Because deep down…He understood exactly what she meant.
And that made it impossible to argue with her completely.
“So you’re planning to do this alone?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
Daniel stared at her for a long moment before smile softly.
“You’ve always been like this.”
She blinked faintly.
He continued. “Even when you shouldn’t have to be.”
A small smile appeared briefly on Isabella’s lips.
“Someone has to be.”
But the truth was…She didn’t feel strong tonight.
She felt terrified.
Terrified of the future.
Terrified of raising a child alone.
Terrified of becoming someone her baby might someday resent.
But more than anything…She was terrified of returning to Andrew Collins and hearing cold indifference again.
She couldn’t survive that twice.
Across the city.
Andrew Collins stood alone inside his office, staring through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking New York City.
The skyline stretched endlessly before him.
Just the way he preferred things.
Yet tonight…Something felt off.
His mind drifted again toward the image of Isabella walking away earlier.
No tears.
No emotional breakdown.
No desperate attempt to stop him.
Just quiet acceptance.
His fingers tightened slightly at his side.
It didn’t make sense.
For three years, Isabella endured everything silently.
His distance.
His coldness.
His indifference.
So why did she leave so easily now?
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in.”
The office door opened, and Abigail Scott stepped inside elegant as always with perfectly composed.
“You missed dinner,” she said lightly.
Andrew turned away from the window slightly.
“I wasn’t aware I needed supervision.”
Her smile didn’t disappear.
“I was concerned.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, his eyes shifted back toward the city lights again.
“She didn’t take anything.”
The words came unexpectedly.
Abigail’s expression changed.
“What?”
“The settlement,” Andrew clarified. “She refused all of it.”
Silence followed briefly.
Then Abigail smiled smoothly.
“That’s pride. It won’t last.”
But Andrew still looked unconvinced.
“She’s not that type.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the room became silent.
Abigail’s eyes sharpened almost instantly.
“Not that type?” she repeated carefully.
Because for the first time…He realized something uncomfortable.
He didn’t actually understand Isabella as much as he thought he did.
For years, he assumed she stayed because of the Collins name.
The wealth.
The security.
But if that were true…Why walk away with nothing?
The question lingered unpleasantly inside him.
Abigail stepped closer slowly.
“You’re thinking about her too much.”
Andrew’s expression immediately changed again.
“No.”
Abigail noticed too.
And behind her composed smile, Jealousy quietly flickered.
Back at Daniel’s apartment.
Isabella sat quietly on the edge of the couch, holding a glass of water between both hands.
The warmth soothed her slightly.
But exhaustion still weighed heavily on her body.
Daniel leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her carefully.
“You should see a doctor soon.”
She nodded softly.
“I will.”
“And you need proper rest.”
Another small nod.
Daniel ask her carefully “Does anyone else know?”
Isabella shook her head immediately.
“No one.”
Not her parents.
Not Andrew.
No one.
Daniel response quietly.
“Then I guess I’m the first.”
A brief silence followed.
Then Isabella spoke softly.
“You don’t have to involve yourself in this.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“This isn’t your responsibility,” she explained quietly. “You’ve already done enough.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
“You really don’t understand, do you?”
She looked at him in confusion.
“I’m not helping you because I have to,” Daniel said gently. “I’m helping you because I want to.”
The sincerity in his voice caught her off guard completely.
Because there was no pity in his eyes.
No hidden expectation.
Just genuine care.
And after years of emotional emptiness…
That kind of sincerity felt dangerous.
For a moment, Isabella didn’t know what to say.
So she stayed silent.
And somehow…That silence said everything.
Later that night.
Isabella lay awake inside the bedroom Daniel had insisted she use.
The room was quiet, warm and peaceful.
Completely different from the cold silence of the Collins Mansion.
Her hand rested gently over her stomach again as she stared at the ceiling.
“This is our life now,” she whispered softly.
No mansion.
No luxury.
No Andrew.
Just her.
And the child growing inside her.
The future terrified her.
But strangely…There was also peace hidden beneath the fear.
Because for the first time in years, She wasn’t waiting for someone else to choose her.
She had already chosen herself.
Miles away.
Andrew Collins stood alone in the dark office, unable to explain why sleep suddenly felt impossible tonight.
And for the first time since the divorce.
The silence around him no longer felt like freedom.
It felt like loss.
- Writer
