PREGNANT AND ABANDONED

Chapter 5: A Life He Never Knew

Morning arrived quietly.

Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains, settling gently across Isabella’s face.

For a moment… She didn’t move.

Because waking up meant remembering everything.

The divorce.

The mansion and Andrew.

Her eyes slowly opened, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.

Nothing like the elegant designs inside the Collins Mansion.

Yet somehow… This room didn’t feel cold.

It felt real.

Warm in a way the mansion had never been.

Isabella slowly sat up, one hand instinctively moving toward her stomach.

Still there.

Still real.

A quiet breath escaped her lips.

“I’m okay,” she whispered softly.

And for the first time since signing those divorce papers… She almost believed it.

In the kitchen… Daniel stood near the stove with his sleeves rolled up, quietly preparing breakfast.

Nothing luxurious.

Nothing complicated.

Just warm food.

Something normal.

Something comforting.

He paused briefly, looking toward the hallway and listening.

As if making sure she was still there.

That she hadn’t disappeared during the night.

A faint smile touched his lips before he turned back toward the stove.

A few minutes later… Soft footsteps entered the kitchen.

Daniel looked up.

Isabella stood near the doorway quietly, her hair was messy from sleep.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Because the scene felt strangely unfamiliar.

Not awkward.

Just… peaceful.

“You’re awake,” Daniel said softly.

She blinked softly.

“How did you know?”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“You walk quietly,” he replied. “But not that quietly.”

A small silence followed.

Then Isabella look toward the breakfast on the counter.

“You didn’t have to do this.”

Daniel shrugged casually.

“I know.”

For some reason, that made her chest tighten slightly.

Because he wasn’t doing these things out of obligation.

He simply wanted to help.

And after years of emotional emptiness…That kind of kindness still felt unfamiliar to her.

Slowly, Isabella stepped closer before sitting down carefully.

“Thank you,” she whispered again.

This time, she truly meant it.

Daniel placed a plate in front of her.

“Eat first,” he said gently. “Then we figure things out.”

Isabella nodded quietly before picking up the fork.

For a moment, she simply stared at the food.

Then slowly…She began eating.

And strangely It was the first peaceful meal she’d had in a very long time.

Across the city.

Andrew Collins sat inside a boardroom surrounded by executives.

The atmosphere was tense and focused.

“Mr. Collins, we need your final approval on the project.”

“No.”

The word cut sharply across the room.

Instant silence followed.

Several executives exchanged confused looked.

Andrew leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression cold and unreadable.

“We’re not proceeding with the deal.”

One of the executives frowned immediately.

“But sir, we’ve already invested millions into…”

“I said no.”

His voice remained calm.

But final.

No one dared argue further.

The meeting ended shortly afterward.

One by one, the executives gathered their files and quietly left the room.

Soon, Andrew sat alone at the long conference table with a silent thought.

His fingers tapped once lightly against the polished surface.

Then stopped.

Something wasn’t right.

He had reviewed that deal multiple times before today.

It was profitable.

Strategic and perfectly stable.

So why had he rejected it so suddenly?

His jaw tightened slightly.

Because his focus wasn’t where it should be.

And deep down…He knew exactly why.

Back at Daniel’s apartment.

“Do you have any plans yet?” Daniel asked while pouring coffee into a mug.

Isabella shook her head slowly.

“Not yet.”

She placed the fork down carefully.

“I’ll need to find a place eventually. And a job… something stable.”

Daniel nodded thoughtfully.

“You can stay here for now.”

She hesitated immediately.

“I don’t want to depend on you too much.”

“You’re not depending on me.”

His response came instantly.

“You’re just taking time to get back on your feet.”

The way he said it, it was simple and it made it easier to accept.

After a brief pause, Isabella finally nodded.

“Just for a little while.”

Daniel smiled faintly.

“That’s fine.”

Silence settled briefly between them again.

Then Daniel spoke carefully.

“Do you regret it?”

The question caught her off guard.

Isabella looked up slowly.

“What?”

“The divorce,” he clarified softly. “Do you regret leaving?”

For a long moment, she didn’t answer.

Her mind when backward to the mansion, to Andrew.

Spending years hoping for affection that never came.

Then her thoughts move toward now.

This small apartment.

This strange sense of peace.

And suddenly…The answer became obvious.

“No.”

Her voice was soft.

But steady.

“I regret staying as long.”

Daniel didn’t respond immediately.

But something in his expression softened deeply.

As if part of him had always known she deserved better.

Later that afternoon.

Isabella stood quietly beside the apartment window, staring down at the busy streets below.

The city looked exactly the same.

But her life felt completely different now.

Yet strangely lighter.

Her phone suddenly rang.

Isabella look down at the screen.

Her entire body frowned when she see it Andrew calling.

For a moment, she considered ignoring the call.

But eventually…She answered.

“Hello?”

“Isabella.”

His deep voice came calmly through the phone.

As though yesterday’s divorce meant nothing at all.

Her grip tightened slightly around the phone.

“Yes?”

A brief silence followed.

Almost like he wasn’t expecting her to answer so quickly.

“You left some documents behind.”

It business practical document nothing personal.

“Throw them away,” Isabella replied calmly.

Silence followed again.

Then…“You should come get them.”

Her brows furrowed slightly.

“Why?”

“They may be important.”

A faint bitter smile touched her lips.

If they were important, you would’ve mentioned them yesterday.

The response clearly caught him off guard.

“It’s still your responsibility,” Andrew said after a moment.

“No.”

Her voice remained calm and steady.

“It stopped being my responsibility the moment I signed those papers.”

Another silence followed.

Longer this time.

He wasn’t used to this version of her.

The Isabella he knew rarely pushed back.

Rarely challenged him.

But this woman…Felt different.

“Where are you staying?” he asked suddenly.

The question surprised her.

Her expression changed.

“That’s none of your concern.”

Andrew’s jaw tightened on the other end of the call.

“You were my wife.”

“Was.”

The correction came instantly.

Silence followed again.

Andrew now said “I’ll have someone send the documents over.”

Isabella replied.

“Do whatever you want.”

And before he could continue…She ended the call.

The apartment became quiet again.

Daniel had heard enough of the conversation to understand who it was.

But he didn’t speak immediately.

Instead, his expression became thoughtful.

“You still didn’t tell him,” he said quietly after a moment.

Isabella shook her head.

“No.”

“And you’re sure about that?”

Her hand moved slowly toward her stomach again.

“Yes.”

Because deep down…She already knew exactly how Andrew Collins would react.

And she refused to let her child grow up feeling unwanted.

Miles away.

Andrew slowly lowered his phone onto the desk.

His expression remained unreadable.

But something inside him had shifted.

Because for the first time since their divorce, Isabella Carter no longer sounded like someone waiting for him to call her back.

She sounded like someone who had truly walked away.

And for reasons he still couldn’t explain that realization bothered him more than it should have.