Chapter 2: The Wife He Never Wanted
1494 Words
The mansion doors closed behind her with a heavy sound.
And just like that…
Isabella Carter was no longer Isabella Collins.
She stood at the entrance for a moment longer than necessary, her fingers tightening around the handle of her small suitcase.
One suitcase.
That was all she had taken with her.
Three years of marriage reduced to a single bag.
The thought should have hurt less by now.
Instead, it settled heavily inside her chest.
A quiet breath escaped her lips as she stepped forward, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor before meeting the cold pavement outside.
The wind hit her immediately.
But Isabella kept walking.
Because if she stopped now… If she turned around even once… She wasn’t sure she would have the strength to leave again.
Behind her, the Collins Mansion stood tall beneath the night sky, glowing with wealth and perfection.
Cold and untouchable just like the man inside it.
Isabella paused briefly near the gate, her eyes slowly lifting toward the massive building she had once called home.
Home.
The word feels almost laughable now.
That mansion had never truly belonged to her.
It was simply a place where she existed quietly beside a man who never wanted her there.
A faint smile touched her lips with softness and bitterness.
“The wife he never wanted…” she whispered quietly to herself.
The title suited her perfectly now.
Because no matter how hard she tried… No matter how deeply she loved him…She had never truly belonged in Andrew Collins’ world.
Inside the mansion.
Andrew Collins stood silently beside the floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes fixed on the driveway below.
He wasn’t entirely sure why he was still standing there.
The divorce papers had already been signed.
The marriage was over.
Everything had gone exactly as planned.
So why did something still feel… unsettled?
His eyes followed Isabella’s figure as she walked farther away from the mansion.
Step by step.
Without hesitation.
Without looking back with no tears, no begging, no emotional scene.
It was strange.
For three years, Isabella had always remained quietly by his side no matter how distant he became.
She waited for him, endured every humiliation him because of him.
But tonight…
She walked away like she had finally accepted there was nothing left worth fighting for.
The thought irritated him more than it should have.
“She’ll come back.”
The voice behind him broke the silence smoothly.
Andrew didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Abigail Scott.
She stepped deeper into the room, elegant and composed in a silk black dress, a faint smile resting on her lips.
“She has nowhere else to go,” Abigail continued casually. “Women like Isabella always come back once reality hits them.”
Andrew remained silent.
His eyes stayed on the window.
But his expression hardened slightly.
“She won’t.”
Abigail raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Oh?”
“She refused the settlement.”
That caught Abigail’s attention immediately.
For the briefest moment, surprise flashed through her expression before she covered it with a soft laugh.
“Pride,” she said lightly. “It won’t last.”
Andrew finally looked away from the window.
But something about her words didn’t sit right with him.
Because Isabella refusing the money made no sense.
He knew her background.
He knew she had nowhere near the wealth or power his world demanded.
Any normal person would have accepted the settlement immediately.
Yet she walked away with nothing.
Why?
The question stays uncetified in his mind.
Outside the mansion gates.
The city noise slowly swallowed Isabella as she stepped onto the sidewalk.
Cars moved endlessly through the streets.
People passed by without noticing her.
Life continued as though nothing had happened.
As though her entire world hadn’t just collapsed.
She tightened her grip on the suitcase and kept walking with no destination, no real plan, Just moving forward.
Her phone suddenly vibrated inside her bag.
Isabella ignored it.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
Then again.
With a tired sigh, she finally reached into her bag and pulled it out.
Unknown Number.
For a moment, she hesitated before answering softly.
“Hello?”
“Isabella.”
The moment she heard the voice, her steps stopped completely.
Her heart skipped faintly.
“Daniel?”
“It’s me.”
Daniel Hayes.
Someone from her past.
Someone who knew her long before she became Andrew Collins’ wife.
Before she learned how painful love could be.
“It’s been a long time,” Daniel said gently.
His familiar voice carried warmth she hadn’t heard in years.
And somehow…That almost made her cry harder.
“How did you get my number?” she asked quietly.
“A mutual friend,” he replied. “I heard about the divorce.”
Of course you will.
News involving Andrew Collins never stayed private for long.
“It’s fine,” Isabella said softly.
But even she could hear how empty her voice sounded.
There was silence on the other end for a second.
“You don’t sound fine.”
A faint smile touched her lips despite herself.
Daniel had always been like this,observant and Gentle.
The kind of person who noticed pain even when she tried hiding it.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered.
“You don’t always have to pretend to be strong.”
His voice softened further.
“If you need somewhere to stay, I can help.”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Too sharp.
Isabella immediately closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.
“I mean… thank you,” she corrected quietly. “But I’ll handle it myself.”
Another silence followed.
Then Daniel spoke again.
“I know that tone.”
Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
“You’re trying to carry everything alone again.”
She lowered her eyes and said.
Because this time…She truly had no choice.
Her free hand slowly moved toward her stomach, resting there instinctively, Protecting a secret.
“I have to be strong now,” she whispered softly.
Daniel’s voice grew quieter.
“Why does that sound like goodbye?”
Her chest tightened painfully.
Because part of her life really had ended tonight.
“I’ll call you later,” she said quickly.
“Isabella”
But she ended the call before he could continue.
The silence around her returned instantly.
For a moment, she simply stood there beneath the city lights, breathing unevenly.
Then slowly…Her fingers pressed gently against her stomach again.
A tiny life, completely innocent.
Completely dependent on her now.
Fear crept into her chest.
How was she supposed to do this alone?
How could she raise a child without stability… without family… without Andrew ever knowing?
Tears threatened again, but Isabella forced them back.
No.
She couldn’t afford to break down anymore.
Not now.
Not when someone else depended on her.
“I’ll protect you,” she whispered softly.
Her voice trembled.
“But I promise… I’ll protect you no matter what.”
For the first time that night, a strange sense of determination settled inside her pain.
Because now…
She wasn’t alone anymore.
Back inside the mansion.
Andrew finally stepped away from the window.
“She made her choice,” he said coldly.
Abigail watched him carefully from across the room.
“And you made yours.”
Their eyes met briefly.
A silent understanding passed between them.
But beneath it…Something unspoken lingered.
Something Andrew refused to acknowledge.
Abigail walked closer slowly.
“You did the right thing,” she said softly. “That marriage should’ve ended years ago.”
Andrew loosened his tie slightly.
For some reason, her words didn’t bring the satisfaction he expected.
Instead, his thoughts drifted back to Isabella again.
The trembling in her hands.
The emptiness in her eyes.
The way she walked away without asking him to stay.
It bothered him.
More than it should.
“Andrew?”
He blinked slightly before looking at Abigail.
“What?”
“You’re thinking about her.”
His expression hardened instantly.
“No.”
Abigail noticed.
And she smiled softly…Something darker flashed briefly through her eyes.
Hours later Isabella sat alone at a quiet bus stop, her suitcase resting beside her.
The city lights blurred softly in the distance while cold wind brushed against her skin.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on her body.
But strangely…Her mind felt clearer than it had in years.
For so long, her entire life revolved around Andrew Collins.
His schedule…His moods…His world.
Now, for the first time…
There was nothing tying her to him anymore.
The realization hurt.
But it also felt freeing.
Slowly, Isabella looked down at her stomach again.
Then a small, painful smile appeared on her lips.
“I won’t go back,” she whispered firmly.
No matter how difficult life became.
No matter how much it hurt.
She would never return to a place where she was unwanted.
Because this time…She was finally choosing herself
- Writer
