ISABEL’S POV.
By the time the car stopped in front of the house, I felt completely exhausted.
Carter stepped out first and opened my door.
“There you go, Mrs. Blackwood.”
I smiled weakly.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
“I will return tomorrow morning.”
I managed another small smile.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Then he returned to the car and drove away.
The moment I stepped inside, I headed upstairs.
I wasn’t ready to think. I wasn’t ready to talk. I wasn’t ready for anything.
I just wanted to be alone.
Inside my bedroom, I quietly shut the door behind me.
Silence filled the room.
For the first time all day, there were no reporters, no guests, no whispers, no cameras.
Just me.
My gaze dropped to the wedding dress.
The dress that was still wrapped around my body.
Slowly, I reached for the zipper.
A few minutes later, the dress was hanging over a chair.
I stared at it.
It looked beautiful, elegant, expensive.
And completely wrong.
It wasn’t my dress.
It had never been meant for me.
A bitter laugh almost escaped me.
What a mess.
I grabbed a towel and headed toward the bathroom.
The hot water hit my skin moments later.
I closed my eyes and, for a while, I simply stood there.
The warmth should have been comforting.
Instead, it only gave my thoughts room to wander.
I remembered standing beside him while guests congratulated us.
Not once had he looked happy.
Not once had he looked angry either.
If anything, he had looked inconvenienced.
Like this marriage was simply another business problem he needed to manage.
I leaned my forehead against the tiled wall.
Tomorrow, I would move into his house.
What would that even be like?
Would we eat together?
Would we talk?
Would we avoid each other completely?
The truth was simple.
I didn’t know my husband at all.
The thought made me feel strangely uneasy.
After several more minutes, I finally stepped out of the shower.
I wrapped the towel around myself and began drying my hair.
Then suddenly, a ringtone shattered the silence.
I jumped slightly.
For a second, I just stared around the room.
The sound came again.
My phone.
I hadn’t even realized where it was all day.
The ringtone continued.
Following the sound, I finally spotted it sitting on top of my dresser.
I walked over and picked it up.
The screen lit up, and my entire body froze.
ETHAN CALLING….
My fingers tightened around the phone.
For several long seconds, I simply stared at the name.
I couldn’t understand how he had the nerve to call me.
Eventually, the ringing stopped, and silence returned.
I stared at the dark screen.
Then it lit up again with another call.
My jaw tightened.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
I let it ring again, and again, and again.
Each time, I ignored it.
I didn’t want to hear his voice.
I didn’t want his excuses.
I didn’t want his explanations.
Where had all these explanations been before he disappeared with Victoria and left me in this mess?
The phone finally stopped ringing.
I thought that was the end of it.
Then it vibrated, this time with a message.
Against my better judgment, I opened it.
‘Please stop ignoring my calls.
At least let me explain.’
I stared at the words.
Explain?
Explain what?
How he had lied to me?
How he had cheated on me with my sister?
How he had destroyed my family?
Nothing he said could change what happened.
Nothing.
I was still staring at the message when I heard the front door downstairs open.
Voices followed.
My parents. They had finally returned home.
Without another thought, I switched the phone off completely. Then I opened the top drawer of my dresser and shoved the phone inside.
Out of sight.
Out of mind.
At least for a few hours.
I quickly changed into a pair of comfortable pajamas before leaving my room.
The smell of food greeted me as I reached the dining room.
My parents were already seated.
Neither looked hungry.
My mother forced a smile.
“There you are.”
I sat down quietly.
The table was filled with food.
Roasted chicken, vegetables, mashed potatoes.
Normally, it would have looked inviting.
Tonight, nobody touched much of anything.
The silence was heavy.
My father finally broke it.
“How are you feeling?”
I almost laughed.
How was I feeling?
Heartbroken. Confused. Humiliated. Married.
Exhausted.
Instead, I settled for the simplest answer.
“Tired.”
My father nodded.
He looked just as tired.
After another moment, he frowned slightly.
“Why aren’t you at Blackwood Mansion?”
My mother looked up.
“That’s true. I thought you would be there tonight.”
I set down my fork.
“The driver explained it on the way home.”
Both of them waited.
“Apparently, there was a change of plans.”
“What kind of change?” my mother asked.
“Damien Blackwood told him to bring me home and return without me.”
Their expressions immediately changed.
My father’s eyebrows pulled together.
“What?”
I nodded.
“He said someone will come for me tomorrow instead.”
Silence followed.
My parents exchanged a worried look.
My mother was the first to speak.
“Do you think something happened?”
“I don’t know.”
My father leaned back in his chair.
“He wouldn’t change plans without a reason.”
That thought had crossed my mind too.
“What if he’s having second thoughts?” my mother asked quietly.
I swallowed.
The possibility had already occurred to me.
Not that I could blame him.
The entire wedding had been a disaster.
But if Damien wanted out, what would happen to my family?
To the company?
To everything my father had sacrificed?
The questions made my head hurt.
“I don’t know,” I repeated.
It was the only answer I had.
The conversation slowly died after that.
Nobody seemed interested in eating anymore.
We mostly pushed food around our plates.
The atmosphere remained uncomfortable.
Every so often, I caught my mother looking at me with guilt-filled eyes.
It made me feel worse.
None of us knew how to fix this situation.
Eventually, I couldn’t sit there any longer.
I stood up.
“I’m going to bed.”
My mother’s face softened.
“Of course.”
She rose from her seat and hugged me.
“I love you.”
The words nearly broke me.
“I love you too.”
My father hugged me next.
“Get some rest.”
“Of course.”
Then I left the dining room and headed upstairs.
Back in my bedroom, I closed the door and climbed into bed.
The room was dark and quiet.
I stared at the ceiling.
Minutes passed, then an hour.
Sleep never came.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the church.
The wedding.
Damien.
I turned onto my side, then onto my back.
Then onto my other side.
Nothing helped.
Finally, I sat up with a frustrated sigh.
My gaze drifted toward the dresser.
Toward the drawer.
The drawer containing my phone.
I should leave it alone. That would be the smart thing to do.
Instead, I got out of bed.
A few seconds later, I was standing in front of the dresser.
Slowly, I pulled the drawer open.
The phone sat exactly where I had left it.
I hesitated, then switched it back on.
The screen immediately exploded with notifications.
Missed calls. Messages. More missed calls.
All from Ethan.
I almost turned the phone off again.
Then my eyes landed on the newest message.
Sent only a few minutes ago.
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
Slowly, I opened it.
The message was short. Only a few words.
But those few words made me pause.
‘Isabel, please believe me.
This isn’t what you think.
Victoria is gone.’
I stared at the screen with a frown.
Gone?
Gone where?
What was that supposed to mean?
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