Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Isla
In for a penny, in for a pound. I’m already in enough trouble. What’s one more thing?
I climb the steps to Chad’s old apartment, my heartbeat quickening with every creak of the wooden stairs.
I’m not supposed to be here, but I had to come today.
Despite my turmoil with Knox, it felt like the best day to make this visit. Like ripping a bandage off a wound that’s already oozing.
My nerves are still raw from last night’s encounter with Knox. And this morning’s.
I never expected to see him so early. I’d actually woken with the sun and decided to go to that side of the house just to avoid him.
Since he didn’t come to bed, I figured he’d be avoiding me, too.
But he must have stayed in his office overnight.
Knowing him, he probably didn’t want the maids talking.
It’s only been one night we’ve shared a bed—my first night—and he’s been away a lot since.
Last night was… well, I still have no words for it. I was thankful for the small mercy of being alone once I got away from him.
I needed time to breathe. But then I saw him watching me paint this morning, and the walls started closing in again.
I have another day off today, but I couldn’t stay in that house. Even knowing Knox wouldn’t be there.
Maybe being here is part of my escape, though it makes little sense as this visit isn’t exactly a good one.
Knox doesn’t know I’m here. But neither does Chad. I didn’t want to call him. I wouldn’t have known what to say. This is the kind of visit where it’s better to just show up and hope for the best.
I don’t even know if he still lives here.
I just figured he might be. He never officially gave up this place.
His parents bought it for him when he was in his second year of college.
While he lived in the dorms like me, we used to come here on weekends or sometimes spend whole summers holed up as if we were living together.
When he moved to Australia, one of our mutual friends told me he was using the apartment for storage. So, there’s a chance he’s not here.
The loud creak of the third step before the top makes my chest tighten with nostalgia.
I used to take comfort in that sound. It meant I would see Chad soon. Now, it makes my stomach squeeze with nerves.
I reach the top of the stairs and proceed down the hallway.
Wow. I can still smell Mrs. Wu's cooking from 2B. Garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. The aroma fades the closer I get to Chad’s door. It’s gone by the time I reach it.
I pause outside his door, my hand hovering over the bell. Sweat beads at my temples despite the cool morning air. Part of me wants to turn around and flee back to Knox's pristine mansion, where everything is complicated, but at least I know the rules.
But I need this. I’m getting married next week.
I ring the bell and wait.
The door opens faster than I expect.
And there he is.
Chad.
He’s barefoot, wearing an old T-shirt that hangs loosely around his shoulders and a pair of sweatpants. For a moment, we just stare at each other.
It feels strange to be here with him, stranger still that we only saw each other a few nights ago, when Knox told him to leave me alone.
Chad looks tired, like he hasn’t slept much since that night. And his eyes are wary. Wary of me.
“Isla?” My name comes out more like a question than a greeting.
“Hey.” I force a small smile, nerves twisting tighter in my stomach. “I hope I’m not interrupting. I know it’s early.”
He huffs a soft laugh that doesn’t reach his eyes. “You? Interrupting? After the way your fiancé warned me away, I’d say this is an upgrade.”
I flinch. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
“Yeah, well.” His tone softens, though his guard doesn’t drop. “I get it. Sort of.” His gaze flicks past me, like he half expects Knox to materialize behind me. “Does he know you’re here?”
“No.” The word comes out sharper than I intend. “But I had to see you.”
Something flickers across his face—confusion, or maybe hope—but he masks it quickly.
“Oh.” He clears his throat. “Well, thanks for coming. Do you want to come in?”
“Sure.”
For a few seconds, neither of us moves. Then he sighs and steps back, pushing the door open wider.
I step inside, and the familiar scent of wood polish and faint coffee greets me. It’s the same apartment, but it doesn’t feel the same.
Maybe because I don’t, either.
There are a number of boxes piled up by the wall, but I can see he’s moved things around to make the place livable.
He leads me to the living room, where there are more boxes.
“Sorry, I haven’t had the chance to sort things out.” He picks up a small box from the sofa to make space for me to sit.
I do and nod my thanks. “That’s okay. You just moved back.”
“Yeah. There’s a hell of a lot to sort out. I kind of used the place as a dumping ground.” He sits across from me in the armchair. “So… you’re here, and I see you have your ring.”
I glance down at my finger and stare at the beautiful ring Knox gave me last night. I actually forgot I was wearing it.
I look back at Chad and offer a nervous smile. “Yeah. I have my ring.”
“So, it’s official. And I couldn’t feel any more like an idiot than I do right now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I feel like I was too late and never early to begin with, if that makes sense.” A pained look fills his eyes.
“It makes sense.”
“You always got me.” He chuckles. “You always knew what I was talking about even when I couldn’t quite put it in words.”
I drag in a breath. “That’s because we’ve always been friends.”
“That’s true. But I always loved you. I just…never had the guts to tell you until I did.” He nods with conviction. “Now it’s too late.”
“Chad, please don’t make it sound so bad.”
“It is bad, Isla. I may sound like an asshole for saying this, but I don’t like that guy.
” He seethes. “Knox Vale. Sure, he’s better than me and has more money than anyone I’ll ever know in this life, but I don’t like him.
I don’t know what in the hell you could possibly see in him. And marriage? How’d that happen?”
I almost laugh. Not because what he said is funny. Because my situation is so fucked up. And now I have to lie to him, too. “We met and fell in love. That’s how it happened.” Wow. I’m getting good at this lying thing.
Chad blows out a haggard breath. “Then I guess I was too late.”
That’s where I need to stop him and set him straight. “You’re assuming I would have taken you back if not for Knox.”
He looks stumped, as if the thought never occurred to him. “Well, I…”
“You thought I was here waiting for you to come back to me.”
His chest caves, and from his guilty expression, I can see I’m right. “I guess I was hoping you were.”
“No. I wasn’t.”
“Isla. I shouldn’t have left you.”
A soft smile inches across my lips. “I think you did the right thing.”
He smirks. “How? I knew it was wrong.”
“But you did it anyway. Because it was right for you.”
He shakes his head. “It wasn’t, Isla. And I know that now.”
“Well. Maybe it happened for me.” My stomach squeezes.
He gives me a narrowed stare. “Is that what you came here to tell me?”
“All of it. I came here to talk about all of it.” It’s almost soothing to get those words off my chest. “Chad…how in the hell could I ever trust you again after you left me on a whim to fly off to Australia to fuck around?”
“Isla, please.”
“I deserve so much better than that.”
“And you think Knox Vale is that?”
“Yes.” No way do I believe Knox is the guy for me. And I’m not lying for the sake of the contract, either.
My answer is yes because Knox—as bad as he is—would never do what Chad did to me. He may be the devil, but he’s not that kind of coward. His dominance forbids it.
Chad practically left me out in the cold like an unwanted dog and sent me a message after to let me know he was gone and never coming back. He didn’t even have the balls to call. Nearly twenty years of friendship and eight years of being a couple, and that’s what he did.
He hangs his head and plants his hands on the back of his neck. For a moment, he says nothing. He just sits there in defeat. I take that as my cue to leave, so I stand.
He looks at me then.
“You’re still my friend,” I tell him. “We’ll always be friends. That’s why I thought I owed it to you to see you.”
He stands, too, determination filling his eyes. “Yes, we’ll always be friends. But I’m not giving up so easily.”
My eyes snap wide. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. I’m not giving up on you.”
“I’m getting married next week.”
“I know, and I respect that. But that doesn’t stop me from telling you how I feel. I’m back now, Isla. I came back for a reason, and that reason is you. It’s important you know that.”
Oh my God. How did things get worse? This wasn’t supposed to happen. “Chad, please don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t, but I mean every word I say, Isla. I still love you, and I won’t believe I can’t win you back until my heart tells me so.”
“I... should go.” It’s best I leave before I dig this hole any deeper.
“I’ll see you soon.” The words sound like a promise.
I don’t answer. I just walk away and head to the door.
He’s the second man I’ve fled from in the last twenty-four hours.
Different reasons, same end result.
But something about the look in Chad’s eyes follows me out the door. The kind that doesn’t fade with distance.
Coming here was supposed to smooth things over and give me some closure.
Now, I’ve opened another can of worms.