Chapter 38 #2
“I know why he married you,” he continues, his voice dripping with righteous certainty.
“I know he forced you into that contract, so, yes, it tells me everything. He used your father’s debt to trap you.
The great Knox Vale—New York’s golden boy—blackmailing you into marriage so he could get what he wanted. ”
“That’s not—” The words choke my throat because he’s not entirely wrong.
“You don’t have to protect him. I get it now.
I finally understand.” He takes another deliberate step, eyes burning with something like desperation.
“You didn’t love him. You couldn’t. Not someone like that.
Knox Vale took advantage of you. You only stayed because you had no choice.
Because you were scared. Because you didn’t want to lose the restaurant.
The only source of income. You signed the contract because of your mother’s health. ”
My breath shakes as he talks, fast and frantic. Everything he’s saying is… true.
Was true.
That’s how Knox and I started. Me, terrified for my mother and desperate. Him, the villain who wanted retribution. I just didn’t know the full plan.
But things changed. They changed quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. But they changed, and Knox became my everything.
“God, I fucking knew something was off,” Chad repeats, gritting his teeth. “I knew it from the second I saw you with him at the restaurant. You weren’t yourself. It’s clear to me now that you were trapped. That bastard used everything against you. I should have done something then.”
“Chad, stop it,” I snap. “Just stop it.”
He doesn’t hear me. Or he doesn’t want to. “I will absolutely not stop. I know you. You used to let me in. You trusted me. You loved me. Me, Isla. Me. You would never fall for a guy like Knox Vale. Never.”
I stiffen. My pulse roars in my ears.
He shakes the contract in his hand. “This proves I was right.”
“Why didn’t you give that to the press, too?”
“I should have. What a scandal that would have caused,” he sneers. “But I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You already did.”
“No. This,”—he waves the contract—“it’s got your name on it. It would embarrass you. Maybe even ruin you. That’s not what I wanted. The demolition plans, on the other hand, expose Knox. Expose him to you.”
“You could have just come to me.”
“No. That asshole humiliated me at every turn. He needed a taste of his own medicine. When I came back onto the scene, I ruined his plans. He did his best to stop me from getting my girl back. I wanted to back him into a corner and see what he would do. See if he would choose you. If he loved you as much as he acted like he did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Because you wouldn’t be here. You’d be with him. ”
My blood turns cold.
He steps closer—too close. “I’m the one who’s here for you.” His voice lowers into something dangerously tender. “We can get past everything that happened between us, together. Leave him now and come with me. In two months, when the marriage is over, you can move on. With me.”
He still doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand that I can’t be with him.
Our eyes lock, and I dig deep for strength, hoping that this time, I can explain myself better.
“No.” My mouth is dry, but I force the word out. “No, Chad.”
His brows pull together, the first crack in his certainty. “What the fuck, Isla? You know the truth about this guy, and you’re telling me no? You’re still my girl.”
My chest rises and falls with the weight of everything I’ve held back. “No, I’m not.”
“You can’t mean that. You and I were always meant to be together. I made a mistake when I left. Please don’t punish me.”
“I’m not. I’m telling you the truth, and you need to listen.”
His jaw clenches, anger rippling in the tension of his neck. “And what is the truth, Isla?”
“The truth is, I’m over you. I got over you years ago.”
He falters. Just for a second. Like someone pulled the floor out from under him.
“You don’t mean that.” His voice tightens. “You’re upset right now. You’re vulnerable. You can’t think straight.”
“I’m upset, sure. But there are two things I know for sure right now. That’s one of them. The other is that I’m not confused about Knox.”
He stares back at me as if I just poured acid on his heart. “No. You don’t love Knox Vale. You couldn’t—”
“I do, Chad. I love him. I fell in love with him. And you’re right. He didn’t choose me. And that hurts deeply because I love him.” The words come out quiet but certain enough to shake the air between us.
Chad’s face contorts, fury bleeding through the desperation. “God. But he forced you into this.”
“He’s not forcing me now,” I speak quietly back. “There you are, standing there with our biggest secret in your hands. If I were being forced, I’d be denying that contract. But I’m not. I’m standing here telling you the truth.”
His breathing turns rough, like each inhale scrapes against the truth settling in. I watch it hit him—the moment my words finally sink in. And in his eyes, something breaks. That splintered look says everything:
She doesn’t want me anymore. And she never will.
His mouth opens then closes. His expression twists with a cacophony of emotion—anger, disbelief, and the deepest sadness.
But he says nothing more. He turns away from me and heads to the door, opening it with one sharp pull. Then he’s gone.
The door swings shut, the click reverberating in my already broken heart.
Silence rushes back in.
I stand there for a long moment, staring at the empty space he left, at the quiet hallway, at nothing and everything.
Then my knees give a little.
I lean against the wall, trembling.
Everything is too much again. Everything.
Chad.
Knox.
The restaurant.
It all presses down on me at once, a weight I can’t hold.
Mom.
I need her. I’m sure she would have heard all of that.
She went upstairs to lie down, but we were loud. There’s no way she would have rested.
I push off the door and climb the staircase, each step feeling heavier than the last, but I keep going.
“Mom?” I call out. But there’s no answer. “Mom, are you okay?”
Still no answer.
A cold ripple crawls up my spine, and I hurry up the stairs.
I rush into her bedroom and stumble when I find her lying on the floor.
“Mom!” I scream, racing to her side “Mom!”
I drop to my knees and shake her shoulder, trying to rouse her, but there’s no movement.
And no breath.
My God. She’s not breathing.
“Mom. Please, Mom.” My hands shake as I check her breathing again to be sure. When I come up with nothing, I fumble desperately at her wrist, her neck, anywhere I can find a pulse.
Nothing.
No, no, no.
This can’t be happening. A scream claws up my throat, ragged and strangled, as the horror crashes over me.
“Mom!” I cry out, finally finding my voice. “Mommy, please wake up! Please. Please. Please.”
But she doesn’t.