LOGINLena turned toward the door after she said it. Isabel raked her fingers through her hair and stepped forward fast. “Wait you can’t leave now.”Lena looked back over her shoulder. Her hands were still shaking. “I said too much.”She pulled the door open and slipped out before Isabel could grab her arm. The guard outside closed it again with a click. Isabel stood there staring at the empty spot where Lena had been. She paced to the wall and leaned against it with her forehead pressed to the cool surface. “What the hell,” she muttered. “She can’t just say Vera is alive and walk out like that.”She pushed off the wall and went to the small window in the door. “Excuse me,” she called to the guard standing outside. “I need to see Isaac right now. Can you get him here please? Tell him it is urgent.”The guard nodded and spoke into his radio. Isabel paced back to the bed and sat down hard. She kept raking her fingers through her hair while she waited. Her heart would not slow down. Less th
Isabel stood up fast when the guard stepped aside. Lena walked into the room and the door clicked shut behind her.Isabel stared at her for a long second. Lena looked so much older now.Her hair was shorter and there were lines around her eyes that had not been there years ago. Something twisted in Isabel’s chest.She remembered how close they used to be and how badly it all fell apart.She didn't think she would ever meet with her again, all the last messages rushed back in.Lena smiled a little and said “Oh my God Isabel you look amazing.”Isabel raked her fingers through her hair and crossed her arms tight. “Lena what are you doing here?"Nothing made any sense to her. How did she know where to find her?“I heard you and Vera when you were talking back then. I knew she was your daughter!" Isabel suddenly snapped. "I knew you guys were planning everything against me this whole time. Lena, I trusted you so much. You were like family to me and you let me down."Lena’s eyes filled with
Isabel lay in bed next to Isaac. He pulled her closer and said “I’ll undo all of this tomorrow. I promise. I’ll call every lawyer and every contact I have first thing in the morning and we’ll fix the evidence and get this whole mess dropped.”She nodded and rested her head on his chest. “You really think it’ll be that easy?”“Yes,” he said. “But right now I can’t sleep. My mind keeps going over everything.”They stayed up talking quietly about the kids and how much they loved each other.Every few minutes he kissed her hair but she could feel how tense his body stayed.She finally fell asleep in his arms.The next morning loud knocking came from the front door.Isaac got up fast and went downstairs. Isabel followed him rubbing her eyes. Two police officers stood inside when they opened the door.“Ms. Isabel,” the older officer said. “We’re here to take you into custody, someone sent us valid evidence last night. It’s enough for us to arrest you this time.”Isabel raked her fingers thr
Isabel stood frozen by the kitchen island while Daniel kept fighting the staff. Her hands were still shaking from the almost-arrest.“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice cracking. “Daniel, calm down and tell me what you mean. Hugo is your son? With Vera?”Daniel’s face was red and wet with tears. He stopped struggling for a second and looked right at her.“Yes!” he wailed, his shoulders shaking hard. “Hugo is mine and Vera’s. We had him together. She never told anyone because she was scared of Isaac but he’s my boy. My son! We had it all planned out and...and..." He trailed off, wailing on top of his lungs.Isabel raked her fingers through her hair and stared at him with wide eyes. “Wait, what? You and Vera? All this time? I had no idea. Why didn’t you say anything?”“Because she loved me!” Daniel cried louder, tears running down his cheeks. “We were together for years before she got mixed up with Isaac again, she was going bankrupt and we needed... She lied to you that
Isabel’s back hit the kitchen island as the officer stepped closer with the handcuffs. Her hands started shaking, and she pressed her palms against the cold marble behind her like it could keep her standing.“Wait,” she said, her voice shaking. “This can’t be right. I didn’t kill Vera. I only slapped her to get her off me.”The officer furrowed his eyebrows. “You can tell that to the judge. Turn around.”Before she could move, the front door slammed open again. A tall man in a suit rushed in, his face serious. Isaac came in right behind him, his jaw tight, his eyes moving straight to Isabel before anything else in the room.“Stop right there,” Damien said, holding up his hand. “I’m Damien Reed, lead counsel for Isaac Dun and this household. I have a court order right here to halt any arrest.”The officers turned to look at him.The man in the suit frowned. “What order? This is a murder investigation.”Damien pulled papers from his briefcase and handed them over. “The commissioner has
979 wordsIsabel stared at the doctor with her mouth open."What did you just say?" she asked, her voice way too loud in the small exam room."You're pregnant," the doctor repeated calmly, looking down at the paper in his hand again.She shot up from the exam table so fast the room spun. "Pregnant? Are you serious right now?" Her hands flew to her head as she raked her fingers through her hair. "This can't be happening. This is not happening."The doctor took a small step back. "I understand this is a shock.""A shock?" Isabel let out a sharp laugh that sounded crazy even to her own ears. "I screamed in your face. I'm so sorry. I just... Isaac and I have been so careless. We didn't even think about it. Oh my god, how did I let this happen?"She started pacing the small space between the table and the wall, her sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floor. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat. Pregnant. Another baby. While everything with Vera was still blowing up
Isabel was still trying to understand why he had come. She'd assumed Lena would take her to the appointment alone, she hadn't expected anything different, Isaac was a busy man. He ran empires, sat in boardrooms, moved money like most people moved clothes yet there he was, sitting across from he
The Cellar hadn’t changed much. Same dim lights, same cracked leather booths, haze of cheap perfume and whiskey soaked into the air. Isabel hadn’t stepped foot inside in months, but everything felt the same even the guy at the door recognized her and gave a small nod when she walked in with h
Isabel stood in the hallway, her wrist still tingling where he had fastened the bracelet. The hallway lights were soft, golden, reflecting off the cool silver of the tracker. She stared at it for a long moment before looking toward the corner where Isaac had disappeared, the sound of his foots
The car ride to the hospital was quiet and not the peaceful quiet. It was the kind of silence that made it hard for her to breathe. Isaac didn’t speak once. He didn’t ask if she was alright, or even glance in her direction. He just sat there, one hand on the steering wheel, the other r







