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Chapter 17

Author: lady.serene
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-11 22:34:03

Isabella

The ride home is quiet.

Not the peaceful kind of quiet — the kind that settles gently, like a blanket.

No. This one feels tighter.

Like the air is wrapped too closely around my ribs.

Outside the window, streetlights blur into soft gold streaks. Houses pass by in calm, steady rows. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barks. People live their lives. People move on.

But inside this car… it feels like time is holding its breath.

Gabriel keeps both hands on the wheel, shoulders stiff, jaw locked like he’s holding back a thousand things he doesn’t want to say. I can feel the tension radiating off him — the kind that fills the entire space even when he isn’t speaking.

I shouldn’t be this aware of him anymore.

I shouldn’t notice the way his fingers shift every time he corrects the steering.

I shouldn’t notice the subtle rise and fall of his breathing.

I shouldn’t be able to feel — physically feel — every time he looks at me even without turning his head.

But I do.

God, I do.

And I h
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  • After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back   Chapter 21

    Isabella The roses sat on the table, their dark petals almost glowing in the low light of the dining room. I traced the edges with my finger, feeling the velvety texture, and my thoughts drifted back to Gabriel—his presence, his words, the way he had lingered in the doorway for that fraction of a second that felt like a lifetime.I wanted to ignore it. I had promised myself I could. Elias was waiting. Dinner, just a simple evening, meant to give me a break. And yet, my pulse kept returning to the moment when Gabriel had said, “You are carrying my—”Shaking my head, I exhaled. I wouldn’t let it get to me. Not tonight.I slipped on a pair of nude heels, adjusting the hem of my cream silk dress. The soft fabric clung just enough to show the curve of my small bump. I caught my reflection in the mirror and forced a smile. Warm, confident, normal. Elias deserved that tonight.I stepped outside into the cool evening air, the sky streaked with the pale gold of the setting sun. The truck was

  • After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back   Chapter 20

    Isabella I don’t remember falling asleep.One moment I was sitting on the edge of my bed, replaying everything that happened in the vineyard—the confrontation with Emily, Elias’s unexpected invitation, the way his voice softened when he handed me that blossom—and the next, I was waking up with the faintest ache blooming low in my abdomen.Not painful.Just… tight.A slow, tugging discomfort.I pressed my hand against the small swell of my stomach, breathing slowly.“You’re okay,” I whispered, more to myself than the child growing inside me.A glance at the clock told me it was almost six.An hour before my dinner with Elias.I rose from the bed, moving carefully, and made my way toward the mirror. My reflection stared back at me—hair down in soft waves, eyes tired but brighter than they’d been in days. And the dress… the simple cream silk one I hadn’t worn in almost a year… it fit, even with my small bump.Barely.But it fit.It made me look softer. Warmer.Alive in a way I hadn’t in

  • After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back   Chapter 19

    IsabellaI shake the thought out of my head and force myself to focus as Elias walks beside me, pointing out the sections we need to review. His voice is steady, calm—like it always is—but he keeps glancing sideways at me, as if checking whether I’m really alright.“I’m fine,” I murmur before he can ask again.He gives a small nod. “Just making sure.”We walk in silence for a while. The vineyard is quiet again—the kind of quiet I love. Leaves rustling, gentle breeze, the low hum of workers getting back into rhythm. Compared to the storm Emily brought, the stillness feels almost sacred.Elias stops beside one of the lower rows and crouches down to inspect the soil.“She really didn’t know what she was talking about,” he mutters.I snort. “You think?”He smiles up at me, soft and a little amused. “I’m sorry if I was too… direct with her. I just don’t like it when people come here acting like they know better than you.”Warmth spreads in my chest. Protective but quiet about it. Steady w

  • After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back   Chapter 18

    Isabella My phone rings just as I finish tying my hair into a loose bun.Morning sunlight filters through my curtains, soft and warm, but my chest still feels heavy from last night — from the dried flower pressed into my nightstand drawer… from the ring Gabriel still wore… from the way he said Goodnight, Isa like he still cared.I’m not ready to deal with any of that.Not today.The phone keeps vibrating.Elias.I exhale and answer.“Isabella,” he says the moment the line connects. His usually calm voice sounds… tense. “I’m sorry to call you this early, but we have a problem.”My stomach tightens. “What happened?”“There’s someone from the Thorne company at the vineyard.”A beat.“Without permission.”I straighten immediately.“What? Who?”“I don’t know yet,” he replies. “Antonio called me — he tried asking, but the woman insisted she was given clearance.”A woman.Of course.“Fine,” I say, grabbing my keys. “I’m on my way.”“I’ll meet you there.”The call ends.And I try not to thin

  • After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back   Chapter 17

    IsabellaThe ride home is quiet.Not the peaceful kind of quiet — the kind that settles gently, like a blanket. No. This one feels tighter. Like the air is wrapped too closely around my ribs.Outside the window, streetlights blur into soft gold streaks. Houses pass by in calm, steady rows. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barks. People live their lives. People move on.But inside this car… it feels like time is holding its breath.Gabriel keeps both hands on the wheel, shoulders stiff, jaw locked like he’s holding back a thousand things he doesn’t want to say. I can feel the tension radiating off him — the kind that fills the entire space even when he isn’t speaking.I shouldn’t be this aware of him anymore.I shouldn’t notice the way his fingers shift every time he corrects the steering. I shouldn’t notice the subtle rise and fall of his breathing. I shouldn’t be able to feel — physically feel — every time he looks at me even without turning his head.But I do.God, I do.And I h

  • After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back   Chapter 16

    Isabella Elias checked his watch after a call buzzed on his phone, an apologetic expression crossing his face.“I have to go,” he said, turning back to me. “But I’ll finish the diagnostics tomorrow morning. And… think about the gala.”I nodded. “I will.”He smiled—warm, soft, the kind of smile that settled rather than stirred.Antonio called him from across the field, and Elias gestured for me to follow him toward the parking area. We walked side-by-side again—quiet, but not awkward. The afternoon sun painted the vineyard in honey-gold, and for a moment, it felt like the world had paused just for us.When we reached the cars, Elias moved ahead and opened my door before I could reach for it.Then—Another car door slammed.Gabriel.He stepped out of his vehicle, expression unreadable, but his eyes were sharp. Watching. Calculating. And when he saw Elias helping me, something inside him flickered—tight, controlled, but undeniably there.“I’ll take it from here,” Gabriel said quietly, s

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