Chapter 4

Isla POV

The tension between us was so thick it filled every inch of the car, the silence stretching tighter with every mile. 

Neither of us spoke, but my hands stayed clenched in my lap, my chest tight with everything I hadn’t said yet. I wanted an explanation of what I had seen in the garden–scratch that, I needed it.

“Are you seriously going to pretend nothing happened back there?” I finally asked, pressing my hands flat against my knees to keep my voice steady.

Jaxon’s eyes stayed fixed on the road, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “I don’t know what you want me to explain,” he responded. “Nothing happened. You saw it yourself, Lucinda and I were just talking, Isla.”

“Nothing happened?” I repeated, scoffing in disbelief “You were standing so close to her, Jaxon. Lucinda had her hand intertwined with yours, and you're telling me that you  two were just talking?”

“You’re overreacting,” he said, his lip set in a thin line.“I haven’t seen Lucinda in years, and we were just catching up. That’s it.”

“Overreacting?!” I almost yelled. “Do you think I’m stupid? Do you honestly believe that I’m just going to sit back and believe that? I know what I saw.”

“And what exactly did you see?” he snapped. “You didn’t see us doing anything wrong. You walked in on a conversation and decided  to jump to conclusions.”

“Of course, I did! You’ve been seeing her behind my back for months, Jaxon! You two were reminiscing about how ‘happy’ you were together! You think that’s just some innocent conversation?”

Jaxon let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair. “This is ridiculous, Isla. I’m not doing anything wrong. I don’t know why you’re acting like I’ve been cheating on you.”

“Because it feels like you have! You’ve kept this from me, and now I find out like this? I had to watch you smile at her Jaxon. You looked at her like she’s the one who makes you happy.”

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, startling me. “I told you, there’s nothing going on! It’s just memories, that’s all!”

“Memories you clearly still care about!” I fired back, my chest heaving. “You think it didn’t hurt me to see you in that position? To hear you talk about how perfect things were with her? Did you even stop to think about how that made me feel?”

“You’re making something out of nothing,” he muttered. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”

“It’s not nothing, Jaxon! It’s our marriage! It’s our trust! And it just proves how little I matter to you.”

“You don't matter? Are you being serious right now?” He scoffed. “You want to talk about trust? Let’s talk about how we first met. How convenient it was, huh?”

I turned to him, confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Maybe this was all part of your plan,” he said,  glaring at me briefly before his eyes returned to the road. “Bagging yourself a millionaire husband. Wasn’t that what you were after all along?”

The words hit me like an open hand across the face. “How dare you,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Rich, coming from the man who wouldn’t leave me alone for months. You pursued me, Jaxon. Or did you forget that?”

He let out a harsh laugh. “And look where that got me. Maybe you were after something more than just me. A cushy life, a stable future.”

My heart sank. Each word felt like a thousand daggers, piercing through my heart. “Is this what you really think? That I only wanted you for your money?” Tears pricked my eyes, threatening to fall. “How could you say that to me? After everything?”

He let out a harsh laugh. “What about the baby, Isla? Was that real? Or just part of your plan too?”

I gasped, my chest tightening painfully. “Jaxon, stop…” I whispered, my voice barely audible. That was a low blow, a really low blow.

But he didn't. “What if that miscarriage wasn’t even real? What if you were pretending just to—”

“Stop!” I yelled, my voice shaking. “How could you–how could you say that to me? You’re talking about our child, Jaxon. Do you even hear yourself right now?”

For a moment, he didn’t respond. 

“How could you?” The tears came before I could stop them, hot and fast down my cheeks.

He pulled into the driveway and slammed the car into park, his movements sharp, almost careless. “This conversation is over,” he said coldly, throwing open the door and stepping out before slamming it shut behind him.

But I wasn’t done talking. There was no way in hell I was going to let it end, not like this.

I jumped out of the car, following him as he stormed up the walkway. “No, it’s not! We’re not done with this conversation, Jaxon!”

He ignored me, storming toward the front door without a second glance. My hands curled into fists at my sides. “You can’t just walk away from this! From me!”

We reached the bedroom, and he spun around to face me, his eyes hard. “What do you want from me, Isla? You keep pushing and pushing. What do you want to hear?”

“I want to know why you’re doing this!” I cried, my voice cracking. “Why are you treating me like I’m the enemy? Why are you questioning everything we’ve been through? I’ve been nothing but honest with you!”

“Have you? Because sometimes I wonder if I’ve ever really known you. Or if this whole thing has just been a lie from the start."

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. How could he think that? How could he even say something like that?

“And now you’re trying to play the victim,” he continued, “Like you’re the innocent one in all of this. Meanwhile, you've been manipulating me from the start.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this to me,” I whispered. “ You’re the one who’s become someone I don’t even recognize anymore. And I know why.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah? And why is that?”

“Because you’re becoming exactly like your mother,” I spat. “She’s the one who put these ideas in your head, isn’t she? She’s always hated me, and now you’re turning into her–cold, unfeeling and heartless.”

Jaxon’s face darkened, and in an instant, he grabbed me roughly by the arms. “Don’t you ever bring my mother into this again. Do you understand me?” 

I winced in pain, trying to pull away.“Jaxon, stop. You’re hurting me.”

But he didn’t let go. 

“You’re scaring me, Jaxon. Please, just let go,” I said again, my voice shaking, my pulse hammering against his grip.

I was terrified, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t let me go. I thought he might actually hit me. But then his phone rang, and his grip loosened.

I stumbled back, massaging my bruised arm.

 He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen, his expression hardening.  “I have to go.”

“ Go where? We’re not done, Jaxon,” I said, but he ignored me as he hurried toward the front door.

I followed him downstairs. “You can’t just leave like this! You can’t just walk away from me!”

But he didn’t listen. He didn’t even look back as he got into his car and drove off, leaving me standing alone in the driveway.

The more I thought about it, the more it hurt. How had we gotten here? How had everything fallen apart so quickly?

I sighed heavily and turned to go back inside, but before I could take a step, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. A dark silhouette.

My whole body went rigid. “Who’s there?” I called out.

No response.

I took a step back, my heart slamming against my ribs. But before I could react, I felt another figure appear behind me, grabbing me from behind.

 I tried to scream, but a handkerchief was pressed over my mouth, and the last thing I smelled was the sharp smell of chemicals before everything went black.w