THREE

ISABELLA’S POV

It had to be the slowest a week had ever gone by.

Ensuring I didn’t run into my mum more than twice a day, I spent the entire seven days till her wedding locked up in my room half the time, the other half being spent at college.

The guilt I felt aside, it was pretty easy to avoid my mum and not spend time uselessly chatting about her wedding that was upcoming. It wasn’t her first or second wedding and it definitely wasn’t going to be the event that would mark the miraculous rekindling of our already dead relationship.

If I could, I was going to avoid my reality forever. But the second I watched the long hands of the clock hit twelve, I knew the time I had running from it had finally come to an end.

“Isabella,” the voice came from behind my door, followed by the squeaking sound as the door was opened to reveal my brother. “It’s time. We’re going to be late.”

I looked at Beckett and nodded slowly, noticing how he checked me out to confirm if I was ready. One hand was shoved in his pocket and I could see his lips twitch like he had something he was itching to say.

“What?”

“Mum’s waiting for you,” his tone was finally unfriendly and I heaved a light sigh in relief, glad the pretense of us being a normal family was over. “You are yet to put your shoes on. I know this wedding isn’t that much of a big deal to you but are you really going to be late for it?”

“They are just shoes,” I rolled my eyes and bent to grab them alongside my purse. “It would take me less than a minute to put them on.”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied me sarcastically then turned around, not bothering to lock my room door this time. “Everyone’s waiting for you so you better not be late.”

Everyone.

My stomach churned at the thought. Everyone was waiting for me. My mum, her husband and my new stepbrother.

My grip on my clutch tightened as I took slow steps out of my room. Memories assaulted me as I made my way downstairs, getting closer to the car that was going to drive me to the wedding hall.

I couldn’t get it out of my head even after spending the entire week trying to do that. How I told Grayson he had lost his mind completely and then walked out on him to join our parents. How I’d proceeded to ignore both him and my feelings the entire week, doing my best to remind myself the only thing that mattered- my mum’s wedding.

We finally got to the hall and on default, I lowered my gaze. I spent roughly ten seconds checking my mum and her new husband out. She looked good, better than she did at her last wedding and Adam looked happy too. He was smiling at her and she was also giggling whenever she caught him staring like she was a teenager in love.

It was quite the sight, especially considering the fact that she never smiled or laughed with me like that. With Beckett, yes, but in my case, the relationship we shared wasn’t one that constantly involved smiles or laughter.

Doing my best to zone out the entire time, the wedding processions began and ended very quickly. Smiles and laughter filled the room, dozens of people looking happier than I’d ever been in forever. The bouquet of flowers was thrown, glasses were clinked and when my mum decided to publicly announce how in love she was with her new husband, I finally raised my gaze and for the first time, had it travel in a dangerous direction.

It didn’t take long for my eyes to lay on Grayson, my whole body immediately tensing up. He was standing a couple of meters away from his dad, a smile plastered on his face. He had a champagne glass in his hand, the other wrapped around a piece of cloth I quickly presumed was to be a napkin.

He was dressed in a dark colored suit, white shirt underneath. The fit was basic yet with his hair styled and the most disturbing smile on his face, he looked good. Really good. Even better than the last time I laid my eyes on him.

I immediately swallowed and naturally, should have taken that as my body and brain telling me it was time to look away. But I didn’t. and instead found myself staring at him until he tilted his head and finally met my gaze.

betraying every plan I spent the past week making, I kept on staring at him. The smile on his face slowly fading away didn’t stop me. Neither did him handing over the glass to a nearby bartender as he began to walk towards me did. I allowed my eyes get their fill and by the time I realized the dangerous game I was playing, he had positioned himself right by my side.

“That color looks good on you,” those weren’t the words I was expecting from him but regardless, it had the very same effect I was expecting. “Peach. It’s almost like the color was invented with you in mind.”

“My mum chose it,” I blatantly lied, wishing I’d just gone with the blue gown my mum suggested I wore. “It’s her favorite color. She has good taste.”

“Really good taste.”

“She’s your stepmother now,” I quickly had to slip it in. “So you can always learn one or two about good tastes from her.”

“Can’t I learn it from you instead?” he looked at me as he said. “I mean, I’d rather spend time with you than her.”

“What?” I was taken aback for a second. What was he suggesting? Was it not obvious from our last encounter I didn’t want us ever getting involved? Was I not clear enough? Or was this is way of confirming he had indeed lost his mind? “Look-”

“Isabella, Grayson! There you both are,” my chance at setting things straight was suddenly interrupted by my mum and her husband. In no time they were standing in front of us, arms around each other. They still had their smiles on their faces, forcing me to plaster one on my face too regardless of how fake it was.

“We should take a picture together,” my mum suggested. “I got Beckett to wait for us with the photographer.”

“You forgot the other thing you had to say,” her husband nudged her and she laughed again, the smile on my face getting harder to fake. “The move? Our honeymoon?”

“What?”

“Right,” she flashed him another smile then took a step towards me, terrifying me. “So um Isabella, I wanted to tell you during the week but you were barely around. You were busy at school and I was busy with work and the preparations and- anyways, I’m sorry I’m just telling you but Adam and I would be out of the town for two weeks. We want to visit another pack just to spend something like a honeymoon together.”

“Is that all?”

“Oh, no,” she shook her head, her smile slowly fading. “You also have to pack your things. We- you are moving. To Adam’s place. We’re going to live there from now. Me, you, Beckett, Grayson- just all of us as a happy family.”

The fake smile immediately vanished from my face. “What?”

“I know it’s sudden,” she waved her hands in the air. “But it’s necessary. Your brother already packed his things so obviously we can’t leave you in the house alone. You can just pack a few things for tonight and then tomorrow, you can get the rest of your things and move in fully.”

I stared at her in horror, a thousand emotions coursing through my veins. I wanted to scream. Probably ask her if all that was necessary. Probably ask her why she was doing that. And then probably ask her if she could not do that.

But I remained silent. It was going to be of no use. My opinions had never mattered to her. They never did when I begged her not to divorce my dad. Neither did they matter when I asked her to let me live with him after their divorce. And they certainly did not when she decided to get married less than a year after their divorce, forcing me to not only get used to her presence but also a new stepfather’s.

they didn’t matter when in the span of eight years she dated several men I didn’t like. And they sure as hell still didn’t matter a week ago when she decided to get married to a new man I’d never met before.

“You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“Of course, she doesn’t,” I had no response for her so as much as I’d wished otherwise, Grayson spoke up in my stead. “And you don’t have to worry. I’ll drive her tonight to pack few things and then tomorrow, drive her as early as possible to get the rest of her things.”

“Go on your honeymoon, you don’t have to worry about us,” he suddenly wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. “We’re going to have a great time together. Living together.”