THE EXTRAORDINARY BRIDE OF THE WYNDHAM FAMILY

Isla stood in her bedroom, her phone pressed tightly against her ear.

“Gabriel, please, pick up your phone.” Her fingers twirled the hem of her nightwear, waiting for her husband to pick up his phone. But he wasn't picking up.

She began pacing across the wide, beautifully furnished room. She wasn’t expecting a miracle. She only wanted one thing—that her husband would be there tomorrow for her parents’ wedding anniversary.

“Beep——Please leave a message after the prompt tone.”

Unsurprisingly, Gabriel didn't answer her calls. Isla looked at the call record on the screen and smiled bitterly. Gabriel was a billionaire, always busy with work, and during their years of marriage, Isla spent less time with him than even his secretary.

But tomorrow was Isla's parent's anniversary and her parents had called and said that Gabriel "must" be there.

Isla frowned tightly. If Gabriel didn't show up tomorrow afternoon, she planned to attend her parents' anniversary by herself.

Her sisters would come with their husbands. It would be nice if Gabriel can also be by her side, even if it was only for that night. That was how their marriage had been for two years. It has always been marriage only on paper.

They had never even shared a room.

Gabriel hadn’t married her out of love. He had married her because of a scandal that happened two years ago. She had been drugged at a party and ended up in Gabriel’s hotel room. What happened that night was not her fault, but it became headline news when photographers caught them leaving together in the morning.

To protect the Wyndham family’s spotless reputation, Gabriel’s grandfather, Alfred Wyndham, forced him to marry her.

Isla had agreed, even though her heart already belonged to Gabriel. She had always been quietly in love with him, even as a child. He had only seen her as a good friend.

She called his number again and he answered. Only that it wasn't him who picked up. It was a woman who had answered.

“Hello, I am sorry, but he can't speak to you right now. I'll let you know you called.”

Click.

The call ended. Isla's mouth was widely open and was still thinking of what just happened. She had recognised that voice very well. It was Delphine's.

“When did she return?” Isla muttered. She still couldn't believe that Delphine is back with Gabriel.

Now she understands it. He didn't pick up her calls because he was with Delphine.

Delphine was his childhood sweetheart. But she left him three years ago. Although Isla knew that Gabriel’s heart belonged to someone else—Delphine Winthrope, the glamorous top model who had grown up beside him.

Gabriel made himself clear. He said he could never love her, and that his heart belonged to Delphine. But he promised to support her in any way he could.

The only thing she held onto, was hope. The hope from her mother’s gentle words. It echoed often in her mind: “Things will get better, honey. Be patient with him.”

That hope was the only reason she had endured this marriage for two long years.

She gave up calling him and set the phone down on the nightstand. She climbed into bed, pulling the covers around her and hugging herself. Just as she was about to turn off her phone, the screen lit up.

A video call from an unknown number. She didn't know who it was. Her heart leapt. Quickly, she sat up against the headboard. Her fingers smoothed her long blonde hair. With a shaky hand, she swiped the green button to accept the call.

The sound that greeted her drained her blood. Moans, and groans. The sound of skin slapping against skin.

Isla’s heart seemed to stop for a few seconds. She blinked, unable to breathe, before her trembling wet eyes focused on the screen.

It was not just any video. It was a video of Delphine with a man who looks like Gabriel, her husband.

His body moved over Delphine’s as he held her legs up to her chest, his hips driving into her in a rhythm that made Isla’s stomach twist with pain.

“Faster, Gabby. Hit that spot that makes me go crazy,” Delphine moaned.

The man obeyed, his body giving her exactly what she wanted.

Isla couldn’t watch anymore. With a cry, she threw the phone across the room. It landed with a dull thud, but the sound of their moans still echoed in her head.

Her sobs broke out, and it was uncontrollable. She hugged her knees to her chest, rocking as tears soaked her cheeks. If she had known this marriage was unfixable, she would never have agreed to it. She had sacrificed two years of her life, her heart, her pride, just to hold onto something that was already broken.

And now she knew that no matter what she did. Gabriel had no interest in fixing anything. Delphine had called her because she wanted her to see it for herself.

***

The next evening, everyone who had gathered at her parents’ house looked so happy.

The garden of the Ainsworths’ elegant duplex was lit with soft spotlights that shone through the trees, casting a golden glow in the evening. All tables were decorated with flowers, and soft music played in the background. The guests laughed. They all looked happy. Some couples held hands, and the clinking of glasses filled the background.

It was Isla’s parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary, and the whole family had gathered to celebrate with them. Expensive gifts and warm congratulations presented to her parents.

Isla sat quietly at a corner table, her smile was faint and her heart far away. She barely noticed the things happening around her. Her mind was still replaying the horrible sounds she had heard the night before.

No matter how she tried to push it away, the memory of it kept coming back and it broke her heart.

“Honey,” her mother, Diana, said gently as she walked over. “Why are you sitting here alone? Where is your husband and his family? Didn’t they say they would come?”

Isla quickly wiped at the corner of her eyes and stood, forcing a smile onto her lips. “Of course, they will be here, Mama. Gabriel will come later. I think… I think he has some work at the office.”

Her mother gave her a long, knowing look. “Today is Sunday, Isla. Don’t try to defend him. I can see you’re hurting.”

Isla opened her mouth to reply, to defend him once more, but she couldn’t find the words. Before she could say anything, a sudden commotion erupted near the entrance. Guests turned, murmuring as the sound of voices and footsteps spread through the garden.

Isla’s eyes followed the noise.

Alfred Wyndham had arrived. He wasn't alone. He was with his family. And walking with them, tall and proud, was Gabriel.

The family walked together in grand style. They practically owned almost the whole of Richbouph. Everyone knows that.

Isla's face lit up. She whispered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else, “See, Mama? I told you they would come.”