Chapter Four: Bound by Hatred

Isabella’s POV

I remained on my knees long after Charlie stormed out, the violent slam of the door still reverberating through the room. 

My shoulders trembled with silent sobs, each breath scraping painfully against my chest.

His words wouldn't leave me alone.

They circled endlessly in my mind, sharp and merciless, carving deeper wounds with every repetition.

"You will take her place as my wife. It will be your living hell."

I wanted to scream until my throat bled, but I had no voice left. Only the crushing weight of reality. 

I was trapped. Truly, completely trapped.

A sharp knock shattered the silence.

I barely had time to push myself to my feet and wipe my face before the door opened again. 

The same sharply dressed woman from earlier, Theo, walked in, clutching a thick folder. Two men in suits followed, one carrying a sleek laptop, and moving like this was just another business transaction.

Theo’s eyes flicked over me with the same judgmental curl of her lip. 

“Miss Reed,” she said flatly, not bothering with pleasantries. “Mr. Harrington has instructed me to finalize the agreement immediately.”

She placed the folder on the small antique desk near the window and opened it with clinical efficiency. Pages and pages of dense legal text stared back at me.

“Sit,” she ordered, gesturing to the chair as if I were a disobedient employee.

I didn’t move. My legs felt too weak.

Theo sighed, clearly impatient. “We can do this the easy way or the difficult way. The difficult way involves Mr. Harrington returning and handling it himself. I don’t recommend that.”

My stomach twisted. 

I forced my feet forward and sank into the chair. Theo slid the contract toward me. “Standard clauses for a marriage of convenience… though in this case, I suppose ‘punishment’ is more accurate.” Her tone was dry, almost bored. 

“Full asset disclosure. You waive all rights to independent financial decisions. Any property or income acquired during the marriage belongs jointly, but Mr. Harrington retains full control. You will reside in the Harrington mansion. No travel without prior approval. Public appearances will be required when demanded. Confidentiality agreement regarding all marital matters. Breach results in immediate and severe penalties.”

I scanned the pages with blurry eyes. Each line felt like another chain wrapping around my throat.

“And what if… what if I decline this?” I whispered, already knowing the answer.

Theo glanced at the door as if Charlie might burst through it. “Then I’m afraid the consequences Mr. Harrington outlined earlier will take effect within the hour. Your father’s company is… vulnerable, shall we say.”

I closed my eyes. Dad. Even after everything… his silence, his weakness, he was still my father. 

The thought of Eleanor’s rage if I destroyed what little security our family had left made bile rise in my throat.

My hand trembled as I picked up the pen Theo offered.

“Sign on the highlighted lines,” she pointed her neatly manicured finger to the lines. “Initial where indicated. Date it.”

Tears splashed onto the paper as I signed. Isabella Reed. Again and again. Each signature felt like I was erasing myself.

When the final page was done, Theo collected the documents with a satisfied nod. “Congratulations, Mrs. Harrington. The marriage will be legally filed by the end of day. A small private ceremony will be arranged for appearances within the week.”

Mrs. Harrington.

The title burned worse than any slap Eleanor had ever given me.

Theo and her team left without another word. The door clicked shut, but this time it wasn’t locked. I suppose they no longer needed to lock me in. 

Where could I run now?

I curled up on the edge of the bed, hugging my knees to my chest. The simple black gown from last night was wrinkled and torn at the strap. I looked exactly like what I was: a broken woman who had just sold her future for her family’s survival.

Hours blurred together. At some point, a maid brought food I couldn’t eat. Later, another delivered my phone, a stack of designer clothes and toiletries with a note in Charlie’s sharp handwriting:

Wear something appropriate tomorrow. We have a press statement at 10 a.m. Do not embarrass me.

I stared at the elegant script until my eyes ached.

I desperately needed to call my dad and Arielle—to tell them what had happened, to let them know the nightmare I was trapped in. But my phone had died hours ago, its black screen as useless as my fading hope.

Worse, I didn't have a charger.

I considered asking one of the maids for help. Surely someone in this enormous house had a charger I could borrow for a few minutes. But since the maid who had brought me my phone left, no one else had come near my room.

It was as though I had been deliberately forgotten.

Or worse—isolated.

The silence stretched on, thick and oppressive, making the room feel less like a bedroom and more like a prison cell dressed in luxury. Every passing minute deepened the knot of anxiety in my chest.

Dad would be worried.

Arielle would be looking for me.

And here I was, trapped behind closed doors, unable to reach my family.

Night fell again. The mansion was deathly quiet except for the occasional distant footsteps of security and servers.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the vast estate cloaked in darkness. The iron gates that had seemed merely intimidating the night before now looked like prison bars.

The soft click of the door opening behind me shattered the silence.

I turned sharply.

Charlie stepped into the room, his presence instantly changing the atmosphere. He closed the door quietly this time, yet the sound seemed to echo through the space between us. For several moments, neither of us spoke.

"You signed."

His voice was calm, controlled, almost weary.

I nodded without looking away from the window.

"Good."

He crossed the room with measured steps until the scent of his expensive cologne surrounded me. It was rich and refined, yet somehow suffocating.

"From this moment forward, you are Isabella Harrington," he said. "In public, you'll play the role perfectly. You'll smile when required, stand beside me when necessary, and give the world exactly what it expects to see. In private..." His tone hardened. "Stay out of my way."

Slowly, I turned to face him.

The anger in his eyes was still there, cold, but beneath it lingered something darker. Something broken. Grief, perhaps. Grief for Evelyn. Resentment toward me.

Maybe both.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked quietly. "What have I ever done to deserve this?"

His jaw tightened, and for the briefest moment, I thought he might answer honestly.

Instead, he lifted a hand and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face. The gesture was unexpectedly gentle, almost tender, and that made what followed even worse.

His fingers slid to my chin, gripping it firmly and forcing me to hold his gaze.