Unseen sparks

ISABELLA'S POINT OF VIEW

I froze the moment Felix stepped through the door, the faint click of his shoes on the tile making my chest tighten. He stopped in front of me, eyes soft… impossibly soft. And then, impossibly, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

I jerked back instinctively. Him. Felix. The same man who had made me flinch at the sound of his voice, the same monster who left bruises like ugly memories on my skin… was now… smiling? Gentle. Tender even.

“You sent me flowers,” I said, my voice trembling more from fear than anger.

He tilted his head, that infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “So… it’s a crime to send you flowers?” His tone was teasing, light, like he wasn’t capable of cruelty at all.

My stomach churned. I wanted to run, to scream, to remind myself that this was the same man who could turn into a beast at any moment. And yet… I couldn’t move. He was too close, too intoxicating, too impossibly human in this moment.

“Felix…” My voice cracked. “I… I don’t—”

He silenced me with another soft kiss, this one lingering, gentle, almost apologetic. My heart betrayed me, skipping beats, wild and foolish. My mind screamed, he’s a monster, he’s a beast! Don’t fall for this… don’t!

But the fear in me waged war with something else—something dangerous. Something that whispered, maybe… just maybe… he’s different now.

I wanted to believe it. God, I wanted to.

Yet, I couldn’t shake the dread coiling in my chest, the icy warning that this sweetness, this charm, was just another mask. Felix. The man I both hated and feared… the man who could hurt me in a heartbeat.

And still… I stayed.

“Feli…” My voice barely escaped, trembling as I stared at him.

“Please, Bells…” His voice was soft, pleading, almost desperate.

Bells? I froze. Since when did Felix call me that? The same man who had hit me yesterday, the same man whose lips had been on Vanessa’s—his mistress—right in front of me… he was suddenly this… gentle? Sweet?

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. Is this really Felix? My mind raced. The man standing in front of me, smiling softly, holding out his hand… could he really be the same beast who had made me flinch at every creak of the floor?

“I… I don’t know, Felix…” My voice shook. “I don’t… I can’t—”

“I know,” he interrupted gently, taking a careful step closer. “I know I’ve been a fool, a monster even. I’ve seen how I’ve been destroying this… us… this marriage.” His eyes, soft and regretful, searched mine. “I don’t want to be that man anymore. I love you, Isabella. I want to stop hitting you. I want us to start afresh… properly this time.”

Properly? My chest tightened. My whole body wanted to run, wanted to throw myself out of that room and never look back. Fear clawed at me, icy and relentless. How can I believe him? He kissed Vanessa. He—he hurts me.

He reached for my hand, brushing his thumb across my knuckles like he was afraid I’d vanish. “Everything’s going to be fine, darling,” he murmured.

Darling? My heart lurched, my stomach twisting. Why was he suddenly so… tender? Why did every word feel like a trap wrapped in silk?

I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to. But every instinct in me screamed, He’s a monster. Don’t let him fool you again.

Yet, I stayed rooted, trapped between fear and something dangerously like hope.

I stood frozen, heart hammering like a drum, as Felix’s words hung in the air. Darling… start afresh… everything’s going to be fine…

My mind screamed at me, This isn’t real. He kissed Vanessa yesterday. He hits you. He’s a monster. Yet, the warmth in his eyes, the softness in his voice… it made my limbs heavy, like I was sinking into quicksand I didn’t want to escape from.

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the fog that had wrapped itself around me. Was I imagining it? Was this sudden kindness, this tenderness, some hallucination brought on by fear and desperation?

And then—knock! Knock!

My heart nearly stopped. My entire body tensed. I barely moved toward the door before another shove knocked me off balance.

“Move!” A harsh, familiar voice barked.

I stumbled back against the wall, blinking, my stomach twisting in dread. Vanessa.

She pushed her way in without hesitation, eyes wild, scanning the room. “Where’s my baby, Felix?” Her voice was sharp, possessive, dangerous.

My chest tightened. My hands trembled. What the hell is she doing here?

Before I could react, Felix appeared behind me, his expression calm but his eyes dark, dangerous—like a storm waiting to erupt.

“Don’t you ever lay your hands on her again,” he said, voice low, controlled, but with a sharp edge that made the air feel heavy.

I froze, blinking at him in disbelief. What… what just happened?

Vanessa’s eyes widened as she froze in place, staring at him. “W-what…? You—you’re… serious?”

Felix didn’t flinch. His gaze burned into hers, and his voice dropped another notch, deadly and final. “Don’t. Ever. Lay your hands on my wife again.”

My knees went weak. My hands shook uncontrollably. My… wife?

Vanessa’s lips parted, shock written all over her face. She took a step back, then another, finally tripping over herself as she muttered something I couldn’t catch, her voice trembling.

I pressed my hands against my chest, trying to calm the rapid fire of my heart. This… this isn’t Felix. He’s… changed? Or… something worse is brewing. What is happening?

Felix’s hand brushed lightly against my arm, a reassuring touch that sent shivers down my spine, and yet, fear coiled like a serpent inside me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before a single word escaped, Vanessa screamed and lunged towards me…

And everything went black.