Chapter 13 - The contract

Isabella reached for her phone and saw that Audrey was calling.

As promised, Vincent had sent his driver to pick up Isabella's things from Audrey's house.

She let out a long, slow breath and considered whether or not to answer. She knew that if she picked up the phone, she would have to deal with whatever Audrey had to say.

And she wasn't sure she was ready for that. But if she didn't answer, Audrey would only keep calling, and Isabella knew that she couldn't avoid her forever.

She took another deep breath and answered the call.

"Hello?" she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Isabella," Audrey said. "Where are you?"

"I'm home," Isabella lied, trying to keep her voice steady.

"That's strange," Audrey said, suspicion creeping into her voice. "I'm outside your apartment, and it looks like no one's home. Your curtains are not here and I can see that there's nothing inside."

Isabella's heart began to race. She knew she had been caught in a lie, and she didn't know how to get out of it.