Lahat ng Kabanata ng ISABELLA (The Night that ruined me): Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 126

GRANDMA HILLARY POVI pulled my sunglasses down as the Rolls eased through the iron gate and I watched that ugly house come into view. Move faster, I barked at the driver. This is a 2025 Rolls, not a snail. He muttered something and kicked the gas. Good. Keep going.My hand .. my left hand, the one with the old ring … kept clenching against the seat. I thought of that little girl, all alone in that place. For years I argued with Isabella. For years I said cruel things. I called that baby a bastard when I was angry and foolish. I will own that. But now? Now I don’t care what words were said before. That child is my blood. My great-grandchild. They will not touch a hair on her head.Those Gustavo people better have not laid a filthy hand on her. If they did anything—if anyone so much as breathed on my family in the wrong way—I'll show them what the wrath of Hillary Houston looks like. I heard my voice in my head like an old warning: you cross a Houston, you pay.We pulled up by the driv

ISABELLA'S POVEverything happened so fast.One moment Xavier was standing there, his chest heaving, his eyes wild. The next his grip loosened and his body went forward. He crashed to the floor with a sick, hollow sound.I gasped and pressed my palm to my mouth. My fingers came away wet. There was blood on the back of his head. A dark red smear on the floor where his skull hit the wood.I turned and saw her. That same lady.She stood a step behind the small shed, a wooden plank in her hands. Her clothes were torn, her hair a mess, and she had that hard look in her eyes. Up close, my breath caught. She looked like me. Not similar … the same face, the same sharp nose, the same stubborn mouth. It was like seeing a mirror that moved and breathed.Her eyes were full of something I did not know at first. Fury, yes. But also pain. Her face was streaked with dirt and old tears. She stepped closer, the wood held like a tool.“Get out of here. Now.” Her voice snapped me back into motion.My leg

ISABELLA POVEverything felt like it was happening in slow motion. My hands were trembling as I held Drake’s body, shaking him, begging him to open his eyes. “Don’t leave me, please… you have to survive… don’t leave me,” I cried, my voice breaking apart like shattered glass. My tears fell endlessly, soaking his blood-stained shirt. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry for not trusting you… please, just open your eyes,” I whispered, my voice lost between sobs. Broken.My whole body was vibrating, my heart racing so fast it hurt. I could barely breathe. Everything around me became a blur..voices shouting, footsteps rushing closer, lights flickering through the trees.“Madam, let’s take him to the hospital! The helicopter is here!” someone shouted. Their voices felt distant, echoing through my head.They lifted Drake’s limp body onto a stretcher. I stumbled after them, tears clouding my vision. His hand slipped from mine, and I grabbed it quickly, refusing to let go. “Don’t take him away from me!” I sc