After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 121 - チャプター 130

Isabella By the time I finally manage to button the last blouse, the room feels impossibly still. Gabriel’s jacket is gone. The balcony door is shut. Only the soft hum of the estate outside reminds me that the world continues beyond this bedroom.I take a deep breath, trying to steady the rapid beat of my heart, and slip on my shoes. The warm sunlight streams through the French doors, casting golden stripes across the floor. It makes me dizzy with how ordinary it all feels—yet how charged the air is after last night.I step outside onto the terrace, holding my breath as I descend the steps slowly, trying not to stumble over the unfamiliar quiet of the morning.Halfway down, I’m stopped by the soft rustle of movement.“Good morning, Ms. Isabella,” comes a calm, familiar voice.I turn, slightly startled, and find the maid standing at the bottom of the steps, hands folded politely in front of her. Her expression is gentle, almost knowing.“Gabriel…?” I start, but she shakes her head wit

Gabriel The sound of her car fading down the driveway lingers longer than it should.I’m still standing exactly where she left me, leaning against the column near the entrance, watching the empty road beyond the gates.The estate feels strangely quiet now.Too quiet.I run a hand through my hair and let out a slow breath, shaking my head slightly.“Unbelievable,” I mutter under my breath.A few hours ago, the house felt suffocating with everything unsaid between us. Now it feels hollow without her.I push myself off the column and walk back inside, the doors closing softly behind me.Her coffee cup is still on the dining table.Half empty.I stop beside the chair she sat in earlier, staring at it for a moment longer than necessary.The faint scent of her perfume still lingers in the air.Dangerous.Very dangerous.I exhale slowly and drag a hand across my jaw.“Get a grip,” I tell myself quietly.But the memory of her flushed cheeks, the way she tried to pretend she wasn’t affected b

Isabella I hear the car before I see it.The sound of an engine stopping outside the gate makes me glance toward the window instinctively. My stomach tightens almost immediately.“He’s here,” Mia says from the kitchen.Of course she noticed too.I take a small breath, grabbing my bag from the table as I try to steady myself.It’s just Elias.Why am I suddenly this nervous?Before I can answer my own question, the doorbell rings.Mia is already halfway to the door.“I’ll get it,” she says casually, though the quick look she throws at me tells me she’s very aware of the situation.I follow a few seconds behind.When Mia opens the door, Elias is standing outside, dressed neatly for work as always.He looks… the same.Calm. Composed. Polite.But there’s something in his eyes that feels heavier today.Mia smiles immediately.“Good morning!”“Good morning,” Elias replies warmly.Then Mia claps her hands once.“Oh! Before I forget—happy birthday!”Elias chuckles softly, a little surprised.

Isabella The moment Lucas says they’ll “observe for now,” the air around us shifts in a way that makes the entire site feel smaller.Workers continue moving around the steel framework behind us, voices echoing through the open space as measurements are called out and equipment is moved across the gravel. From a distance, everything looks normal.But standing here with Lucas and Emily watching me like I’m part of their inspection, it’s impossible not to feel the tension beneath their polite smiles.Elias stands beside me, silent but alert, clearly aware that this visit isn’t as casual as Lucas is pretending it to be.Lucas takes a slow look around the construction site, his hands tucked neatly into the pockets of his coat.“Impressive progress,” he says after a moment, nodding toward the rising structure of steel beams and scaffolding. “It’s moving faster than I expected.”“The contractors are ahead of schedule,” I reply calmly. “The foundation work finished earlier than projected.”E

IsabellaAfter a moment, I hear Gabriel’s footsteps move toward the door.“Try to focus, Isa,” he says lightly before leaving the office.The door closes behind him.Only then do I release a quiet breath.I press my fingertips briefly against my temple before straightening the stack of documents in front of me.Work.Focus on work.A few minutes later, the site supervisor knocks lightly on the open door before stepping inside.“Ms. Isabella,” he says, holding a clipboard. “We’re about to start positioning the west support beams. The engineers wanted to confirm the final alignment before we proceed.”I push the earlier distraction aside and step toward the table.“Show me.”He spreads the updated diagram beside the original blueprint.“The adjustment you approved earlier shifts the support by about half a meter,” he explains. “It improves the load balance, but the team wants confirmation before they secure the frame.”I study the measurements carefully.The reinforcement lines are clea