Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ruin me, Gently : Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

ISABELLE On either side of the pathway — gathered quietly, the way guests gather when they’ve been waiting and have agreed not to move until the right moment.My eyes adjusted.A woman on the left.Standing with the particular stillness of someone who had been waiting and was trying not to show how much.I knew that stillness.“Mom?”She smiled.That full, warm, certain smile she only wore when she already knew how something was going to end.My brain scrambled.What was my mom doing here? How did she — when did she — she had never been on a plane in her life—Another woman stepped closer to her.Elegant. Composed. Eyes bright.Claire Moretti.I looked between them.My mother and Matt’s mother. Standing side by side. Smiling at me with the combined warmth of two women who had prayed for the same thing from different directions and were watching it arrive simultaneously.How did they know each other? When had they—A third woman moved to stand with them.I didn’t recognize her. But so

ISABELLE Midway through dinner, a figure appeared at the entrance.Matt looked up. Something in his expression shifted — warm, easy, the kind of thing I had only seen when someone genuinely mattered to him.“Hugo,” he said.The man crossing toward us was tall — easy-faced, the kind of person whose presence didn’t demand a room but settled into it comfortably. He raised a hand at the table in general greeting as he approached.“Apologies, everyone,” he said. “My meeting had absolutely no respect for the occasion.”Lucia looked up from her conversation. “Hugo.”“Lucia.” He crossed to her first — pressing a brief kiss to her cheek the way people did when they had known each other long enough for formality to be unnecessary. “You look wonderful as always.”“You’re late,” she said pleasantly.“I’m aware.” He moved to Matt — clapping him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, brother.”Then he looked at me.His eyes moved to the seat across from Sage — the only empty one at the table — and he

Months Later. ISABELLE “Hugo said it’s urgent, but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Matt said, stepping toward me, where I sat on the edge of the bed.He leaned close. His lips were almost touching mine when I turned my face away.I wasn’t looking at him, but I could feel his eyes on me.“What’s wrong?”I said nothing.“I’ll call Hugo. Tell him I can’t make it.”I looked at him then. My chest tightened at the worry in his eyes. “No. It’s fine.”My face said otherwise.“I’m not going anywhere while you’re like this.” The determination in his eyes was quiet and absolute.I sighed. “It’s fine. Really. It’s just one of those days where everything feels like too much.” I looked down. “You can move around freely while I’m here trying to find the motivation to do the most basic things because I can barely see my legs.”The words left my mouth before I could stop them.Matt said nothing.He stepped back and began to undress.I felt my eyes fill.He laid his shirt and trousers on the edge of t

ISABELLE Aunt Jamie went next, speaking warmly from her seat.“I have spent more years than I care to count,” she said, “sitting between my sister and this boy trying to make peace.” She smiled. “Claire loves fiercely. Matt receives nothing easily. You can imagine how those conversations went.”We chuckled.She looked at Matt directly. “But I never stopped believing this day would come. That you would find your way to something real.” She set a gift bag on the table in front of him. “I’m so proud of you. And I’m so glad you both found each other.”Matt smiled. “Thank you, Aunty.”Charles rose to his feet and cleared his throat.“I have known my Boss since forever and worked for him for eleven years,” he said. “I have seen him in every version of himself.” A brief pause. “I have never seen a better one than this.” He set a gift bag down on the table, then looked at Matteo. “It’s been an honor working for you.”“Thank you!” Matt’s voice was sharp. “For putting up with me.”Claire Moret

ISABELLEMy eyes flung open.Something low and certain was pulling across my abdomen.I lay still for a moment.Then it came again.“Matt.”He stirred.“Matt.”His eyes opened.“You okay?” His voice low, but alert.“It’s time,” I said.He sat up. Pushed the duvet aside—feet on the floor.……………He had rehearsed this.I could tell by the way he moved — no hesitation, no searching for things, no wasted steps. The bag was by the door exactly where he had placed it weeks ago. His phone was in his hand before I had finished processing that we were actually doing this.He made two calls while helping me to my feet. I heard his voice — low and controlled —, but the words didn’t reach me fully because another contraction arrived and I gripped the bedpost and focused on breathing through it.When it passed, Matt was beside me.Shoes on my feet.Cardigan around my shoulders.“Charles is outside,” he said. “Can you walk?”“Yes,” I said.He kept his arm around me all the way down the stairs.……….