Chapter 241 Have I Been Spoiling You Too Much?
Isabella put down her pork and gently caressed her belly.
Then, she asked Brittany with a smile, "Do I even have a choice?"
Besides, she loved this baby too much. The thought of letting go was unbearable.
Brittany tried to lighten the situation by saying, "If you ever need anything, just tell me and we can figure something out together."
"Sure, same goes for you. You can speak to me about anything that's on your mind," she said in a genuine manner.
Even though there wasn't much tension at the dinner table, Isabella still managed a grin. "Come on, smile for me. We don't get to eat dinner together every day, you know? Let's not let jerks spoil our evening!"
Brittany smiled as she replied, "Okay."
Who wouldn't adore a lovely girl like Isabella, after all? She was beaming even more now, obviously enjoying every bite of the dinner.
They even took a photo together after dinner, which they posted on social media.
Emily posted a sulky message beside the picture, saying that Isabella and Brittany owed her at least 10 meals.
Isabella tagged Kaine, commenting, [You'd best get working to support the family. Not everyone can match your girlfriend's stomach!]
In an instant, Emily turned shy, which made Isabella laugh uncontrollably.
Her inner conflict was momentarily alleviated by the joy of the occasion, and she particularly dreaded saying goodbye to Brittany.
"Let's meet up again soon." As they separated, Brittany advised, "Make sure you get lots of rest because you're pregnant."
"Be safe on your way home," Isabella said with a nod.
Brittany's car disappeared into the cloak of the night.
As soon as Isabella turned around, the smile vanished from her face.
When she returned, the lavish exterior of Willowbrook Estate reminded her of a golden cage that towered above the moody surroundings.
She inhaled deeply before entering the ‘cage.’
When she stepped in, something didn't seem right. The home was cold to the bone and hauntingly silent.
Typically, this kind of environment was only present when Sebastian was home because he scared the staff.
Looking up, she saw exactly as she's expected.
Sebastian, the man she hadn't seen in two days, was relaxing on the sofa idly as he flipped through a business magazine with his legs crossed.
"Mrs. Lawrence, you're back at last," the butler quietly said to her. "Mr. Lawrence has been waiting a while to eat dinner with you."
She watched him from afar.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but after not seeing him for a couple of days, she felt he looked slightly thinner, a testament to the importance of Lynda in his life.
"I already ate," she said, putting on new shoes and briskly making her way upstairs.
Sebastian put the magazine down and rested his elbow on the couch's arm, rubbing his temples and softly calling, "Isabella."
He spoke in a calm, quiet voice that showed neither delight nor rage.
Isabella paused and replied, "What is it?" turning to face him.
With a sharp click, he threw his phone onto the coffee table, making the butler to shudder.
"Where have you been?"
"Dinner with Brittany."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes."
Each of Sebastian's inquiries was met with a succinct reply from Isabella.
"Did you have a good time?" he pressed on.
Isabella posed the same question to herself. Was she really happy? The response was superficial at best.
However, that surface-level happiness was nevertheless valuable and rare, which is why she shared it on social media.
She still had the right to express a little happiness, no?
Isabella smiled at Sebastian and raised her head, saying, "Yeah, I did."
Sebastian's face was sharp and penetrating as his eyes narrowed.
He'd spent the last few days attending to business matters, monitoring Lynda, whose heart condition had become worse due to some stress, and even worrying about Isabella nonstop—asking the butler to provide an update on events at Willowbrook Estate.
She didn't even bother to call him while she seemed to be having a great time with friends, eating and drinking without any problems.
Even jealousy was one of the explanations he created for her, until her beaming smile in the social media picture snapped him out of it.
She didn't miss him even a bit.
Sebastian was enraged by this. He stood up, staring at her with a neutral expression on his face.
With a chilly voice, he approached her with purposeful steps. "You think you have the right for that?"
Isabella sensed the threat, scrambling backward until there was nowhere left to go. She refused to back down. "Why don't I?"
"What do you think?" Sebastian's cold grip on her shoulder tightened. "You nearly caused Linda to pass away. It was a close call, having plucked her from death's grip itself."
Isabella's arm became completely numb.
She asked, her voice quivering, "How am I related to that? I'm the victim in this situation. I have the exclusive right to report a crime."
"Moreover, Sebastian, didn’t you settle everything for Lynda? She received no charges, got off lightly, and didn't even apologize."
He softly stroked her face. "You’re bringing that up now, which reminds me. You went against my orders, speaking out of place with the staff, lying and sneaking around so that the police would raid this place."
In Isabella’s eyes—usually so clear and innocent, so alluring when she smiled—there was only confusion now.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Her demeanor gave Sebastian a sharp pang. He closed his eyes, his question coming out flat. "What exactly did you say to the garden mansion's staff?"
With an earnest response, Isabella swallowed the bitterness in her mouth and said, "I was told by the maid that the garden cottage was your actual home. Thus, I just said out of curiosity, So, this is where my husband truly lives.'"
Such a harmless remark, yet it was suddenly awful.
Isabella asked, "Am I wrong for that?" in a quiet voice.
With cold flickering in his eyes, Sebastian snapped, "No,"
Naive, she questioned whether Sebastian was refusing the garden cottage as his home. Seeing his cold look, she shoved the idea deep down her throat.
How could she have known? That was not feasible.
"All right, I get it; I'm the other woman," was all she could manage to say.
Sebastian's anger reached a breaking point at this comment.
With more intensity, Sebastian raised Isabella's chin and said, "Isabella, have I been pampering you too much lately? Did you forget what you should and shouldn't say?"
"Okay, if you think that you spoil me, then we'll stop there," she said, her chin throbbing with pain.
After days of tolerance and research, it showed that she rejected such clear affection. Sebastian's eye veins reddened.
He spoke rashly out of anger, saying, "Isabella, don't you dare provoke me and waste my affection."
He released her chin, her face turning aside.
Did he really care for her?
He teased her when he was feeling lighthearted, and he wooed her with cryptic remarks when he sensed her indifference. When it came to Lynda's interests, he removed everything. This so-called affection he had only amplified the pain she felt.
What sort of love was this?
Feeling anything would result in hurting, and Isabella felt her eyes hurting from holding back her tears.
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