Chapter 151
ISABELLA
My nerves were all over the place when I saw Levi approach me, his stride unhurried, his expression unreadable. He slipped his hand into mine with quiet authority and murmured, “We are moving the party elsewhere.”
I nodded, accepting his hand. My eyes flicked past him, colliding with Mr. Antonio’s from across the room. My heart jolted, hammering so hard I thought it might give me away.
That same gnawing dread of yesterday tightened in my chest—something bad was going to happen. I had been carrying that feeling since yesterday, since the shopping spree that had left my house crowded and chaotic.
For a moment, I was happy. I even laughed with Matt and Caroline—teasing, trying on earrings, twirling in front of the mirror. But then reality struck, and everything went downhill.
Mr. Antonio would never let me marry his son.
Matt and Caroline were buzzing, already building castles in the air—talking about moving into a bigger, better apartment now that my life was “changing for the better.” They spoke of a yard sale for some of the things, and of saving enough to start fresh. Matt always dreamed of opening a little flower shop, and maybe we would do it as a family. That could help pay for Caroline’s college. Their ideas were hopeful, warm, but they pressed against the edge of my fear. Running away sounded tempting—but how?
If I disappeared without Levi knowing the truth, he would come for me. He would find me. And when he did, there would be no forgiveness. What excuse could I give him? This was a contract signed—I would have to confess. And then everything—everything—would collapse.
My thoughts twisted into knots. Mr. Antonio’s shadow loomed in my mind, his threats pressing on me from every side.
And what if Tony came? What if faces from my past—Mrs. Sebastian, Clara—suddenly appeared and ripped apart the carefully stitched fabric of my present? What if they dragged my secrets into the open?
I had no plan. Nothing.
Even after the laughter faded and the house quieted, even as I lay in bed whispering to myself that I would just face whatever came, I was still restless, still afraid. My fingers hovered over Charlotte’s name on my phone, itching to call her, to beg her for a plan. But that would mean opening wounds I had fought so hard to close, bleeding all over again. I didn’t know if I had the strength.
So I told myself the only option was avoidance. If I could just slip through the engagement like a ghost—dodge stares, avoid questions, cling to Matt and Caroline’s company—maybe I could survive. But how do you disappear at your own engagement party? How do you fade into the background when you are the reason for the celebration?
I exhaled hard, my chest so tight it hurt to breathe. My throat burned, my eyes prickling with tears I refused to shed. I had to grow a thick skin. Pretend not to recognize the ones who might know me. Pretend the past had never happened. And maybe—just maybe—I could count on Mr. Antonio’s silence. He wanted as much control as I did; he had no desire for anyone to know about my history with Levi. He would keep it buried.
And yet, knowing this, I still rolled restlessly on the bed, twisting the sheets. One half of me buzzed with excitement—thinking of the engagement dress, the jewelry, and whatever other little surprises Levi might have planned. The other half trembled, dragged down by dread.
When Levi’s driver arrived this morning, I was whisked into a different world—his world. Hours with the stylist and makeup artist transformed me into someone unrecognizable. I had never been treated with such painstaking care. Watching my reflection shift, I almost didn’t recognize her: flawless skin, hair swept into perfect elegance, lips painted with confidence. For a moment, I believed I belonged. For a moment, I looked untouchable.
But the illusion shattered the moment I stepped into the engagement party. The laughter, the chatter, the easy fluidity with which these people moved—it was like watching dancers in a rhythm I couldn’t learn. Their grace was inherited, rehearsed since birth. I had never been taught.
Every compliment aimed at Levi for having such a “stunning wife” sliced me in two. Yes, there was admiration, but behind it—curiosity, envy, hunger. Their stares crawled over me, sharp as needles. They dissected me with their smiles, trying to place me, trying to guess how someone like me could possibly stand at Levi’s side.
And now, as Levi pulled me away, the party moving to a different location, I didn’t know how much longer I could endure. All I wanted was for him to do what he had promised—to rip off my dress. Only in his arms, under his command, would this dread and anxiety I had been carrying since yesterday finally leave me.
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