Chapter 2

The silence was broken by the buzzing of my phone.

A text from an unknown number appeared: [Isabelle, don't you want to know why Charles cheated with Lily?

[See you at Rose Hall at 9 AM tomorrow.]

No doubt about it.

The one who wanted to meet me was Edward.

Rose Hall was where we first met.

When my mother's last keepsake failed to sell at auction, I was so upset I couldn't stop crying, my eyes swollen and red.

The next day, Edward used that keepsake as an excuse to show up at my door.

For the next six months, gifts kept flooding in, stacking up in the Monroe family's living room until they looked like a mountain.

My dad wanted to marry me off for a good price.

When he realized Edward was the richest man in Rivermouth, he turned down the Fletcher family and accepted Edward's proposal.

As the Monroe family's heiress, I'd grown used to wealth, status, and all the pretense that came with them.

I never had high hopes for an arranged marriage.

But Edward's clumsy love letters slowly broke down the walls around my heart.

At a cruise party, I slipped and fell into the sea. Edward didn't hesitate; he jumped in after me.

I came out without a scratch, but his legs were chewed up by the fish, down to the bone.

When I was writhing in bed from period cramps, he dropped everything, even a billion-dollar deal, to rush into the kitchen. He burned his fingers until they were red and swollen like radishes, all to make me a bowl of ginger soup.

I was so happy, convinced I'd finally found the right one.

So I brought Lily, the poor student I was sponsoring, to Rivermouth.

But in the end, they betrayed me and tossed me out like some abandoned wife.

When I looked back on it all, it didn't hurt anymore.

Even seeing Edward again didn't make me sad.

Edward was still the same, with deep eyes, handsome as ever, just a little thinner.

"There's something I should tell you." As I sat down, he slid his phone across the table toward me.

"What is it?" I asked.

Edward paused, looking uncertain, but finally swiped open the screen.

I glanced at it, and I couldn't help but shiver.

On the screen, Charles had a cigarette dangling from his lips, tossing bills at a crowd of thugs.

Seeing me freeze up, Edward adjusted his glasses. "If we're talking about being cold-blooded, I can't compare to Charles. Sure, I was the one who threw you out back then, but he's the one who paid those thugs to humiliate you on purpose."

It felt like a bomb went off inside me.

Edward continued, "He didn't care what it took; he'd do anything for you, even if it meant destroying you."

With his words, all those warped faces rushed at me. Curses, laughter, the pain of my body being ripped apart, the baby inside me crushed to bits...

"Enough!" I shouted, springing to my feet, gasping for breath.

My face felt numb and cold.

I couldn't tell if it was from the pain of that night, or from the fact that Edward had deliberately destroyed three years of love with a single cruel act.

I glared at him, teeth gritted. "What makes you any better than him?

"You're only telling me this so you can prove that the man I fought so hard to return to in Northbridge was never as good as you."

My voice came out rough and broken. I let the tears fall. "You want to prove that even if I left you, I'd never find happiness. That you're always the one for me. But tell me, how are you any different from him?"

Edward paused for a moment, then spoke slowly. "I'm a bastard, and I know I hurt you. But I never once thought about replacing you. But I heard Mrs. Fletcher is getting replaced.

"He's been keeping it from you, parading Lily around at social gatherings, even taking her to Fletcher Manor, and even..."

Edward paused, his sharp gaze fixed on me. "He even went to the city hall and got married. Back then, I only threw you out of the house, but he's cut you out of the marriage completely. Isabelle, come with me."

Suddenly, I felt numb all over.

I couldn't feel anything.

It was like the emptiness when pain hit its peak.

I opened my mouth, about to refuse, when suddenly my neck was seized and jerked upward with brutal force.

An enraged voice blasted right in my ear. "Edward! In your dreams."

Charles was using every ounce of strength, his grip so tight it felt like he could snap my neck. "Are you seriously this low? Feeling wronged by me, so you go crying to your old flame for comfort?"

I didn't say a word, didn't even try to break free.

I just locked eyes with him, unwavering.

Edward shot to his feet. "Let her go!"

In the next instant, a ring of bodyguards closed in around Edward.

Charles let out a cold, mocking laugh, a flash of cruelty in his eyes. "This isn't your place to talk. Don't forget; she's my wife now!

"Year after year, you kept sending her gifts and hanging around. If you were so in love, why didn't you step up when you had the chance?"

Edward's face went ghostly pale, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles nearly popped. "Don't get too full of yourself, Charles. You'll crash and burn as I did!"

Then he turned to me. "Isabelle, when you figure things out, you know where to find me."

Before Charles could respond, Edward shoved him out of the way and stormed out.

The air felt thick and heavy, like it was stuck in place.

It was dead silent, suffocating.

I walked past Charles and got into the car first.

He followed right behind, his voice low and urgent. "You're not going with him. You're not seeing him. And you're not contacting him, either!"

When I didn't respond, he suddenly snapped, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me hard. "I'm talking to you! Are you even listening?

"You've already been through one divorce. You really want to go through that again? He abandoned you back then, and the Monroe family didn't care about you either.

"I'm the only one who's ever truly cared for you, Isabelle. Don't let him mess with your head. Stay with me, be Mrs. Fletcher, and everything will be fine."

Cared for me?

The kind of care where he lied to me, trampled all over me, and nearly ruined my life?

I let out a low laugh.

Charles turned my face toward him, his eyes full of urgency. "What's so funny?"

I kept my eyes away from him and quietly asked, "Is there anything else you've been keeping from me, besides Lily?"

Charles stiffened, then looked away, staring out the window.

He didn't admit it.

But his silence was as good as a confession.

My laughter grew louder and louder.

With every laugh, the pain in my chest only got worse.

My hoarse voice filled the cramped space, cutting through the air like a knife.

"Enough. Stop laughing!" Charles shouted, his voice rising as he reached out to cover my mouth.

Rage was pounding in my chest, like it was about to rip me apart.

I grabbed his hand and sank my teeth into it, biting down hard.

I didn't let go until I tasted blood in my throat. "Charles! You're a fucking animal.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted to hear? Fine, I'll admit it. I love Edward. I wish I'd never divorced him.

"No matter how much of a bastard he was, at least he never knocked somebody else up!"

Charles's breathing turned ragged, his eyes going wild with fury.

He lunged and wrapped his hand around my throat, his eyes blazing red. "You think I don't regret it?

"I could have any woman I wanted, but I ended up with you, damaged goods, a woman who lost a baby and got trashed by another man.

"Edward sure knows how to pick. Lily's not only more fun than you; she's a hell of a lot better in bed, too."