Chapter 704 Isadora, Back to My Arms 3
Isadora froze for a moment, startled by the sound of footsteps behind her.
Avery turned, his gaze locking on hers, silent and unreadable, the depth in his eyes giving nothing away.
Her lips parted, but it took her several seconds to find her voice. "My mother was worried. She asked me to check on you."
The rain was still falling, but lightly now. His voice carried clearly in the damp air. "And you? Isadora, are you worried? Do you have even the smallest fear of losing me… of never seeing me again?"
She shook her head too quickly, too carelessly.
She had no raincoat. The umbrella she had brought was gone, blown into a corner of the roof, lying there like a discarded shadow. The two of them—once lovers—stood facing each other in the dim, wet night.
Avery crushed the cigarette between his fingers and crossed the distance in long, decisive strides.
Before she could think, his hand was at the back of her head, his lips hot and insistent against hers. His arm locked around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She felt the solid strength of him, her slender frame pressed to his as if he could anchor her there forever.
He didn't close his eyes. He stared at her as he kissed her, as though memorizing every detail of her face. His presence was overwhelming, and under that intensity, Isadora trembled.
The rain wrapped around them, and so did they.
She had no idea how long they stood like that, unwilling to let go.
In the corner of the roof, a figure struggled up.
Lila had been worried after hearing nothing for so long—her calls unanswered—and had forced herself up the ladder despite her aching joints. She emerged just in time to see them in each other's arms.
It was a beautiful sight, tinged with something fragile.
Lila, having lived her own share of love and loss, understood. She also knew how much Isadora had endured. Her heart ached, but she thought—if anyone deserved happiness, it was her.
The rain soaked her through, but she didn't feel the cold. She smiled, and tears slipped down her cheeks, warm against her skin.
She turned to leave quietly, not wanting to break the moment. But age has its limits. Her foot slipped, her body pitched backward, and she fell hard onto the tiled floor of the second-story terrace.
The ladder crashed down after her, striking her side.
Her cry of pain cut through the night.
On the roof, Avery and Isadora broke apart instantly. Isadora's heart lurched at the sight of the fallen ladder. Avery told her to stay back, stripped off his raincoat and threw it over her shoulders, then vaulted down without hesitation.
He landed with ease, tall and sure-footed, and pulled the ladder off Lila.
"My leg… I think it's broken," Lila gasped.
Hours later, at the Montague Group Hospital, Lila was settled into the best suite available.
The attending physician had been personally arranged by Taylor, and the level of care was the kind usually reserved for family. Taylor even came in person to check on her, leaving Lila both flattered and overwhelmed.
Despite the late hour, Serafina and Jacob arrived.
Jacob, usually aloof, offered quiet words of comfort that warmed Lila's heart. She glanced between him and Avery.
'What a pair of handsome cousins,' she thought.
After helping Lila wash up, Serafina joined Isadora in the bathroom. She asked how the accident had happened, but Isadora stumbled over her words.
Serafina took in the luxurious room, the attentive care, the way everyone seemed to be treating Lila as someone important. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You and Avery… are you together?"
Isadora shook her head.
She was an adult. She knew the difference between a moment of weakness and a lifetime commitment. She admitted she felt something for Avery, but the past between them was far from clean. It wasn't something that could be erased with one impulsive kiss.
She told Serafina the truth.
"I don't know if Avery is the right man for me. I'm afraid that today he treats me well, but in a few days he'll start thinking I've taken too much from him. That he can control everything about me. That there's no equality between us. Serafina… I've never felt inferior to anyone, but with Avery, I do. I'm afraid he looks down on me. I'm afraid he still holds things against me."
She had once liked Jacob.
The rest she couldn't bring herself to say out loud.
Serafina pulled her into a gentle hug. She had never seen Isadora look so vulnerable. And she thought—Isadora must care for Avery deeply.
Neither of them noticed Avery standing in the doorway. He listened quietly as she spoke. She didn't say much, but it was enough—she did have feelings for him.
Under the harsh white light, his expression was tight, restrained.
He regretted so much. Regretted not loving her sooner. Regretted never learning how to coax her the way other men might. Regretted always seeing her as the formidable Isadora of the boardroom, and forgetting she was also a young woman who had gone without enough love.
Serafina spotted him.
Avery gave her a small smile and a gesture to keep quiet. Then he turned and walked away without a sound.
Serafina hesitated, then smiled faintly to herself.
She thought—Avery might finally be learning how to love.
Later that night, she and Jacob left together.
They rarely had time alone, so they chose to walk for a while. The bare branches of the street trees dripped with rain, each drop falling with crystalline clarity into the quiet.
Serafina's arm was looped through Jacob's as they strolled. Neither spoke.
After a long silence, Jacob looked down at her. "Cold?"
She shook her head, resting her cheek against his arm, feeling an unexpected sense of safety.
He smiled and brushed his fingers over her nose. "You're almost thirty, Mrs. Windsor. Still acting like Abigail."
She didn't answer, just leaned closer.
Jacob studied her for a moment, then suddenly swept her up into his arms and headed toward a nearby five-star hotel.
"Jacob?" she gasped, clutching his neck.
He kissed her cheek, his voice light. "We're not going home tonight. We're staying out."
Then, with a hint of mischief, "Maybe we'll give Abigail a little brother or sister."
She knew he wanted another child to carry on the family name, so she teased, "What if it's another girl?"
"Then we keep trying," he said with a grin.
She bit him lightly on the arm. "I'm not a breeding machine."
He liked to tease, but the truth was, if they never had a son, he would raise Abigail to take over. Oliver might threaten to beat him with a stick for it, but so be it.
Despite his words, he took precautions that night. Abigail was still under a year old, and he couldn't bring himself to put Serafina through another pregnancy so soon.
Two years from now, maybe. Then they'd have one more child—a Windsor—boy or girl, and that would be it.
The night wrapped around them. Jacob kissed her deeply, the kind of kiss that held both heat and promise.
They made love until dawn.