Chapter 18 I was never the chosen one
Isla’s POV.
I stayed in my room all day. What happened earlier today hadn’t left my head.
My head was loud, I needed space. Every corner of the room felt too big, and quiet.
The bed was untouched. The curtains stayed half closed. Lights crept in and left again, and I barely noticed.
I just lay there, thinking about Iris and Josie.
About my father’s voice on the phone, calm and sharp, like he owned us. And he had always owned so
I thought about ways out. Real ones, ugly ones. Ways that would cost something. Ways that would hurt.
I wasn’t here to be loved. I never expected that.
I was only here to protect my siblings.
That was the only thing that kept me going. It was the only thing that made sense. And the only thing that made the contract feel survivable.
Then Lucia walked in and cracked it.
Not with insults, she didn’t need them. She just smiled and spoke sweet. She stood too close and took the space that wasn’t hers.
And my husband let her.
He didn’t raise his voice or stop her or even look at me.
He looked through me and that hurt than shouting ever could.
I turned my face to the pillow and pressed it there, as if that could stop the feeling crawling in my chest.
I told myself couples fought. I told myself it was normal. And I told myself not to read the meaning into it.
But my body didn’t listen. My phone buzzed sometime after noon.
One message.
Come have dinner with me tonight. Just us. Away from the house.
No name. I didn’t need one. My thumb hovered over the screen and my heart raced.
I shouldn’t be out there with him. I was married.
I already felt too much and whatever was growing between us had teeth.
I typed back. “I can’t.”
I stared at the words for a long second before sending them.
I locked the phone and set it face down.
I chose the safe option. The right one. The one that didn’t make my pulse race.
Late afternoon slid into evening. A knock came at the door.
“Madam. Dinner is served.”
I sat up slowly. My stomach was tight. I hadn’t eaten since morning.
Maybe that was why everything felt sharp.
I washed my face. Changed my clothes. Nothing special, just simple.
As I walked out, I told myself again. This was normal. Couples fought. Silence always happens and tomorrow will be better.
The hallway lights were warm. Servants walked past me as I walked down the hall.
But then I heard a sound.
Low and soft. Not exactly voices. It was more like people breathing, and movements.
The door was half closed.
I stopped. It came again. A laugh this time. It sounded female and familiar.
I didn’t think, I just turned.
The room was small. One of the side lounges. The lamps were on, the curtains half drawn.
I pushed the door open and the world stilled.
Lucia pressed herself against him.
Her hands were on his chest. His back was to the wall. Her face was too close to his, close enough that there was no space for excuse.
Her mouth moved toward his. Not yet touching, almost touching.
I breathed out. A sound I didn’t mean to make.
He turned, and our eyes met. Everything froze.
Lucia felt it too. I saw it in the way her body stilled and the way her smile slipped.
He moved first. His hands came up and he pushed her away.
“Enough,” he said.
Lucia stumbled a step backward. Surprise flash all over her face, then something like annoyance.
She straightened, and smoothed her dress. She looked at me like I was the one intruding.
I couldn’t move.
My feet were stuck to the floor. My chest felt hollow as if something was pulled out by force.
I had imagined this moment before. Not like this. In my head, I would be angry and loud.
I wasn’t. I just stood quietly. I felt small.
“I didn’t know you were here,” Lucia said lightly. “This house is big. It's easy to get lost.”
Her eyes flicked to him, then back at me.
“I was just leaving.”
She walked past me. Close too close. Her shoulder brushed mine.
“I hope you enjoy dinner,” she added softly. “Try not to wait too long.”
And then she was gone. The door clicked shut.
Silence filled the room.
He then took a breath. One I’d never heard him take before.
Sharp and controlled. As if he was locking something down.
“Isla…”
I raised my hand. Not dramatic or angry, just tired.
“I should go,” I said.
“It wasn’t what it looked like.”
I laughed. A short sound, broken.
“That’s what everyone says.”
He stepped toward me. I stepped back.
His jaw tightened. “She crossed a line.”
I looked at him. Really looked.
The face I’d learned. The eyes I searched for warmth in. The mouth that had almost smiled at me once.
“You let her,” I said.
He didn’t answer. And that was answer enough.
“I thought,” I continued slowly. “That maybe you didn’t see it. At breakfast. The way she spoke. The way she stood too close.”
I swallowed. “I thought maybe you didn’t hear it.”
His gaze dropped for half a second. Then lifted again.
“I heard.”
The hurt worsened. “Then why?” I asked.
My voice didn’t shake and I was proud of that.
He didn’t reply right away.
When he did, his voice was calm. Too calm.
“This isn’t the right place for this.”
I nodded. “You’re right.” I turned.
He caught my wrist. Not rough or gentle. Like he was afraid of something.
“Don’t walk away like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you don’t care.”
I pulled my hand free. “I care too much,” I said. “That’s the problem.”
I left before he could say anything else.
The dining room was too bright and full. I barely tasted the food. Every sound scraped.
I excused myself early.
Back in my room, I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at nothing.
My phone buzzed. One new message.
You didn’t come. Are you okay?
I didn’t reply. Then another buzz.
A call from my father. I answered like I always did.
His voice came smooth and sharp.
“You’ve been quiet.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“With what?”
“Living.”
He chuckled. “Careful. That privilege is fragile.”
My stomach twisted.
“Iris started school again,” he continued. “He looked tired today.”
My hand tightened around my phone.
“What do you want?”
“To remind you,” he said calmly, “That I have your life right in my hands.”
The line went dead.
I say there, breathing slow, forcing myself not to break.
Outside the mansion hummed with quiet power. Inside, something cracked inside me.
I lay back and stared at the ceiling.
I thought about warmth. About silence. About the kiss I wasn’t meant to see.
And the message I hadn’t answered.
I closed my eyes. Nothing felt safe anymore.