Chapter 121: The Weight of Secrets

“Are you listening to me? Isabella! Isabella! Isabella, come back!” I was jolted back to reality by the sound of Trisha's voice.

“You can't tell Alex the truth. You have to understand that once you tell Alex the truth, everything will be ruined. You have to keep on fooling him. You can't just wake up and tell Alex the truth about your relationship with James,” Trisha insisted.

“You don't understand, Trisha. I feel like I'm a bad person hiding the truth from him. I feel like I've done wrong. Every day of my life, I'm feeling guilty because I have to lie to Alex. I can't even look him in the eyes and talk to him. I feel perplexed,” Isabella said, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Isabella, you have to understand that you can't tell Alex the truth. Not now. Maybe not ever. You have to hold in the truth. Just listen to me, Isabella. If you go ahead and tell Alex the truth, what will happen to James? What will happen to his career?” Trisha pressed on. “Yes, you're going to ruin his life, Isabella.”

“But what about Alex? I have to lie to him every day! I can't hold a conversation with him without feeling guilty!” Isabella cried out, her frustration evident.

“Isabella, you have to. You can't possibly tell Alex the truth. Not right now. Think about James's future. You're going to ruin him for good. Once Alex finds out the truth, James will be suspended. His career will be ruined. You have to understand that you can't really tell Alex the truth.”

“But what should I tell him? He's being impatient and waiting for me right there in the car. I can't even look him in the eyes!” Isabella's voice cracked with desperation.

“And you can't possibly tell Alex the truth. Not right now. Isabella, you have to hold on a bit,” Trisha said firmly.

Isabella looked towards Alex's direction while still holding onto Trisha. She was shivering all over, confused about what to do. She glanced at Alex from a distance and felt guilty, trapped in a web of deceit.

“Right now, Isabella, you have to think this through. You have to think about James. You can't think about Alex alone. Yes, I know you love Alex, but you can't think about him alone. Think about James. You have to put him into consideration as well,” Trisha urged, holding onto Isabella's hand, feeling her guilt and pain.

Meanwhile, Alex sat in the car, confused and wondering why Isabella was taking so long to get to him. Out of frustration, he got out of the car and decided to search for her. As he approached, he saw Isabella talking to Trisha, who was holding her hand. Worry washed over him as he noticed Isabella's distressed state.

What could they be discussing? Could it be that Trisha was trying to make her confess the truth about her relationship with James? He thought as he moved closer to them.

When Isabella noticed Alex coming over, she felt a wave of panic. She was scared that Alex had overheard what she and Trisha were discussing. Seeing Alex approach, both of them immediately stopped talking.

Alex, noticing their abrupt silence, felt a sinking suspicion that something was indeed wrong. He walked closer to Isabella and asked, “What took you so long to get to the car? What were you guys talking about? Why did you just go silent upon seeing me? And why are you shivering all over, Isabella?”

“Nothing much. We were just talking about trivial matters,” Trisha quickly interjected, not wanting Isabella to spill the truth.

Alex immediately took Isabella's hand and led her to the car. He opened the door for her to get in and then closed it behind her. “Just hold on for me; I’ll be back in a minute,” he said before walking back toward the entrance where he had seen Isabella talking to Trisha.

He found Trisha still standing there, and he felt compelled to persuade her to reveal what she and Isabella were discussing. “Trisha, what were you and Isabella just talking about? Why was Isabella scared? Why was she shivering? I could clearly see from her state that what you guys were talking about was very important. Just tell me what you were discussing and how crucial it was. Why was she scared when she saw me approaching? And why did both of you just keep quiet when you saw me?” Alex pressed her.

“Nothing much. We weren't talking about anything important, Alex. It was just something simple,” Trisha insisted, trying to deflect his probing.

But Alex wasn't satisfied. He pulled Trisha by the collar and threatened her, “If you don't tell me what the two of you were talking about right now, you won't like what I’ll do to you.”

Trisha's eyes widened as she realized she couldn't hold the truth back any longer. The weight of the secret loomed over them, and a storm was brewing just beneath the surface

“Why do you need to know what Isabella and I are talking about? I already told you we weren't discussing anything important. We're just talking about some trivial matters, and it’s between me and Isabella alone. You don’t have to know. You can’t just turn Isabella into your property overnight. Anybody can have her. She’s my friend, and I can discuss anything I want with her. You have to respect our privacy. Also, she’s not your property,” Trisha said defiantly to Alex.

Alex looked at her, perplexed. He was confused by her bravery in speaking to him, especially after he had threatened her to reveal the truth. He was speechless, unsure of how to respond. He scanned her from head to toe, released her collar, and pushed her away, warning her, “Sooner or later, I’m going to find out what you and Isabella were talking about. And if I find out it’s something I don’t like, you will pay for it.”

Trisha eased her stance and replied, “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Don’t worry; it’s nothing concerning you. It’s just a secret between me and my friend. I just hope Isabella doesn’t tell you about it.