Chapter 210 Book 5: Who Occupied Her Bedroom?

Chapter 210 Book 5: Who Occupied Her Bedroom?
It was 11:30 in the night when Isabella reached home. She unloaded her luggage with the cab driver’s help and paid him. Turning towards her old home, a wave of nostalgia hit her. Nothing had changed. The house was exactly how it was five years back. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the main door and pressed the doorbell, waiting, holding her breath unconsciously.
Hudson had just gone into the kitchen to get a bottle of water when the doorbell rang. Thinking it to be Weston, he went to open the door. Cody’s dad had a fall and was admitted to the hospital. Weston was with Cody the whole day at the hospital. Hudson had also gone to the hospital to see him, but returned home an hour back.
As he opened the door, he blinked with disbelief at seeing Isabella standing at the doorstep at nearly midnight. He pinched himself to check if he was dreaming, but winced in pain, as it hurt immensely. So obviously, Isabella was really here.
“Pumpkin,” he gasped as tears pricked his eyes. Isabella’s eyes filled with tears at seeing her sibling, her only brother.
“Bro,” she whispered, rushing into his arms and clinging to him. Hudson’s eyes filled with tears and he held his sister like she would disappear if he left her.
“Who are you talking to, Hud?” asked his mom sleepily. Coming out of her room, she added, “Tell Wes to have his dinner before he sleeps.” Then her eyes fell upon Isabella and she froze in disbelief.
Isabella looked up and stared at her mom with tears in her eyes. She had grown older and looked frailer than she used to when she left her. Her hair had grayed a little at the temples and she looked exhausted as well. Her heart went out to her mom. How could she have stayed away from her love for five long years?
“Isa?” her mom gasped, looking as if she was about to faint.
“Mom,” Isabella mumbled, releasing Hudson and rushing towards her. Her mom wrapped her in her arms and wept with joy.
“Isa, where did you go, sweetie? Your dad and Wes searched for you everywhere. They had even gone to your uncle’s house in London,” scolded her mom. Isabella was stunned, she didn’t know that!
“I’m sorry, mom. I was so childish and foolish to run away from home, but I’ve come back for good.”
“I’m so glad, my dear,” said her mom.
“Where’s dad? How is he?” asked Isabella, looking for him. He was always around. Although he talked less, he would sit around reading something or the other.
“He’s sleeping, Isa,” said Hudson. “He had a heart attack two days back,” he added.
“I know. Arianna messaged me. That’s why I came back in a haste,” she informed them. Hudson smiled, thinking of Arianna. She had quietly done her job without even informing them. That’s how good friends should be.
“How is he now? Can I see him?” asked Isabella.
“He’s better, Isa. We’re strictly following doctors’ orders. You can take a look, but don’t wake him up. We don’t want him to get any surprises. It won’t be good for him. Tomorrow morning, mom will tell him about your arrival and then you can meet him, okay?” said Hudson.
“Of course, I understand, bro,” she reassured him. She peered into her parents’ room and saw him sleeping peacefully. Hudson had brought all her luggage inside by then, carrying them to her old room upstairs. Isabella followed him upstairs. Anna Sophia emerged from Hudson’s room to see what the commotion was all about when her eyes fell upon Isabella standing in the doorway of her room.
She gasped with surprise. “Isa? Oh, my God! I can’t believe that it’s really you!” whispered Anna Sophia, going forward to hug her.
Isabella smiled at her, hugging her tightly. “I saw your little ones. They’re adorable, Anna. Are they sleeping?” she asked.
“Yeah, they’re really a handful. There’s so much peace now that they’re asleep,” said Anna Sophia with a laugh.
They chatted some more and Anna Sophia helped her store her luggage in her closet. “I’ll help you unpack tomorrow. Okay?” she told her.
“Yeah, that’ll be a great help. I hate unpacking,” said Isabella. She had met everyone but the person she was actually dying to meet. Although she wanted to ask about Weston, she just didn’t have the courage to do so. Maybe he wasn’t there at home. Did he not live here anymore? What was her mom saying about Weston when she arrived? She really didn’t catch on.
Hudson chuckled, seeing her lost expression. “He isn’t at home, if you’re wondering,” he told her teasingly.
“I’m not at all wondering about anyone. I’m just thinking about where I’ve kept my pajamas,” she lied, her cheeks bright with a flush that refused to go away. Hudson chuckled, and so did Anna Sophia.
“You can’t fool me,” said Anna Sophia in a sing-song voice. “Cody’s dad is at the hospital, so Weston’s there with him. He might or might not come home tonight,” said Anna Sophia. Isabella looked disappointed. So she couldn’t meet him tonight, but she had been dying to meet him.
She cleared her throat. “Oh!” she just said. Hudson smiled at her and walked out of her room.
“It’s late, pumpkin. Go to sleep. Sophia, c’mon, get some sleep before those two wake up,” said Hudson.
“Yeah, yeah, coming,” said Anna Sophia. Hudson walked out and Isabella pulled out her old pajamas.
“My stuff is all over the place. I wonder who had misplaced everything,” she said out loud.
“Who else? The one and only Weston Gray who spends his time in this room,” informed Anna Sophia.
“Oh, Weston spends his time here?” asked Isabella in disbelief. Anna Sophia nodded. Hudson called her again, and she ran.
“Good night, Isa, sleep now. We’ll catch up later,” she told her, disappearing into her room. Isabella smiled at her and stretched her tired muscles. It was so good to be home.
She quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into her soft and cozy bed. Ahh! This was the best place in the entire universe! Lying on the bed, she realized how much she had missed home. After returning to where she belonged, she felt complete and happy. She realized what had been missing from her life, her family, her happiness. She had been just surviving for so long, not living life to the fullest. Well! That would change now. She would live with her family and try to give back what she got from them, love.
The moment she turned and sank into her pillow, a familiar scent hit her. Weston’s scent. Why did her bed smell like Weston? Did Weston sleep here? She felt a tug at her heartstrings. She recalled Anna Sophia’s words. He was the only one who spent time here in her room. From the look of the room, she could understand that he really misplaced everything. What about her diary and her treasure chest? She got up and started searching for her diary. It wasn’t there under the mattress.
Isabella found her treasure chest in the drawer of her dresser but couldn’t find her diary anywhere. Did Weston keep it with him? Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought. He must have read everything that she had written. She wondered how he felt after reading it.
Sighing, she lay down again. She wanted to ask Anna Sophia about so many things, about Fiona and Weston. Why did Weston and Fiona not marry one another? She wanted to know what happened after she escaped. Everything. Maybe that had to wait till tomorrow. At last, she closed her eyes and dozed off to sleep.
It was already 1:30 in the morning when Weston returned home. Cody’s dad was stable and Dave had come over to the hospital to relieve him, so he came home at last. Unlocking the door with his own set of keys, he walked inside and locked the door shut. Then he dragged his tired body up the stairs to his room. Quickly showering and changing into his favorite sweatpants to sleep, he walked over to Isabella’s room to sleep on her bed amongst her stuff.
As he opened the door and walked in, Isabella’s sweet fragrance hit his nose. In the dim light of the night lamp, he could make out the duvet covering a pillow, maybe. It looked as if someone was sleeping there. He closed his eyes and climbed onto the bed, shaking his head at himself. He might be hallucinating after a tiring day, imagining Isabella everywhere. A good sleep was what he really needed, but Isabella’s fragrant smell was all he could feel with every breath that he took. He would surely dream of her tonight!