ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

ONE HUNDRED AND THREE
ISABEL’S POV
I should have known better than to hope.
After Jas left, I pondered on the idea of meeting Drake to beg him allow me go see my mother. I wanted to humble myself, swallow my pride and ask him to please consider my plea. A part of me, the foolish, desperate part believed that after our encounter last night, after he held me and unraveled me like no other man had…maybe he would reconsider.
That little shimmer of hope that made me muster the courage to walk to his office, raise my hand and knock on his office door while I rehearse the words in my head disappeared as soon as I saw what made me speechless.
The rehearsed words died on my lips as soon as I pushed the door open. There Rayna was perched on his desk, her body pressed against his. His hands were on her waist, and their mouths were locked in a possessive kiss
I froze, my heart slamming so hard it rattled my ribs.
For a single, shattering second, I couldn’t breathe. The image carved itself into me, raw and merciless. His lips….the same ones that had worshiped every inch of my skin yesterday were on her.
I felt like a fool. A pathetic, naïve fool.
The image of our steamy night together was still buried in my memory, but here he was crashing his lips on another woman. It hasn’t even been up to 24 hours already, is this how easy it is for him to forget every single moment we shared?
They both looked up and saw me. Rayna had a very big triumphant smile on her face and Drake didn’t look guilty at all. I stumbled back, the door slipping from my fingers. I muttered some words I can’t even remember and I ran out of his office giving them enough room to do whatever they want.
I wouldn’t lie, my heart felt like it was being ripped apart.
What is happening to me? Why am I allowing Drake hurt me this way?
I just needed to get away. To breathe. To stop seeing them.
I wasn’t looking where I was going when I crashed into someone. Strong hands steadied me, a familiar scent of cedar and steel wrapping around me.
‘Isabel?’ Aiden’s voice was laced with concern.
I blinked up at him, forcing my face into some semblance of calm, though my chest was heaving, my eyes damp. ‘Oh…Aiden. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bump into you, I wasn’t looking.’
He studied me, brows furrowed, his thumb brushing against my arm as though he could sense the tremor beneath my skin. ‘It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. Why were you in such a rush? Did something happen?’
‘No, nothing happened. I just wanted to get some fresh air that’s all.’ I said too quickly, stepping back, trying to summon a smile that wouldn’t come.
But Aiden wasn’t easily fooled. His eyes narrowed, sharp and probing, the way only someone who knew pain could see it in others. ‘Don’t lie to me. You are pale. Shaking. What did he do?’
The word he made my heart lurch, because Aiden didn’t need to say the name. He knew. Somehow, he always knew when the storm was Drake.
I swallowed hard, wrapping my arms around myself. ‘It’s… it’s nothing, really. I just…’ I bit my lip, desperate to keep my voice steady. ‘I went to ask him for something, and I guess it was stupid of me to think he would say yes.’
Aiden’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with that quiet, protective fury I had come to recognize. ‘You are not stupid Isabel. What did you ask for?’
‘I wanted him to allow me go see my mother,’ I whispered, and it came out rawer than I intended.
His expression softened instantly, though the tension in his shoulders didn’t ease. ‘So he has been the one keeping you from seeing her all along? I knew it’
‘It’s not really like that’
‘What did he say to you?’ he asked.
‘Well,…I didn’t really get to ask him because…’
‘What?’
The words cracked something inside me, but I pushed it down, pushed everything down, refusing to let Aiden see just how deep the wound ran.
‘Isabel…’ His voice gentled, and he stepped closer, lowering his head to catch my eyes. ‘What happened? There is something you are not telling me’
I froze. My heart betrayed me, leaping into my throat. He saw too much, always too much.
I tried to laugh, but it came out shaky. ‘There is nothing more Aiden, you worry too much.’
But my voice broke on the last word, and Aiden heard it. His hand brushed against mine, warm, steady, grounding me in a way I didn’t realize I needed.
‘I’m only concerned because you look like your chest is breaking open,’ he said softly. ‘And I don’t like seeing you like this. What are you not telling me?’
Tears stung my eyes, hot and unwelcome. I blinked them away, shaking my head. ‘I don’t want to talk about it Aiden please’
Aiden didn’t push, though his eyes told me he wanted to. He simply stood there, close enough that I felt his strength, his quiet steadiness wrapping around me like a shield.
And I hated myself.
Because even as I stood there, pretending to be fine, my mind replayed the image over and over….Drake and Rayna, mouths devouring each other, hands gripping tight, like what we had shared last night meant nothing. Like I meant nothing.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run back into that office and demand answers. But instead, I swallowed it all down, painting my face with a mask I prayed Aiden wouldn’t see through.
He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. ‘You don’t have to tell me now. But, Isabel…”’He hesitated, his voice lower, heavier. ‘You don’t have to carry everything alone, either. Not when I’m right here. I will talk to him about letting you go see your mother’
The words pierced me, gentle but sharp.
I nodded quickly, afraid my voice would betray me if I spoke. ‘Thank you, Aiden. I really would appreciate that’
His gaze lingered, like he was studying me. But mercifully, he didn’t call me out again. He just gave my shoulder a small, grounding squeeze before stepping back.
As he walked away, I stood frozen, my chest hollow, my body buzzing with too many emotions at once…..shame, anger, longing, betrayal.
I had gone to Drake with hope, foolish and fragile.
And all I got was another reason to hate him.
But beneath all the fury, buried deep where I couldn’t silence it, was the truth that scared me most.
Last night had mattered to me.
And that was the real mistake.