Chapter 21
Isabella read through them one by one and slowly put down her phone.
She leaned against the head of the bed and tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Even a biological mother is nothing special.
She was Jasper's real mother.
Yet on her own son's social media account, the very first photo was always of Charlotte.
Isabella closed her eyes, pressed her thumb over the screen to turn it dark, and let the phone fall onto the pillow beside her.
The room slipped into absolute darkness.
She curled under the blanket, but she didn't cry. Six years of marriage had already wrung her dry. Now, facing all this again, all she felt was a hollow space right behind her sternum, as if something had been carved out—or maybe had never been there to begin with.
She rolled onto her side and buried her face in the pillow.
Moonlight leaked through a thin gap in the curtains, casting a narrow band of silver across the floor.
At the far end of that pale strip lay her phone, screen facedown, perfectly still.
On it was a call she hadn't dialed. And a photo she never wanted to look at again.
In the darkness, Isabella lay there for ten minutes.
Only ten.
Exactly ten minutes later, her eyes snapped open. She pushed herself upright.
She threw back the blanket and padded barefoot toward the door. Her fingers touched the switch, and with a sharp click, the room burst into light.
The harsh light made her narrow her eyes slightly, yet the haze and pain in her eyes were completely dispelled by the illumination, replaced by a piercing clarity and sharp coldness.
Why should she be the one hiding in the dark, drowning in pain?
Why should Charlotte get to parade her borrowed virtue online using Jasper, while the woman who had truly been wronged was crucified over rumors and doctored screenshots?
She crossed the room, grabbed the phone from the pillow, unlocked it, and opened her social app.
The official account belonging to Isabella, Chief Design Director of Northstar Architecture, had now been flooded with countless vicious private messages and comments.
She didn't read any of them. Instead, she opened her photo gallery.
The newest picture was from dinner tonight, the one Chloe insisted they take.
In the photo, a hearty Mexican platter was steaming hot. Chloe beamed brightly while making a peace sign. Isabella sat in the middle with a gentle and relaxed smile on her lips. Joseph was seated on her right, turning his head slightly toward the camera. In his hand, he holded a spoon just used to serve her guacamole, wearing an open and tender expression.
Full of down-to-earth warmth, yet without any shady ambiguity.
Isabella tapped on the photo, then let her fingers fly across the keyboard, typing a long post.
[Due to the large number of fabricated stories circulating about me in the past two days—stories that have already disrupted my life and damaged Northstar Architecture's reputation—I am issuing an official response.]
[First: regarding the so-called academic complaint from eight years ago. Every design I submitted during my competitions and coursework was entirely my own original work.]
[Second: Mr. Miller and I trained under the same mentor and were partners when we founded our first firm. Six years ago, I left the field for personal reasons. My return to the industry happened because he invited me back. He is my mentor, and a leader I deeply respect. Anyone using a few blurry security screenshots to fabricate an affair and discredit a woman's professional value is insulting every woman in the industry.]
[Third: regarding my personal life. I entered a legal marriage six years ago. As of last month, I have formally submitted a no-asset-claim divorce agreement to my husband, and the process is ongoing. I did not cheat. I did not obtain any position through inappropriate means.]
[Finally, I have authorized my legal team to collect evidence against all accounts, media pages, and organizations involved in spreading these rumors. The internet is not above the law. You will be receiving formal notices soon.]
[The truth is the truth. Let my work speak for itself.]
She checked for typos, found none, and hit Post.
The moment she sent it, the clock flipped past midnight.
Her statement exploded across the internet. Within half an hour, likes and shares skyrocketed, pushing her post to the top of the platform's trending list.
The paid trolls and bored onlookers who'd fueled the rumor mill froze in disbelief.
Comment after comment shifted direction.
[Holy crap—Isabella didn't hold back. That statement is solid. Clear. Organized. Brutal.]
[I knew something was off about that complaint letter! Whoever dug that up is disgusting.]
[Wait—she filed for divorce last month? And walked away with nothing? What kind of man makes a brilliant designer so desperate to leave she won't take a dime?!]
[Look at the photo! Chloe is adorable, and Mr. Miller looks amazing. This doesn't look shady at all. This is literally the definition of clean, healthy friendship.]
[Stand by Isabella to fight this to the end! Make those online rumormongers who spread obscene rumors go bankrupt!]
While the internet boiled over and public opinion turned sharply in Isabella's favor, another bomb dropped.
Joseph—founder of Northstar Architecture, notorious for avoiding social media—shared her post from his verified account with several million followers.
Not only did he repost it, but he added a message so candid it stopped the feed cold.
[Isabella is the most gifted and principled designer I have ever known. I invited her to Northstar Architecture because the firm deserves the best minds. Nothing more.]
[As for the speculation about our relationship, allow me to clarify: Isabella has always regarded me as her most trusted friend, and as an older brother figure. That is all.]
[If anyone insists on painting it another way, then know this—the only emotion that exists between us has always been my one-sided admiration.]
[I have admired her talent for years. I have regretted not being able to stand beside her sooner. But I have never crossed a line. Even friendship requires respect to survive.]
[Do not drag a brilliant woman through the mud for clicks. And do not taint the most important friendship of my life.]
[Northstar Architecture's legal department has begun proceedings against every party involved in defaming our Chief Design Director.]
The platform crashed for three full minutes.
This was what dignity looked like. What devotion sounded like. What real integrity felt like in a man.
Joseph delivered all of it in one breath.
People lost their minds in the comments, sleep forgotten.
[End me now. What kind of flawless man says something like this?!]