Chapter 18 The Cost Of Silence
Isabella’s POV
“What the hell is going on here?”
Landon’s voice comes out low, but it carries enough force to make my chest tighten instantly. Fear crawls up my spine, settling deep in my bones as I immediately take a small step back.
Sarah is already moving beside me, her mouth opening to speak. “I—“
“She—“ Clara lets out a sharp cry, her voice cracking as she clutches her head tightly. “They’re both trying to hurt me!”
Landon’s gaze snaps towards us the instant she says those words, filled with something cold and dangerous. “What?”
“I didn’t—” Sarah starts, but Landon’s cold gaze on her forces her words back. “Let me—“
“Who tried to hurt my sister?!” Landon’s voice thunders through the room, his voice following every corner. “I’m not going to ask a second time. Who the hell touched my sister?”
The tone of his voice sends a chill straight through me, pinning me in place without meaning to. Sarah inhales sharply beside me, and I can feel her preparing to say something—
“I did it.”
The word leaves my mouth before my brain can even fully process it. My heart is pounding so loudly I swear everyone can hear it, but I force myself to speak, even as fear claws at my throat.
“It was me.”
Sarah’s head snaps toward me, her eyes wide with shock, but I don’t look at her.
“I…pushed her,” I continued, my voice shaking but I forced it steady. “S…she was dragging me by the collar, and I..I was struggling… I didn’t know when I pushed her. It wasn’t intentional…”
“…I’m sor—“
I don’t get to finish.
Because in the next second—
He’s in front of me.
So fast I don’t even see him move.
His hand grips my throat tightly, unyieldingly, cutting off my breath instantly. “How dare you!” He barks, his grip tightening much more now, “How dare you lay your filthy hands on my sister?!”
“I—“ the words come out broken, my eyes widening in shock as my hands fly up to his wrist instinctively. Panic floods through me instantly, my fingers clawing weakly at his hand for release. “P…please—“
My words mean nothing to him, because his grip tightens even more instead. Pain shoots through my neck as my feet lift off the ground, my body dangling helplessly in his hold.
“P-please…” I choke out, tears spilling down my cheeks as my vision begins to blur all around me. “L..let go…”
But there’s no mercy in his eyes.
Only coldness.
“Landon, stop!”
Sarah’s voice cuts through the room sharply, filled with a sense of urgency as though her life depended on it.
“Let her go! She’s innocent!”
The words snap something inside him.
Because suddenly—
His grip loosens.
Air rushes back immediately into my lungs as his hand releases me completely, and I drop to the floor hard, coughing violently as I struggle to breathe again.
I curl slightly into myself, clutching my neck as if it would help lessen the pain.
“What are you talking about?” Landon asks, stepping closer to Sarah now. But Sarah does not step back, she doesn’t move an inch, her expression stubborn despite the redness blooming across her cheek from Clara’s slap.
“I’m the one who pushed Clara,” Sarah says without hesitation. “Not Isabella.”
For a moment, Landon doesn’t utter a word, he just stands there, his eyes scanning her for any sign to prove if she was speaking the truth or not.
“She’s lying!” Clara suddenly snaps, the pain etched in her voice fully gone now. “She’s just trying to cover up for this—“
“No,” Sarah cuts her off before she can finish, “I’m speaking the truth and you know that, Clara.”
“She was dragging Isabella by the collar,” Sarah continues, her eyes locked on Landon now. “She almost choked to her death with the collar and I couldn’t bear to see that…so I pushed her away.”
My heart tightens as I listen, still struggling to steady my breathing.
Holy shit!
He’s definitely going to skin her alive now.
“Isabella lied that it was her because she was trying to protect me,” Sarah’s voice snaps me back to reality, her gaze flickering to me briefly, then back to Landon.
Landon’s gaze shifts slightly, something unreadable flickering in his eyes as he looks down at me for a brief second. The moment our eyes meet, I lower my gaze immediately, fear still gripping me tightly.
“Clara is at fault,” Sarah says firmly, pointing towards her without fear. “Not Isabella, and definitely not me.”
“You expect him to believe your filthy lies?” Clara snaps back, shaking her head, “Do you really think he’ll believe you over me?”
For a second there, I thought Clara’s words would affect Sarah, but she doesn’t back down.
Not even a little.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Clara!” She shoots back, her voice dropping into a low whisper only to both their hearing as she looks back at Landon. “Both of you.”
“Especially you, Landon,” she continues, her gaze locking onto him, “She’s pregnant with your child for fuck’s sake, and this is how you treat her?”
The instant she says those words, something flickers in his expression. But then, it disappears as quickly.
“You didn’t even think,” Sarah’s voice is rising through the entire room now. “You didn’t even ask to know the truth, but instead you believed your sister and tried to kill Isabella. “Maybe it’s time you start seeing things for what they really are,” she adds coldly. “And stop blindly trusting your sister before it’s too late.”
Landon opens his mouth, like he’s about to say something—
But Sarah doesn’t let him.
Because her gaze suddenly shifts to me.
And her expression changes instantly.
“Isabella…”
Her voice comes out softer this time, filled with concern as she rushes toward me. I blink slowly, confused at why she is staring at me that way—
And then I feel it.
A wet, liquid falls onto my hand, and I look down to see blood. My breath catches slightly as more of it begins to drip from my nose uncontrollably, falling onto the polished marble floor in small, steady drops.
“I…I didn’t—” My voice trembles as panic starts to creep in before I can control it.
“It’s okay,” Sarah says quickly, kneeling beside me. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Before I can realize anything, her hands gently help me sit up, supporting me carefully.
“We need to get you cleaned up,” she mutters, more to herself than anyone else. We start to move toward the door, but then—
“I’ll take her, Sarah. You don’t need to.” Landon’s voice cuts through the silence as he steps in front of us.
“Move!”
Sarah’s voice thunders across the room.
“I said I’ll take—”
“Just get out of the way, Landon!” She snaps, her voice interrupting his words before he barely finishes. “You’ve already done enough damage.”
The words must have twisted something inside him, because he moves away immediately. Sarah’s hand supports me, leading me as we make our way out of the room.
“You’re a fucking monster,” she pauses on the door for a second, her words hitting hard as she stares directly at him.
For a second, it looks like he might react.
Like he might rip her into shreds for daring to speak to him in that manner.
But he doesn’t.
And Sarah doesn’t wait.
“Come on,” she says softly to me, leading me out the door now. I nod weakly, my vision still slightly blurred as she guides me toward the door.
Even as we leave the room I could still feel his eyes burning behind me, but I don’t look at him.
We’re out of the room.
Leaving behind nothing but silence in its wake.