Chapter 89 Done with This Marriage
BELLA
The room felt suffocating. Every corner, every piece of furniture screamed his name. I didn’t want to believe what I’d overheard that I was just a pawn in David’s twisted game. My heart clenched as I yanked open the wardrobe. One by one, I pulled out my clothes, tossing them into the open suitcase on the bed. My hands trembled as I avoided touching anything he’d ever bought me. Those things felt like shackles now, weights pulling me deeper into this pit of betrayal.
The memories stabbed at me relentlessly. First, there was the night with his ex-fiancée her presence in our lives, his lies, and how it had all ended with me losing my memories. And now this? A bet? Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t stop packing. The mansion, once grand and full of life, now felt like a gilded prison. I couldn’t stay here another second.
I froze mid-motion, clutching a scarf. The door creaked open. My breath hitched as David stepped inside, his face drawn and pale. His eyes immediately fell on the half-packed suitcase.
“What are you doing, Bella?” His voice was low, hesitant, like he already knew the answer.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” I snapped, throwing the scarf into the suitcase. My voice cracked, betraying the tears I was trying so hard to suppress.
“Bella, please,” he began, taking a step closer.
I raised a trembling hand to stop him. “Don’t. Don’t come any closer.”
“Let me explain,” he pleaded, his voice breaking.
I laughed bitterly, wiping at my cheeks. “Explain what, David? That I was just a pawn in your game? That you didn’t even trust me enough to tell me the truth? First, you sleep with your ex-fiancée, and now this? You’ve been lying to me since day one!”
His jaw tightened, and he ran a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a caged animal. “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t plan to hurt you, Bella.”
I shook my head, stepping back toward the wardrobe. “You used me, David. You made me a pawn in your game without a second thought. Do you know how that feels? And don’t you dare bring up Lizzy or the gardener or whatever excuse you’ve come up with this time. I was drugged, David! Drugged! Was that part of your plan too?”
His eyes widened. “No! God, no! I didn’t know Lizzy would…”
“Enough!” My voice echoed through the room. The weight of my anger, my pain, my exhaustion pressed against my chest. “I should’ve known. The mighty David Copperfield he doesn’t love anyone. He just uses people. And guess what? I remember everything now.”
David froze, his brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I remember everything,” I said, my voice steady but sharp. “I remember her. I remember how you danced with her, how you shared that night with her. And I remember the car hitting me. All of it. I thought you loved me, David. But all you’ve ever done is hurt me.”
“Bella, please, listen to me,” he said, his voice desperate now. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. Everything I’ve done it’s been for you. I didn’t want her. That night, it was a mistake. A moment of weakness. I…”
“Don’t,” I said, cutting him off. I held up my hand again, this time steadier. “I don’t need your explanations. I don’t want them. I’m done, David. This contract marriage, this sham of a relationship it’s over.”
I turned back to my suitcase, zipping it up with trembling fingers. My heart ached as I heard him take another step closer.
“Bella…”
“Don’t make this harder than it already is,” I said quietly, without turning around. “I’m leaving.”
The room fell silent except for the sound of my suitcase wheels scraping against the floor as I pulled it toward the door. I didn’t look back, not even when I heard him whisper my name, not even when I felt the weight of his gaze on my back.
Because if I looked back, I wasn’t sure I’d have the strength to leave.