Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Isabella had just woken up, her limbs still weak, and Christopher's sudden yank caused her to fall back into his arms.
The scent of cedarwood, unique to Christopher, filled her nostrils.
This scent surrounded her, reminding her of the month when they first started dating.
Back then, they would spend their nights in passionate lovemaking and often sleep until noon.
At that time, the cedarwood scent on Christopher made Isabella feel safe.
But now, she only wanted to escape.
"Christopher, let go of me!" Isabella struggled, fully waking Christopher from his drowsiness.
He flipped over, pinning Isabella beneath him, his gaze dangerously fixed on her cold face.
"If you don't want to sleep, then let's finish what we started last night."
Christopher tore open her clothes, revealing her pale skin.
He kissed her upper body with abandon, while his lower half gently caressed her thighs.
Isabella felt a strange heat in her body, tears of humiliation streaming down her face.
How dare he treat her like this?
How dare he always act so superior?
Already weakened by illness, Isabella's mind wasn't fully clear. The long-held grievances suddenly erupted, transforming her soft sobs into crying, and finally into wails.
Isabella bit down hard on Christopher's shoulder, her hands pounding his back.
"How dare you insult me like this? How dare you?"
Christopher initially found Isabella's crying somewhat enticing, but it soon began to irritate him.
He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Isabella, can we talk?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Isabella sat up, adjusting her clothes, her attitude as cold as ever.
"If there's anything, I just hope Mr. Harrison stays away from me in the future. I don't want my boyfriend to misunderstand because of you."
Christopher's anger flared again. "That cheap man is that important to you?"
Cheap?
That word again.
A mocking smile tugged at Isabella's lips. "Christopher, to me, there's no difference between you two. And when I was at my lowest, he helped me and gave me warmth. In my heart, he's even more noble than you."
With that, Isabella left.
Christopher's eyes turned icy as his phone rang.
Mike's voice came through the line. "Mr. Harrison, we've found out that Benjamin isn't what he appears to be. He frequents bars and nightclubs, and it seems a woman recently got pregnant."
Christopher had seen Benjamin with his arms around women at a bar, prompting him to have Mike investigate further.
And now they had found something.
Mike continued, "Mr. Harrison, I'll send you the photos shortly."
After hanging up, Mike sent the photos.
Christopher glanced at a few, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
So this was the man she thought was more noble than him?
Christopher couldn't wait to see Isabella's reaction to these photos.
[Find the right moment to show these photos to Isabella.]
After sending the message, Christopher tossed his phone aside, took a shower, and drove away.
Isabella returned to her room. After a night's rest, Chloe was back to her usual self.
She peeked out, looking at Isabella. "Isabella, you didn't come back last night. Did something happen?"
Isabella wouldn't tell her she had slept in Christopher's room, so she brushed it off. "I fell asleep in the bath last night and caught a cold. I didn't want to infect you."
Chloe was a bit skeptical. The hot springs here were quite warm; it was unlikely she'd catch a cold.
To prevent Chloe from asking more questions, Isabella quickly changed the topic. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, after taking some medicine and sleeping, I'm almost back to normal. We should start packing to leave."
The Vertix Atelier staff had mostly finished tidying up, and everyone gathered at the front desk.
Ryan wanted to check in with Christopher, but found out he had already left.
He had planned to discuss the project with Christopher in the hot springs last night but didn't see him.
Now Christopher had left early, and Ryan sighed, gathering the team to leave.
Isabella's body hadn't fully recovered, and she slept until evening once she got home.
She woke to find several missed calls from Chloe.
Thinking it was urgent, she called back.
"Isabella, you finally answered," Chloe said, rolling her eyes.
"I was still feeling unwell, so I slept deeply." Isabella chuckled. "What's up?"
Mike had casually brought up Benjamin's activities to Chloe at lunch, even showing her the photos.
Chloe had been furious, wanting to tell Isabella immediately.
But now, she hesitated. "Have you been in touch with Benjamin lately?"
"Benjamin?" Isabella was puzzled but answered honestly. "He's been busy with work, but he calls every few days. We're doing fine, I think."
Isabella thought Chloe was just curious about her relationship.
"I…" Chloe hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "I saw some photos yesterday. I'll send them to you."
She hung up and quickly sent the photos.
Isabella unlocked her phone with a smile, but her breath caught as she saw the images.
In the photos, Benjamin was lounging in a nightclub booth, with his arm around one woman's shoulder and his other arm around another's waist, sporting a carefree and flirtatious smile she had never seen before.
A cold feeling rose in Isabella's heart, spreading through her bones.
She shivered, trying to get up to grab a jacket, but her legs gave way, and she fell to the floor.
The dull pain in her knee brought her back to reality. She steadied herself against the bed, looking at her phone again, her shock fading into silence.
Isabella didn't delete the photos or call Benjamin to confront him. She tossed her phone back on the bed and walked to the window, staring at the bustling street below.
The streetlights had come on, their warm yellow glow filtering through the glass, but it couldn't reach the coldness in Isabella's heart.