Chapter 231: We're About to Separate
The next day, Isabella prepared to head out for groceries. The moment she opened the door, William's face greeted her.
She thought she must still be half-asleep and slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Mary, what time is it?" Isabella called toward the bedroom.
She must be sleep-deprived—she was clearly hallucinating.
Mary was helping Olivia get dressed and called back after a moment, "It's already eight-thirty."
Isabella stood at the door rubbing her eyes when knocking sounded from outside.
She yanked the door open impatiently, only to face William again.
So it wasn't a hallucination after all. Her beautiful day had gotten off to a less-than-ideal start.
Isabella's expression soured. "What are you doing here? Are you finally ready to sign the divorce papers?"
If he actually agreed to that today, Isabella would be thrilled. It would be the happiest day of her life.
However, William's gaze swept past Isabella directly into the apartment.
Mary was bringing Olivia out, and they now stood at the door to the children's room.
William's lips curved into a smile as he waved at Olivia.
"Come here. I just picked up breakfast on the way. Save you from having to cook."
The croissants in the brown paper bag were still steaming, and Isabella could smell the rich butter aroma.
This sudden attentiveness obviously had ulterior motives. Isabella rolled her eyes at William without hesitation.
"Mary's already made fresh-squeezed orange juice. This morning we're having homemade pancakes and fried eggs. Olivia, hurry up and wash up for breakfast."
She'd been too busy with her research to spend quality time with her daughter. Isabella was planning to dedicate these few days to Olivia.
William's appearance had shattered Isabella's plans, ruining her good mood for the entire day.
Olivia obediently acknowledged and followed Mary into the bathroom to wash up.
Though the door remained open, everyone tacitly ignored William's presence.
Just as Isabella took a step inside, she whipped back around and pointed at William's toes.
“Take one more step inside, and I’ll chop off your foot!”
William retreated. "I just bought these. Mom mentioned you used to buy croissants from this bakery for the kids all the time."
Isabella remembered.
The bakery was quite far away. She only made the trip when Olivia specifically requested it, getting up early to buy them.
"We haven't bought from there in ages," Isabella said from the kitchen area, pouring orange juice with an expressionless face. "We bake our own at home now with the oven."
Tammy probably hadn't wanted to discourage William's enthusiasm, so she'd left out that detail.
Isabella felt no appreciation for William's fervor—only irritation.
He'd pop up to lavish attention on the children whenever the mood struck, then vanish again afterward.
But how long would William's fleeting interest last this time? And how would Olivia cope with the absence of paternal affection once he inevitably disappeared again?
Isabella didn't want to think about it, so she simply cut off William's opportunities to interact with Olivia.
She glanced at her watch. "Our agreement clearly states visitation is limited to twice a month. We haven't reached this month's visitation time yet. You'd better leave before I lose my temper."
"Mom and Dad want us to come home. They want to see the kids," William said from the doorway.
Isabella's hand paused slightly, and the strainer she was using to filter pulp from the orange juice trembled.
She and William had been fighting over the divorce for at least three months now. Summer was nearly over, and only now did the Montagu family remember they had a granddaughter?
"Take Nathan back with you. They usually only want to see Nathan anyway."
"Olivia is my daughter too. She should go see her grandparents," William insisted stubbornly.
"They haven't seen Olivia in ages either. In their hearts, Nathan and Olivia are equally important. It's just that Nathan's health was fragile when he was born..."
William could believe his own words if he wanted. Isabella tossed aside the strainer, irritation rising in her chest.
Not allowing them to see Olivia wasn't realistic. Isabella knew William's parents' methods all too well.
Those two were the ones with truly iron-clad tactics. They'd once wielded absolute power in Seaside City—turning clouds to rain with a flip of their hands—people who'd genuinely fought their way through chaotic times.
And they were far more ruthless than William.
After breakfast, Isabella changed Olivia into a pretty pink dress, added a headband and playful braids, dressing her up like a little princess.
"Mommy, why am I wearing such a pretty dress today? Where are we going?"
Looking at her princess-like reflection in the mirror, Olivia proudly lifted her chin.
"To Grandpa and Grandma's house." Isabella gently removed a stray hair that had caught on Olivia's dress.
Olivia's mouth immediately drooped. "Grandpa and Grandma only like Nathan. I don't want to go. I only want to stay with Mommy!"
Isabella knelt down, gazing at Olivia with heartache in her eyes. "Mommy knows you don't like Grandpa and Grandma. Today we're going to make everything clear, and then we won't have to go back anymore, okay?"
Olivia finally smiled again and nodded vigorously.
When they came downstairs, William stood by his car with the door open, waiting. Isabella noticed he'd already installed Olivia's car seat.
But she ignored it, simply leading Olivia to her own car and opening the door to let her in.
Isabella would never forget the route to Montagu Manor.
When she'd first married William, Isabella had been required to return to the manor daily for etiquette training and aristocratic protocol lessons. She'd had to share breakfast with Henry and Sophia every morning, or face accusations of impropriety from other Montagu family members.
She'd endured those ridiculous rules for a full year—right up until the week before she went into labor.
After more than three months apart, William's mother Sophia Simpson still carried herself with that air of lofty superiority. Upon seeing Isabella, she barely glanced at her, focusing her attention entirely on Olivia.
"Our darling Olivia has grown so tall already! She's half a head taller than Nathan!" Sophia exclaimed, watching the two children stand together.
Tammy, the nanny who'd returned to work at the manor, said with a smile, "Nathan will have his growth spurt later. He'll definitely end up taller than Olivia!"
Everyone knew the Montagu family favored sons. Even the nanny deliberately said such things to curry favor.
Isabella picked up a cup of coffee, keeping her eyes down and maintaining a neutral expression, pretending not to hear.
"You and William have always had such a stable relationship, and you're both still young. You must work harder in the future to expand the Montagu family line and have more children. We can't rely on Nathan alone—if something unexpected were to happen..."
Sophia looked at William and Isabella. Though her tone seemed persuasive, it carried an undertone of coercion that made everyone uncomfortable.
"Mom, let's discuss this later. Two kids are already quite a handful," William deflected with a smile.
Isabella preferred directness. Since Sophia had already broached the subject, she decided to address it head-on.
"No need to wait. We can talk about it right now. William and I are about to separate. If you want more children, you don't need to discuss it with me."