Chapter 186

Chapter 186
ISABELLA

Charlotte smiled faintly, but her eyes were glassy. “I’ve accepted love isn’t for me. I’m done with any damn online relationships. But with my work schedule being a nightmare, I don’t have time to go out and meet people. Fuck, I barely even have friends anymore. You were my only real friend.”
That tugged at something deep in me. I smiled gently. “You were mine too. After you, it was just my siblings.”
She gave a little laugh, dry and heavy. “You know my brother and I don’t talk much. He’s got his family, his own world. We only see each other during Christmas, and even then, it’s like we’re strangers sharing the same blood. I can’t tell him things like this — the kind of things that eat at me or the kind of sex we like to have.” She winked at me at that last part, and I grinned. “But it’s fine. Time heals. I never thought we’d be friends again...”
Without thinking, I reached across the console and placed my hand lightly over hers where it rested on the steering wheel. “Yeah,” I murmured, giving her a soft squeeze before pulling back. “Here we are.”
For a few seconds, there was only the whisper of tires against wet tar and the soft sound of our breathing. The quiet between us felt full — with a kind of peace you only get after years of distance.
Then I said it before I could overthink it. “I doubt love is for me either.”
The words came out small, but they lingered. “I mean, I thought if Levi and I could just start over after all these years, even with him losing his memory, then it was meant to be, and maybe we could find what we lost. But now… I don’t even know.”
Charlotte turned her head briefly, the dashboard light catching in her eyes. “Trust me,” she said softly, “yours is better. I can tell Levi cares about you. No—” she corrected herself, shaking her head. “I know he loves you. Things are complicated because of his father, sure, but that’s not your burden to carry. Tell him the truth. Let him deal with his father. That’s the best thing you can do.”
I exhaled slowly, staring ahead as the light flicked green. The car eased forward, slicing through the puddles and reflections. “I don’t know why I’m hesitating,” I murmured. “Maybe I’m just trying to be realistic. We’re… worlds apart now. Maybe it’s for the best that we are apart.”
Charlotte didn’t answer immediately. Her fingers tightened on the wheel, her eyes focused on the road ahead — the same way she always focused on moving forward, no matter what.
“You’ve both been through too much to give up now,” she said finally, her voice soft yet a little convincing. “Sometimes love isn’t about what’s easy. It’s about what’s worth fighting for.”
“Yeah. I get you.”
“I get your fear,” she said quietly. “If we’re being realistic… sure, it’s messy. But sometimes it’s not about realism. Sometimes life just—” she made a small, helpless gesture with her hand “—favors certain people when it comes to certain things. I guess life favored my career. You’re one of the people life has favored with love, Isa. You should fight for this. For him. Levi chose you twice — once when he had everything, and again when he’d forgotten everything. That kind of love…” her voice trailed off, soft as breath, “it’s rare. Movie-type love…”
I swallowed hard, staring at the blurred lights ahead. “If I tell him,” I said almost in a whisper, “what’s he going to do exactly? Fight with his father? That might escalate things. And Antonio isn’t going down easily. He still loves Levi in his own twisted way, and I think that’s what’s holding him back from completely destroying everything. If Levi pushes back too hard, if he sees Levi slipping out of his control completely, he would lose his shit and then might turn on him too, and it could destroy them both. And I don’t want that on my conscience.”
Charlotte’s knuckles flexed against the steering wheel. “So you’d rather let his father destroy you instead? How does that make sense, dear?”
Her tone was calm, but there was an edge beneath it — frustration laced with worry.
I sighed, pressing my forehead lightly against the cool glass of the window. “I don’t know,” I murmured. “I just… I wonder what Antonio told Levi. He said he told him the truth, but we both know that’s not true. He probably spun the craziest story imaginable. If Levi gets involved, it’ll be chaos. And if it turns into chaos, my family will be the first to pay for it. I can’t let them suffer because of me. I have to make the smartest decision. I don’t have room for mistakes, because I would be the one to pay the price — just like before.”
I hesitated, my throat tightening. “That’s assuming Levi even believes me. What if he doesn’t?”
Charlotte exhaled sharply through her nose. “Girl, you have to stop doubting yourself.” She turned her head slightly, her diamond-cut earrings catching the light. “In this life, money is the currency for men, beauty is the currency for women. Haven’t you seen yourself lately?” Her eyes flicked toward me, playful yet serious. “You’re gorgeous. You have power too. Use it.”
I let out a soft laugh that didn’t quite reach my heart. “So beauty is power now?”
“Of course it is,” she said, smirking. “And you’ve got plenty to spare.”
I shook my head, and we both giggled.
“How many minutes until we get there?” I asked again, glancing at the glowing time on the dash.
“We’re close,” she replied.
I stared ahead. “Me being beautiful — is that really enough? There are so many more beautiful women than me,” I said out loud, deep down hoping she would not tire in assuring me.