CHAPTER 108

CHAPTER 108
POV ISABELA

The silence in the room was deafening.

As soon as Noah and Alex left, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the space. Everything became too big. Too cold. Too empty.

My body still hurts.

Every breath felt like it took effort.

My head throbbed with a constant pressure, as if something were squeezing my skull from the inside, reminding me every second of what I had just been through.

But nothing…

Nothing compared to the pain in my chest.

I stared at the white ceiling, motionless, my eyes open but not really seeing anything. It was as if my mind were far away, lost in a place where only pain existed.

And, as always…

She came back.

Isis.

My daughter.

My girl.

Her words came without warning, like knives cutting through my consciousness.

Shame.

Slut.

I hate you.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

A sob escaped before I could stop it.

Tears began to slide silently down the sides of my face, soaking the already damp pillow.

My chest tightened so much it felt like I was being crushed from the inside.

I couldn’t breathe properly.

It hurt.

It hurt in a way no medicine, no surgery, no doctor could fix.

Because that pain…

Was hers.

I had always been close to Isis.

Always.

Since the moment she was born.

I remembered every stage.

Every sleepless night.

Every fever.

Every tight hug after a nightmare.

She used to cling to me when she was scared.

She said I was her best friend.

That she wanted to be like me when she grew up.

And now…

She was ashamed of me.

She hated me.

I turned my face to the side, pressing my cheek against the pillow, trying to hold back the crying.

“My God…” I murmured, my voice weak, broken.

I wanted to go back in time.

I wanted to undo choices.

I wanted to stop that moment from ever happening.

I wanted to avoid that pain.

But I couldn’t.

Nothing could be undone.

Everything had already happened.

And I was there…

Alone.

With no control over anything.

I cried for a while.

I don’t know how long.

Minutes.

Maybe more.

Time felt distorted.

The door opened.

The sound made my body tense automatically.

I turned my head slowly.

And froze.

My parents.

My mother came in first, with careful steps.

My father followed right behind, with his usual rigid posture.

My entire body tensed.

I wasn’t expecting them.

Not there.

Not at that moment.

Not after everything.

Our relationship hadn’t been the same for a long time.

In fact…

It barely existed anymore.

Since the day I said I was going to divorce Daniel.

Since the moment I told them about the betrayal.

My father had been clear.

Cruel.

“Men are like that.”

“You should accept it.”

“A woman has to keep the family together.”

That day…

Something inside me broke.

And I pulled away.

Because I couldn’t live close to people who normalized betrayal. Sexism.

My mother approached the bed, looking at me with an expression that tried to be concerned… but didn’t hide the judgment.

“Isabela…” she said softly. “How are you?”

“I’m fine…” I answered automatically, even knowing it was a lie.

My father crossed his arms.

“We heard about the accident.”

“And the news,” my mother added.

My stomach tightened.

Of course.

They weren’t there just for me.

They never were.

And then…

It came.

The judgment.

“How could you, Isabela?” my mother asked, her voice filled with disapproval. “Getting involved with someone so much younger?”

I took a deep breath.

My head pulsed harder.

“Mom…”

“You traded Daniel for this?” she continued. “For a boy?”

My father shook his head in disapproval.

“This is absurd.”

My patience started to wear thin.

“Did you come here for this?”

But she ignored me completely.

“We will never accept this relationship.”

My chest tightened.

“This won’t work,” she continued. “And we will do everything to stop it.”

The pain in my head intensified.

I raised a hand to my forehead.

“Stay out of it…” I said firmly, even with my weak voice. “I’m thirty-five years old.”

I struggled to breathe.

“I’m independent. I decide my life.”

My father let out a dry laugh.

“That was Daniel’s mistake.”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Letting you become too independent,” he replied. “Now you think you can do whatever you want.”

My blood boiled.

“Do you hear yourself?”

“I do,” he said coldly. “A woman has to think about her family.”

My head started spinning.

The pain increased.

My breathing grew heavy.

“You’re unbelievable…”

“You’re wrong, Isabela,” my mother insisted. “This relationship has no future.”

The pain became unbearable.

“I’m not feeling well…”

But they kept going.

“You need to end this before—”

“Enough!” My voice came out louder, cutting through the air.

They both fell silent.

Surprised.

My breathing was out of control.

The tears returned.

“I almost died…” my voice broke. “I was in an accident… I’m here, in this bed…”

I swallowed hard.

“And you come here to judge me?”

My vision blurred.

“Get out…”

My mother looked offended.

“You’re kicking us out?”

I closed my eyes.

No strength left.

“I want you to leave. Now.”

Silence fell.

Heavy.

Sharp.

For a few seconds, no one moved.

Until…

They did.

The door closed.

And I was there.

Alone again.

But this time…

More broken.

More tired.

More empty.

The tears came harder.

My body trembled slightly.

I felt abandoned.

Destroyed.

Like everything was collapsing at once.

Family.

Daughter.

Life.

Everything.

Minutes later…

The door opened again.

I turned my head, already expecting more pain.

But—

“Noah?”

He walked in quickly, closing the door carefully behind him.

His eyes went straight to me.

Worried.

Focused.

“How are you?”

“I… I’m fine…”

But he didn’t believe it.

Of course, he didn’t.

He watched me for a few seconds, analyzing every detail.

“You were crying.”

It wasn’t a question.

It was a statement.

I couldn’t answer.

He walked closer.

Sat beside me.

Took my hand carefully, as if I might break.

“Hey…” he said softly. “I’m going to fix everything.”

My chest tightened.

“I told you I’d fix the mess my world caused in yours… and I will.”

The way he said it…

Certain.

Firm.

As if he truly believed it.

As if he were ready to face anything.

“No one is going to keep talking about you like that… I’ll handle it.”

I shook my head slowly.

“It’s not just that…”

He frowned.

“What happened?”

I took a deep breath.

“My parents were here…”

His expression darkened slightly.

And I told him.

Everything.

The relationship.

The distance.

What they said.

What they had always believed.

Every word.

Every judgment.

He listened to everything.

In silence.

Without interrupting.

Without judging.

When I finished, he ran his hand gently through my hair.

“You don’t need their approval.”

Tears slipped down again.

“But it hurts…”

“I know.”

He leaned in carefully.

Pulled me into a gentle embrace, mindful of the wires, the bandages.

“You’re not alone.”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Took a deep breath.

And for the first time…

The pain felt a little smaller.

Not because it was gone.

But because it was being shared.

After a few seconds, I frowned slightly.

“Love…”

He smiled.

A small smile.

But real.

“Yeah?”

“How did you get in? Visiting hours are over…”

He gave a half-smile.

Almost mischievous.

“I snuck in.”

I couldn’t help it.

A small smile escaped me.

“Snuck in?”

“I waited until things calmed down… and came back. I wasn’t going to leave you alone.”

My chest tightened.

But this time…

In a different way.

Warmer.

Lighter.

And for the first time since everything fell apart…

I didn’t feel completely lost.

Because he was there.

With me.

And in that moment…

That was enough to keep me standing.