Chapter 147 Don't You Dare Leave Me Like This!

Chapter 147 Don't You Dare Leave Me Like This!
Isabella's POV

Standing there in front of Marcus, wearing nothing but shadows and desperation, I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs like a caged animal.

The candlelight flickered across my exposed skin, and I watched his face for any sign of desire, any hint that he saw me as more than just an obligation.

But his eyes—those cold blue eyes that used to burn for me—they looked anywhere but at my body. The roses I had spent hours arranging suddenly felt ridiculous, the romantic ambiance I had created nothing more than a pathetic charade.

"Isabella..." he started, and I could already hear the rejection in his voice.

Yesterday's conversation with Ashley echoed in my mind like a poison whisper. "Men have needs. If you're not satisfying him at home, he'll find satisfaction elsewhere. Trust me, I've seen it happen too many times."

The words had cut deep because I knew she was right. Marcus and I had been together for a long time, and we had never... not once had he made love to me.

There had been stolen kisses in college, heated moments that always seemed to cool before they could ignite into something more. I had told myself it was respect, that he was being a gentleman.

But now, with Aria back in his life, I couldn't shake the terrible thought that maybe he had been getting what he needed elsewhere. Maybe he had been with that little bitch this whole time, satisfying himself with her while I waited like a fool.

"What is this about?" Marcus asked, and his voice was strained, careful.

He quickly grabbed my silk robe from the floor and tried to wrap it around my shoulders.

"Don't you want me?" The words came out as a whisper, my eyes filling with tears I didn't give permission to fall. "Marcus, look at me. Really look at me."

He froze, his hands still holding the edges of the robe. For a moment, just a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes. But then it was gone, replaced by that same distant courtesy that had been driving me insane.

"You need to put this on," he said firmly, and the rejection hit me like a slap.

I let the tears fall freely then, my carefully constructed seduction crumbling around me like ash. "Do you love me?" I asked, my voice breaking on every word.

The silence that followed was deafening. Marcus stood frozen, his body rigid, his eyes fixed on something over my shoulder. The hesitation, the way he couldn't even look at me.

But I couldn't let it go. I couldn't let him slip away without trying everything.

"I'm your fiancée," I said, my voice rising with desperation and anger. "We're supposed to be married, Marcus. Why is wanting to make love to you wrong? Why do you act like I'm asking for something shameful?"

His jaw clenched, and when he finally spoke, his voice was hollow. "We should wait until after the wedding. I'm not... I don't have the right mindset for this right now."

"The right mindset?" I laughed, but it was a broken sound. "You mean you don't have the right mindset for me. But I bet you had the perfect mindset for her, didn't you?"

The words tumbled out before I could stop them, fueled by months of suspicion and jealousy.

"For Aria."

Marcus's head snapped toward me so fast I almost stepped back.

"Not about her," he said, then noticed my body and quickly turned his head away.

The rage that had been building inside me for weeks finally bubbled over. I knew I was losing this battle, but I couldn't give up.

Deep down, some rational part of me knew this wasn't going to work. But the desperate part—the part that had been clinging to hope for five years—refused to accept defeat.

"Give me something," I pleaded, stepping closer to him. "Give me some reassurance that this means something to you."

Without giving myself time to think about it, I reached out and placed my hand directly over his most intimate area, feeling the evidence that his body, at least, acknowledged my presence.

"Please," I whispered against his ear. "Just let me—"

"No." The word came out sharp and final as he grabbed my wrist and pushed me away from him. Not roughly, but firmly enough that I stumbled backward.

"This isn't the time for this, Isabella. We'll... we'll talk about it later."

And then he was moving toward the door, straightening his shirt, putting distance between us like I was something contagious.

"Don't you dare leave me like this!" I called after him, but he didn't stop.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said without turning around. "Get some rest."

The door closed behind him with a soft click that sounded like finality.

I stood there for a long moment, still half-naked, surrounded by the roses that now smelled cloying and false. The candles continued to flicker, casting dancing shadows that made the whole scene look like a mockery of romance.

When I finally moved, it was to grab my phone with shaking hands.

Ashley answered on the second ring. "Isabella? How did it go? Did you finally—"

"I need you to find out where Marcus was yesterday," I interrupted, my voice surprisingly steady. "I need to know exactly what he was doing and who he was with."

If he didn't want me, did that mean some other woman took care of him last night?

There was a pause. "Honey, what happened?"

"Just find out," I said, ending the call before she could ask any more questions.

I sank onto my couch, pulling the robe tighter around myself. The apartment felt cold now, despite all the candles.

If Marcus had been satisfied somewhere else yesterday, if he had gone to her after promising to come to me, then I would know exactly what I was dealing with.