Chapter 115
The person was Colt, his gaze sleazy and his fake concern sickening.
Isabella knew this man all too well.
She knew his constant scheming, his endless manipulation.
She knew the cunning and cruelty hidden behind his gentle facade.
He and Sonia were two sides of the same coin, inseparable, incapable of genuinely caring about her feelings.
His question right now was just an act, a test to see how much pain and doubt Isabella still carries from that night.
That party, that room, that heart-shattering voice.
Sonia sneered from the side, "My disobedient little sister, still with Vitale, can you believe it? Isabella, when did you become so stupid, so stubborn? Or is it that Vitale's skills in bed have completely messed with your head, making you lose even basic judgment?"
Colt's expression was a perfect mix of surprise and curiosity.
"Isabella, didn't you hear the sounds coming from that room at the party last time? So clear, so familiar."
"I still remember how you looked back then, face pale, eyes wide, like you'd seen the end of the world."
"I thought you'd leave him, snap out of it, but instead, you chose to forgive Vitale?"
Colt paused deliberately, letting his words linger in the air, letting the memories flood back.
That noisy party, the dim hallway, the slightly open door, the moans and heavy breathing from behind it, that voice so much like Vitale's, saying intimate things only they would share.
Isabella felt a burning anger searing her throat.
The pain of that night, the despair of feeling betrayed, the heart-wrenching jealousy.
All those emotions came rushing back, but this time, they're not mixed with doubt or fear—just pure hatred for the two people in front of her.
Because they planned it all.
They deliberately led her to that room, made her hear those sounds, wanted her to misunderstand Vitale, to leave him, to return to a state where they could control and hurt her.
And she almost fell for it.
Thinking of this, Isabella didn't hesitate anymore.
She steps forward, moving as fast as a striking leopard, raising her right hand and, before anyone can react, slapping Colt hard across the face.
The sound was loud, jarring.
Colt's head jerks to the side, a clear red handprint quickly forming on his cheek.
He's stunned, eyes wide, looking at Isabella in disbelief.
The always quiet, always patient, always shrinking-back-in-front-of-Sonia Isabella.
The scene fell into dead silence.
Aria and Doria covered their mouths at the same time, eyes wide, "Oh my God, she hit him."
Sonia's mouth hung open, big enough to swallow a golf ball.
She stood there, taking a few seconds to recover, her face quickly storming with rage.
"How dare you hit Colt? He's your brother-in-law, and if it weren't for him, how would you have even met Vitale?"
"You should be thanking him, not blaming him. You have no right. If Colt weren't so kind, you wouldn't even know what kind of mess you've gotten yourself into!"
Sonia roared, charging forward, and before Isabella can react, she slaps her hard in return.
This time, it's Isabella's head that snapped to the side.
A familiar, stinging pain burns across her cheek, harder and harsher than the slap Sonia gave earlier.
Isabella heard a buzzing in her ears, her vision going dark for a moment.
She pressed her hand to the burning spot, the pain spreading through her entire head.
Tears blurred her vision.
But Isabella clenched her jaw, forcing her eyes wide open, refusing to let the tears fall.
She won't cry, won't show weakness in front of these people, won't let them see her vulnerable.
Through her blurred vision, she saw Henley standing in the shadow of the street corner.
His face carried an anger Isabella has never seen before.
Jaw tight, lips pressed into a thin line, fury almost bursting out.
His body leaned forward slightly, like a beast ready to pounce. One signal from Isabella, and he'd rush over, tearing Sonia and Colt apart.
Isabella's eyes met Henley's.
She saw the question in his gaze: Do you need me to step in? Do you need me to deal with them?
She shook her head slightly, the movement small but firm.
Don't interfere.
This was my fight, and I had to handle it myself.
Henley's expression grew even more frustrated. She saw him mutter a curse under his breath, his fists clenching at his sides, but he eventually stepped back, retreating into the shadows, though his eyes remained locked on them, like a watchful protector.
Seeing Isabella stay silent, Sonia assumed she's been stunned by the slap and grows even more arrogant, continuing to yell, "Isabella, you're so naive. I told you not to get involved with him. What did you do? You didn't let go. You kept sleeping with him. Vitale is dangerous, you need to understand that. Chris's legs are crippled because of him. We all know how vengeful he is. Today he can break Chris's legs, tomorrow he could snap your neck. Why can't you get it?"
Her voice echoed through the winter street, drawing more curious glances from passersby.
Some stopped to watch, others pulled out their phones, but after seeing Colt's dark expression and Henley's figure in the shadows, they wisely choose to walk away.
Isabella slowly lowered her hand, revealing the clear handprints on her face.
One from Sonia's earlier slap, the other from Sonia's retaliation after Colt was hit.
She looked at Sonia's face, twisted with anger, and suddenly laughs.
The smile was cold, mocking, like she's watching a ridiculous play.
"Sonia," Isabella speaks, her voice slightly muffled by the pain in her cheek, but every word is clear, "are you yelling like this because you couldn't get Vitale?"
Sonia's expression freezed instantly.
Her eyes widened, lips parting slightly, as if someone just grabbed her by the throat.
A flurry of emotions flashed across her face.
Shock, the panic of being caught, and then a quick, desperate attempt to cover it with anger.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sonia's voice turns sharp, but it lacks the confidence from before, "My husband is Colt. Don't try to drive a wedge between us. We won't fall for it!"
But her denial comes too late.
Isabella has already caught that fleeting moment of truth.
The jealousy and longing in Sonia's eyes.
She remembers back in college, how Sonia was always drawn to dangerous, powerful, uncontrollable men.
She remembered the complicated tone Sonia used when talking about Vitale, a mix of fear and excitement.
So that's it.
Sonia's hostility toward Vitale isn't just because he's dangerous or because he's not good enough for Isabella. It's because Sonia wants him but can't have him.
And Isabella, the little sister she always looked down on, got him.
This realization filled Isabella with a strange, bitter satisfaction.
She looked at the panic in Sonia's eyes and Colt's darkening expression, her smile growing wider.
"Sonia, you don't need to explain. I see the jealousy in your eyes, the hatred from not getting what you want."
"So you'll do anything to ruin me, to make me leave Vitale. Not because you're worried about me, but because you can't stand that I have what you desire."
Sonia's face turned uglier, like a spilled palette of shame, anger, and near-mad jealousy.
She wanted to argue, to scream, but Isabella didn't give her the chance.
"As for what happened to Chris, I already knew."
"Vitale told me everything. At first, I was shocked, thought it was too cruel, too extreme. But then I understood. Chris harassed me, threatened me, wouldn't stop even after I clearly said no."
"He needed to be stopped, needed a warning, and Vitale did it his way."
Isabella paused, looking at Sonia and Colt's stunned faces, saying each word deliberately, "God must have seen it too and let Vitale act. I get it because sometimes, kind words don't work. Only painful lessons make people remember."
Sonia stared at Isabella as if seeing her for the first time, her eyes filled with disbelief, fear, and disgust.
"No," Sonia muttered, her voice trembling with emotion, "Isabella, how did you become so terrifying? So cold-blooded? Do you know Chris's wife was giving birth in the hospital?"
"When she needed Chris, when their child needed a father, Chris was being tortured by Vitale in a basement. If you were there with Vitale, would you let Chris's child lose the chance to be protected by their dad? Would you let a newborn face a disabled father from the start?"