chapter 128

chapter 128
Isabella's POV.

I had been skipping meals for days as I told myself that it was nothing but just stress from school or the weight I knew about crashing down on me.

But in the silence of my room. I knew about the truth, my body was changing and my stomach disturbed me in ways I couldn't ignore. The faint dizziness came in waves, pulling me into a place of denial and fear.

Still, I locked that truth deep inside of me refusing to let anyone, especially Declan see it.

I heard a knock on the door as I heard Clara speak from outside the door.

“Mrs Isabella. Breakfast is ready downstairs.” Clara informed me.

“You all can go ahead without me. I have already eaten” I lied and she didn't say anything to me and left instead.

A few minutes later I heard a knock on the door and I was about to get angry because I told her that I wasn't hungry so I wasn't coming back to ask me the same question? 

I stood up from my bed and then I walked towards the door with anger inside of me as I opened it only to see Declan standing in front of me.

I rolled my eyes then I turned my back against him as I walked back to my bed and sat on it.

Declan also walked towards me as he brushed his hand against my arm. His eyes were filled with concern but I leaned away.

I said I'm not hungry in case you're coming here to try to pacify me to eat” I muttered.

“Baby you rarely touch your food these days” he whispered one night as he pushed the plate closer to me and his fingers brushed mine as if he was trying to bridge the distance.

“I told you that I'm fine. So don't force me to do something I don't want to do” I said and his eyes which were filled with hurt and confusion stared at me.

“Is it school that is stressing you Isabella? You know you can always tell me and I'm willing to help you out” he said and I forced a smile at him. A smile that felt like glass breaking on my lips.

“Yeah you are right. It is just school stress. So don't overthink it.” I said and he let out a low sigh but he did not insist any further. 

He tucked a strand of hair that fell over my face behind my ear and my heart ached with how much I wanted to collapse into his arms and tell him everything but I couldn't. Not when Sabrina was still in our lives.

\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a few days later when it happened. I had just come back from school, I had classes throughout the day. I was walking through the hallway of the house.

My heart was pounding in my chest and I was already tired. I just wanted to go back to my old little space and have time alone for myself but fate had other plans for me when Sabrina appeared in front of me.

It felt as though she was like a shadow waiting for me. Her eyes were locked into mine and I saw that sly and mocking smile on her lips.

“Well, if it isn't the little wife.” She said as she folded her hands across her chest and I didn't know what she meant by that and I still did not want to know.

My throat felt dried instantly and I forced myself to keep walking instead of giving her the attention she needed to be satisfied.

But then she was able to walk faster than me and block my path, by standing in front of me.

“You look pale Isabella. Are you worn out already? Marriage to Declan is a heavy crown to carry. And weak women like you rarely last long in his life.” she said and her words sliced through me, sharper than anything I have ever heard.

I tried to move past her without saying a word but then she blocked my path again.

“In case you care to listen. Do you know what he told me once? That he loved how I could keep up with him. That I was strong, fiery, and unstoppable. But look at you, you can't even stand straight without looking like you want to fall apart” she mocked and I felt anger swoosh through me.

I balled my right hand into a tight fist, my nails digging into my palms. My first instinct was silent but the anger in me was going to let it all out. In that moment I felt sparked, wild, and untamed.

“If you feel like you are enough for him, Sabrina. Then you wouldn't have to remind me every second.” I said and I loved to see the way her smile faltered on her face, just for a second before she chuckled at my words.

“Oh darling, I am not reminding you, instead I am warning you. No matter how much he says he wants only you. I will always here because of our son. You can't just permanently erase me from his life. You can't erase us Isabella” she said and her words lingered in the air like poison.

She walked past me with a deliberate force and she brushed my shoulders as she walked down the stairs. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest as my eyes began to swell up with tears I didn't want to let flow freely in front of her presence.

\~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening. I was seated in the room looking at the floor as Declan entered inside and found me in that position. 

I noticed he had entered the room and he leaned against the doorway studying me slowly before walking inside.

“Baby you have been so distant from me. Can you just talk to me.” he said and I looked up, my chest tightened as soon as I saw him being worried.

“I told you I am just tired” I whispered and he moved closer to me, lowering himself in front of me.

His hands reached for mine but I hesitated before letting him hold them. And when he did, his warmth seeped into my cold fingers, and I hated how much comfort it gave me. 

“I don't buy that anymore. You are not eating and you are avoiding me. And when I try to touch you, it feels like you are slipping away from me. Baby please can you not just do this to me” he said softly with a shaky voice.

And the word baby cut straight into me. He only ever called me that name when he was desperate and when his heart was laid bare. I swallowed hard as I forced my tears back into my eyes.

“I am perfectly fine and you don't need to worry about me” I said and his thumb brushed my knuckles, as his eyes never left mine. I wasn't looking into his eyes but he was looking into mine.

“But I do need to worry about you because you are my everything Isabella. Whatever it is, you know that we can face it together right?”  he said and if only he knew. 

If only I could tell him about the tiny heartbreak I suspected growing inside of my body. But then I remembered Sabrina's words, and the way she claimed her place in his life with that boy. Their son. Their unshakable bond. And fear silenced me.

I pulled my hands away from him as I stood up instantly.

“I need some rest, that is all. So give me that space of mine.”

Declan stood up too and his facial expression was a mixture of frustration and helplessness. He wanted to fight for me but I wasn't giving him any weapons. 

“Okay you can rest. But please baby don't shut me out from your life” he begged and he instantly left the room, closing the door gently behind him and the moment he was gone, my tears flowed down my cheeks.

I pressed my hand to my stomach. Because the secret I carried was heavier than any burden I had ever known.

I thought of Sabrina's cruel words and her child calling Declan daddy. I thought of Declan's pleading eyes when he looked at the boy. His son. And everything broke me into tiny pieces.

“What am I going to do? How am I going to survive all of this?” I asked myself as though answers could be generated for me so my body and soul can be at rest.

But then I closed my eyes as I whispered to the life inside me no one else knew about.

“I will protect you, my baby. Even if it kills me, I promise to always protect you as your mother and your father”

The house felt too big and too loud for me. It felt suffocating alongside Declan's confusion, Sabrina's cruelty and my own silence. It was all becoming too much for me. 

But I knew one thing with absolute certainty. This secret growing inside me was mine. And for now, it would stay that way.

Because in this storm of love, betrayal, and doubt. It was the only thing that felt truly mine to hold onto.