Chapter 23 Mason Felt Slightly Bad
Mason couldn't contain his panic, shooting furious glares in Isabel's direction. She caught on quickly, understanding that Mason had no intention of dropping her off at college.
"Mom, it's fine. I can go to college by myself. In fact, I'm used to going alone," Isabel insisted, hoping to alleviate the tension, but Nina instantly disagreed.
"Of course not, Isabel. Forget what used to happen before. Now you're Mason's wife, and he has the responsibility to drop you there," Nina stated firmly, showing no inclination to change her mind.
"Am I right, Mason?" Nina turned to her son for confirmation.
Mason was internally cursing Isabel for this predicament. His mom's directive made him wish he could make Isabel disappear on the spot. The idea of going out publicly with Isabel embarrassed him, and the thought of introducing her as his wife was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
Despite his intense disinterest, Mason had no choice but to agree with his mom's words, unwilling to disrespect her decision.
"Yeah... I will drop Anna and Isabel," Mason reluctantly agreed, his disappointment evident on his face. Isabel couldn't help but feel guilty once again, observing how Mason let his face fall to hide his mix of sadness and anger.
"Isabel, go get ready, or else I'll be late because of you," Anna retorted, interrupting Isabel's thoughts about Mason.
Isabel hurried upstairs to prepare for college. When she came downstairs, both Anna and Mason were already gone.
"They're waiting for you in the car," Martha informed her. Isabel rushed to the car, not wanting to delay Anna any further.
"Please try to be prepared for college on time from now. I'm not going to be late for you every single day," Anna scolded Isabel as soon as she reached the car. Isabel nodded silently, lacking the courage to talk back. Anna didn't say anything more and took her place in the passenger seat beside Mason.
Mason hadn't shown any reaction to Isabel yet, silently glaring at her while gritting his teeth in anger. Isabel sat in the back seat, avoiding any eye contact with Mason, who was genuinely intimidating her.
Mason began driving to the college, and an awkward silence hung in the air until Anna decided to break it.
"How did I never come across you, Isabel? I mean, we're in the same college, but I've never met you before," Anna said, staring at the car's rearview mirror to meet Isabel's gaze.
Isabel hesitated, unsure of how to respond. She felt embarrassed about the fact that she usually concealed herself under heavy clothes and a face mask. During her early days in college, she had faced bullying due to her imperfections, prompting her to hide her skin as much as possible. Now, she wasn't sure how Anna and Mason would react if she revealed the truth.
"I think it's because we're in different departments. I'm in the law department, and you're in chemistry, so it's possible we just never had the chance to meet," Isabel lied, avoiding the truth out of fear that Mason and Anna would make fun of her.
"Nonsense," Mason interjected before Anna could say anything.
"She must be embarrassed of her ugliness. Can't you see how she hides most of her skin under clothes?" Mason mocked, instantly weighing down Isabel's heart with pain. She gazed out of the car window, attempting to conceal her tears.
While it wasn't the first time she had encountered such mocking, it was the initial instance where her own people ridiculed her in such a manner. Despite her resolve to appear strong and indifferent to Mason's insults, Isabel found it impossible not to care when it happened for real.
"Ouch! That's rude, brother. You made Isabel emotional," Anna joked upon noticing tears in Isabel's eyes.
"And what about her making my life a living hell?" Mason retorted, increasing the pressure on the steering wheel out of anger.
"Jesus! Chill, brother. Don't cause an accident," Anna spoke in fear, concerned that Mason's rage was overshadowing his ability to drive safely.
Mason managed to control himself, suppressing his fury. However, he couldn't resist glancing at the rearview mirror to find Isabel silently staring outside. Although a part of Mason felt a twinge of guilt for mocking her, he dismissed it with the belief that Isabel absolutely deserved it.
After dropping Anna and Isabel at college, Mason left the premises. Isabel avoided further conversation with Anna, heading straight to her department.
"Hey, wait..." Anna called out to Isabel from behind, prompting her to stop and look at Anna in confusion.
Anna walked toward her and began to speak, "Look, even though we know each other now and share a relationship, I don't want you to annoy me when I'm in college."
Isabel was left curious, not entirely grasping what Anna was trying to convey.
"Annoy you? How?" Isabel sounded puzzled, which Anna found both dumb and irritating.
"Annoy me like talking to me if you see me or act like I'm your sister-in-law in front of my friends. It would be utterly insulting for me if you introduce yourself as my sister-in-law to my friends, Isabel," Anna declared, contemplating how her friends might react upon discovering that her supposedly handsome brother was married to someone she considered unattractive.
Anna's words caught Isabel off guard, causing her breath to hitch for a few seconds. She never had any intention of introducing herself as Mason's wife to others, and she hadn't anticipated that Anna would openly insult her just like Mason did. Isabel felt like a curse in their lives, causing embarrassment for both Anna and Mason.
It was ridiculously challenging for Isabel not to break down in tears at that moment, but she managed to control her emotions, nodding in agreement with whatever Anna said to her.
"Well then, mind your own business," Anna declared, storming off as she always found it intolerable and uncomfortable to be in Isabel's presence.
Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Isabel rushed to the washroom, locking herself inside to cry her heart out. Each passing day made it increasingly difficult for her to cope with the hatred from people who were now supposed to be her own family.