Chapter 44 True Beauty In Isabel
Days were passing by, and after the wedding date was fixed, Addison started visiting Mason's house more frequently. She spent most of her time with Mason's grandmother and became quite close to her.
Whenever Mason was home, he didn't hesitate to take Addison to his room, disregarding his parents disapproval. John and Nina felt powerless to intervene as Mason's grandmother had forbidden them to do so. Nina felt so guilty that she avoided Isabel and locked herself in her room most of the time. She couldn't bear the thought of how Isabel was coping with the situation and the guilt of having destroyed her life made Nina feel suffocated.
Isabel, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. She tried her best not to let her emotions show and acted as though nothing was wrong. She had even refused her friend Olivia's suggestion to leave before the wedding after being challenged by Addison. Isabel wanted to prove to herself and to others that she was not broken and that she could accept her husband's decision to marry someone else, even if it hurt her deeply.
But she still had one sorrow, which was not being accepted by Mason's grandmother, and she was unable to let go of the hatred she had for her. Despite Isabel taking care of the grandmother to the best of her ability, she was scolded by her every day, and insults from her had become routine. However, it didn't sound as harsh to Isabel as it did before.
These days, Mason didn't let her sleep in the room that belonged to both of them. Isabel didn't want Nina to know about this, so she slept in the store room at night, hiding from everyone. But whenever she went to their room in need of something, she always found Mason talking to Addison over the phone. He confessed his love more to Addison whenever he saw Isabel near her.
Even one day, when Addison came over, Isabel mistakenly entered the room without knocking to serve coffee and found Addison sitting on Mason's lap. She was beyond hurt but still apologized for entering the room without a knock. After that incident, Isabel avoided entering the room whenever Addison came, as she didn't want to get heartbroken every time.
Despite all the drama, Isabel continued her studies as much as she could. As she was in her final year of college, she had to take her studies seriously every day. It was unbelievably difficult to concentrate on her studies in such a hard situation, but she always reminded herself not to give up and to focus on her goal.
After a few months, she was going to attend her semester finals, and she wanted to graduate with a signature result so that she felt more confident about becoming a lawyer. Even though Isabel felt like giving up sometimes, she knew that she had to be successful not only for herself but also for her family.
Olivia kept in touch with Isabel as much as possible to ensure that she did not fall behind on her studies. She provided Isabel with important notes and guidelines, which were helpful. Isabel was grateful to have a supportive friend like Olivia in her life.
One month had passed quickly amidst all this suffering. Mason's wedding with Addison was only two days away, and the entire house was abuzz with excitement. Most of the relatives had arrived at Mason's house after being invited by his grandmother, who wanted her grandson's wedding to be a grand affair. She aimed to make sure that no one remembered Isabel's existence in Mason's life.
Isabel was busy all day and couldn't even find time to eat her meals on time. Nina asked the maids if Isabel had eaten anything or not, and she learned that Isabel was neglecting herself while being busy to take care of the guests. Nina was extremely angry after hearing this and called Isabel to her room immediately to clarify why she was being so kind to people who didn't care about her feelings.
"Did you call me, Mom?", Isabel arrived quickly, thinking Nina needed something.
"Why are you doing this?", Nina's voice was cold, although her heart was breaking from watching Isabel suffer.
Isabel frowned at first, but then she realized what Nina was referring to.
"Mom, I just...", Isabel tried to explain, but Nina cut her off.
"I don't want to be here, and I don't want you to be here either. So I've decided to move to our apartment with you. Pack your things because we're leaving this evening", Nina meant every word she said, and she had been considering this for the past few days. However, Isabel was taken aback by the idea of escaping like this.
"Mom, have you lost your mind? We can't escape like this", Isabel said firmly, expressing her reluctance to leave. She believed that Nina should be present at Mason's wedding, as it would be the happiest day of his life.
Nina, however, was irritated by Isabel's decision to stay and witness the wedding.
"What do you want? Do you want to be treated like a maid, serving people who don't think twice about hurting you? Do you really want to attend the wedding of your cheating husband?", Nina snapped in anger, leaving Isabel scared as she had never seen her mother-in-law so furious before.
Isabel was also frightened that the guests might overhear them and quickly decided to end the conversation.
Despite her fear, Isabel sat down in front of Nina and spoke softly, "I've tried to leave before, but I failed. Mason may not consider me his wife, but he is still my husband. I am simply fulfilling my responsibility, Mom. If I shirk my duties as his wife, then there will be no difference between him and me. He may have wanted me gone, and I will leave eventually, but not today."
Nina felt guilty for being the mother of a son who could not recognize the true beauty in Isabel. She was ashamed that her son had lost such a pure soul. Nina was speechless, and she couldn't bring herself to talk to Isabel anymore as she felt so low.
"Mom, please don't hide in this room. Mason wants you to be happy at his wedding, and I want the same. Please try to appreciate Mason's happiness, not just for him but for me as well", Isabel said one last time before leaving.
Nina felt disgusted at the thought of attending the wedding and wished she could die before seeing Mason with Addison.