Chapter 6: The Woman Behind the Smile
Nathan didn’t go home alone.
Not after Robert’s warning.
He called Isabella and told her he was coming.
But he told her I would be there too.
The silence on the other end of the phone lasted several seconds.
Then Isabella said one sentence.
“Of course she is.””
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Disappointment.
Like she had expected him to come without me.
When we arrived, Isabella was sitting in the living room.
She looked nothing like the woman who had cried dramatically at the wedding.
No tears.
No apology.
Just anger.
“I knew this would happen,” she said.
Nathan stood in front of her.
“What would happen?””
“You would take her side.””
I almost laughed.
Nathan’s voice was quiet.
“Mom, you tore her dress.””
“It was an accident.””
He placed the photo on the table.
The one showing her foot above the lace.
Her expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“You had cameras everywhere,” she whispered.
“Yes.””
She looked away.
“I didn’t think anyone would notice.””
The words hit harder than any confession.
Nathan stared at her.
“You didn’t think anyone would notice?””
Isabella crossed her arms.
“I didn’t hurt anyone.””
I stepped forward.
“You ruined something my dying mother helped me create.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“Don’t make this dramatic.””
The room went silent.
My mother’s struggle.
My wedding.
My memories.
All reduced to “dramatic.””
Nathan looked at her like he was seeing a stranger.
“Mom.””
She looked at him.
“You always do this.””
“Do what?””
“Make me the villain.””
Nathan shook his head.
“No. You do things that make people stop trusting you.””
For the first time, Isabella looked hurt.
“You’re my son.””
“And she’s my wife.””
The sentence hung between them.
Isabella’s face changed.
“You’re choosing her.””
Nathan answered immediately.
“I’m choosing the truth.””
That seemed to break something inside her.
She stood up.
“You have no idea what I’ve sacrificed for you.””
Nathan looked exhausted.
“I know exactly what you sacrificed.””
“What?””
“Everyone’s happiness, because you needed to be the most important person in the room.””
Isabella went quiet.
Then she looked at me.
“This isn’t over.””
Nathan stepped between us.
“Yes, it is.””
She laughed softly.
“No.””
She walked toward the hallway.
“You still don’t know everything.””
Nathan frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Isabella smiled.
A small, cold smile.
“The dress was only supposed to be the beginning.””
My blood ran cold.
Nathan stared at her.
“What did you do?””
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she walked to a cabinet and pulled out a folder.
She placed it on the table.
“I wanted you to see the truth.””
Nathan opened it.
Inside were printed emails.
Wedding vendor messages.
Private conversations.
And one document that made his face lose all color.
“What is this?””
I stepped closer.
“What?””
Nathan looked at me.
“It’s a cancellation request.””
I frowned.
“For what?””
He handed me the paper.
My hands shook as I read the heading.
It was from our wedding venue.
A request made two weeks before the wedding.
Someone had tried to cancel our reservation.
The name at the bottom made my stomach drop.
Isabella.
But beneath it was something even worse.
A second signature.
Someone else had approved it.
Someone I never expected.
Nathan stared at the page.
“Who signed this?””
I looked at the name.
May you like
And whispered:
“Your father.””
