Chapter 2

The rain had been falling for hours when Isabella stepped into the mansion.

Her dress was soaked, her hair clung to her cheeks, and her trembling fingers held a small envelope against her chest. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say a hundred times on the journey here, but now that she stood before the man she once loved, every word seemed to disappear.

Adrian Blackwood stood near the fireplace, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. He didn't look surprised to see her.

"You're late," he said coldly.

Isabella swallowed. "I came as soon as I received your message."

He finally turned around. His eyes traveled over her wet clothes before settling on the envelope in her hands.

"What's that?"

"Something you need to see."

She stepped forward and placed it on the table. Adrian didn't touch it.

"After everything you've done, you expect me to believe you have something important to tell me?"

Her heart tightened.

"I know you hate me, Adrian. But I never betrayed you."

He let out a bitter laugh.

"Really? Then explain why I found you in my brother's bedroom the night before our wedding."

Isabella froze.

For three years, she had carried the truth like a stone inside her chest. Three years of humiliation, loneliness, and unanswered questions. She had lost her family, her reputation, and the man she had planned to spend the rest of her life with.

And now, standing before him, she realized he still believed the lie.

"I was trying to save him," she whispered.

"Save him?" Adrian stepped closer. "From what? The consequences of his own actions?"

Before Isabella could answer, a familiar voice came from the staircase.

"Adrian, darling. Are we having visitors?"

Victoria appeared wearing a silk robe, a diamond necklace resting against her throat. Her smile disappeared the moment she saw Isabella.

For a brief second, something resembling fear flashed across her face.

Then she smiled again.

"Oh. It's you."

Isabella looked at the necklace around Victoria's neck. She recognized it immediately. It had belonged to Adrian's mother, and he had promised it to Isabella on their wedding day.

"That's beautiful," Isabella said quietly. "I see you finally got what you wanted."

Victoria touched the necklace proudly.

"Some women know how to keep a man. Others simply don't."

Adrian said nothing.

Isabella felt something inside her break, but she refused to let them see her cry. She picked up the envelope and placed it directly into Adrian's hand.

"Open it. Then you'll understand why I came here."

He frowned and pulled out the documents.

The first page contained a hospital report.

The second contained a photograph.

And the third...

Adrian's fingers suddenly stopped moving.

His face lost all its color.

"Where did you get this?" he demanded.

Isabella looked straight into his eyes.

"From the woman who has been lying to you for three years."

Victoria took a step backward.

And for the first time that evening, Adrian looked at his fiancée not with anger, but with doubt.

Because the signature at the bottom of the document belonged to Victoria herself.

To be continued...