Chapter 3:Breaking Point

The house was too silent. The kind of silence that pressed down on Isabelle like a suffocating weight. She sat in the kitchen, staring at the floor tiles, her mind racing. Her cheek still burned from Richard’s slap, but it wasn’t the physical pain that left her feeling hollow and hurt. It was the realization that this was her life; a gilded cage where her voice didn’t matter, her choices didn’t exist, and her dignity had long been stripped away. She made the mistake of believing she could reason with Richard, but all it had done was make him angry.

The slam of a door upstairs jolted her from her thoughts, followed by the heavy thud of Richard's footsteps. She stiffened and quickly gripped the edge of the counter for support. When Richard appeared in the doorway, his expression was cold and she could see the burning anger in his eyes, much more than before.

“Get up,” he barked.

“What now?” Isabelle asked quietly, not meeting his gaze.

“Upstairs,” he snapped. “Now.”

“I’m your wife, not your prisoner!” Isabelle snapped back, surprising even herself with the defense in her tone.

The slap came out of nowhere, a sharp sound that echoed in the room. Isabelle staggered but didn’t fall. Instead, she looked up at him with defiance in her hazel eyes.

“Don’t push me, Isabelle,” Richard warned, his voice a dangerous whisper.

“Or what?” she said, her voice shaking. “You’ll kill me next?”

He grabbed her wrist, yanking her closer. “Don’t tempt me.”

Her heart pounded as he forced her onto the wall side, his hand closing around her throat. Panic clawed at her as his grip tightened.

“You think you can humiliate me and get away with it? It somehow got out that I had another family, do you know the amount of money I wasted, so the news wouldn't get out?” he hissed. “You’ll regret this.”

At that point, Isabelle was running out of breath, she felt like was was on the verge of death and at that moment, something inside Isabelle snapped. Years of fear, pain, and submission melted away, replaced by a raw instinct to survive.

Summoning every ounce of strength, she brought her knee up hard, hitting him in the balls. Richard grunted in pain, his grip loosening just enough for her to escape and run away.

“You’ll pay for that,” he snarled, running toward her.

Isabelle was weak, so before she could even leave the kitchen completely, Richard caught up to her. He took her by her hair and dragged her back into the kitchen while she screamed from the pain.  “You want to die by my hands, huh?”

He threw her against the counter, causing her to hit her stomach hard, against it. Isabelle held her stomach and cried in pain, little drops of blood falling from her mouth and down her legs.

Richard's eyes widened as he realized. “Isabelle... you... You were pregnant, why didn't you tell me?”  He turned his back to her and ran his hands through his rough hair.

Her eyes darted around the kitchen, landing on the small pan on the counter. Without thinking, she grabbed it and swung, the base colliding with his shoulder.

Richard roared in pain, clutching his arm. Isabelle didn’t wait to see his next move. She bolted for the door, her bare feet pounding against the hardwood floor as she fled down the stairs and out the front door.

The cool night air hit Isabelle like a shock, but she didn’t stop running. Her breaths came in short, desperate gasps, her legs trembling with exhaustion. She didn’t know where she was going—she just needed to get away.

The city streets were eerily empty, lit only by the occasional streetlamp. She ducked into an alley, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. But the sound of heavy footsteps behind her sent her heart into panic. She knew the person coming.

“Isabelle!” Richard’s voice rang out, cold and furious.

She bit back a sob, pushing herself to keep moving. She kept running and Richard was relentless in the chase too. It wasn't until she reached the outskirts of the city that her legs finally gave out, causing her to fall to the ground. She tried to push herself up, but her whole body felt like heavy metal.

The loud screeching sound of an approaching car penetrated her ears and she turned her head weakly to see a pair of headlights approaching. The car came to a halt in front of her and the driver stepped out.

“Miss?” a deep voice called, before moving closer to her to look at her face.

“Isabelle?” the deep voice called again, now with a shocked expression on his face.

“Help me....” Isabelle managed to whisper before passing out.

“That's my wife. Who the hell are you?” Richard spat as he approached the duo.

The man didn’t flinch. “Someone who doesn’t like seeing women get hurt.”

Richard laughed. “This is none of your business, hero. Walk away.”

The man took a step forward, his expression calm but deadly. “Richard Carter. I'm sure you don't want the world to know that you've been abusing your wife to the extent of making her bleed like this.”

“How did you know me? You son of a—” Richard's eyes widened in shock and fear. One thing that he held dear to his heart was his public image.

“Leave,” the man growled, his voice low and menacing.

Richard glared at him, breathing heavily. “This isn’t over.”

“It is,” the man said coldly. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

With one final glare, Richard stumbled away, disappearing into the alleyway.

---

Isabelle woke up to the soft beeping of a monitor. Her body ached like she had been hit by a truck.

“ You're awake.”

Isabelle turned her head towards the direction of the voice and there, a man was seated. Tall, broad-shouldered, body that probably hadn'tskipped a day of workout, dark hair, and piercing eyes that seemed to see straight through her.

“ Who...?” Isabelle spoke, her voice barely audible.

“Liam Anderson,” he said simply. “ I found you on the road and now, you're in a hospital.”

Her memories came flooding back; Richard, the fight, her family's betrayal, her desperate escape. Tears filled her eyes as she came to the realization that she was alone and she had nowhere to go.

“ Hey,” Liam said gently, he was now closer to her.  “ You're safe now.”

“No,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “ I'm not. He'll find me. He always does. ”

“Hey, hey, listen to me,” Liam said, grabbing her hand gently and caressing it. “I'll make sure he doesn't do anything to you, even if he finds you.”

Isabelle started shaking her head, rigorously. She feared Richard so much now. “ What do you know? You don't know him. He won't stop until he's ruined me. He said he'll never let me go, because I'm his. He won't stop until he kills me ”

The heart rate monitor started to beep loudly, scaring Liam himself. What had Richard Carter done to her for her to fear him so much?Liam quickly pressed the call button and held her hands.

“Isabelle, stay with me, please.”