"Isabella? Are you listening?"Isabella gasped. It was as if she had seen lightning on a bright, sunny day. The news was completely beyond her expectations. She blinked in disbelief before finally shouting, "What? A niece? How do you know it's… Irene's daughter?"Nicholas let out a short sigh, as though he was tired of answering rhetorical questions like the one Isabella had just asked. He pulled out his phone from the pocket of his suit and busied himself for a moment before showing the screen to Isabella. "She registered her as a daughter, Bella."Seeing the phone pointed at her, Isabella quickly took the smartphone from Nicholas’s hand. She examined the data displayed on the screen thoroughly, reading from top to bottom carefully. She still couldn’t believe the data until she looked at Nicholas again. "This doesn't make sense, Nick.""What do you mean?""She just got engaged.""You know, in America, you can have a child without being married. What's the problem with that?"Isabella
Isabella arrived at her parents' house with a bouquet of lilies and a bag of pizza in her hands. She was wearing a yellow cropped hoodie and a knee-length denim skirt, which made her look feminine on this bright Sunday. Her heart was filled with hope that Rose and Ben's condition had improved since the last few days.Knock! Knock! Knock!After waiting a few minutes, the door was finally opened by Ben. When he saw his daughter, Ben smiled."My daughter!"Ben was always warm and enthusiastic. While hugging Isabella, Ben said, "You came on a good day, Bella. Your mom made custard pie with chocolate sauce." Isabella pulled away from the hug, looking excited. "That's your favorite, isn't it?""Really? I wouldn't miss it, Dad." Isabella lifted the pizza in her hand, showing it off to Ben. "I also brought pizza for us.""That looks delicious. Let's go inside."When Isabella entered the house, Rose had just finished preparing the chocolate sauce and placed it next to a tray of custard pie. Sh
Isabella returned to her house feeling upset and disappointed. She knew that her marriage was just a contract. However, Felix had promised that he would try to start his life with Isabella, without Sarah. But it seemed like that was just bullshit. Felix always prioritized himself in any situation.Isabella had been checking the clock on the wall and her phone screen over and over again. Felix’s number was still unreachable until now. She sat on the sofa, then went back to her room, then to the kitchen, doing other activities, but even after finishing all of that, Felix still hadn’t returned home."Where are you, Felix?"Knock! Knock! Knock!The sound of knocking on the door startled Isabella. She had been lying on the sofa, wrapped in her pink blanket, but immediately jumped up and slipped into her furry slippers. She ran excitedly to the door, hoping that the person knocking for the second time was Felix.“Where have you been, Fel—Kevin?” Isabella looked confused. She glanced around
Isabella gripped the steering wheel tightly. She was using Google Maps to find the location written in the data Kevin had given her. She didn’t completely trust Kevin, but she trusted Felix, and Felix had entrusted this task to Kevin. She changed direction, battling the night with all the emotions swirling in her head.This was about finding Irene, her twin sister who had suddenly disappeared a few weeks after her engagement to Rudolf. That should be Isabella’s priority now. But somehow, her focus was split between thinking about Irene and wondering what was really happening between Felix and Sarah.Isabella’s car sped toward a small town on the outskirts of New York called Marysweet Avenue. She had heard a little about the place before but had never been interested enough to visit. As far as Isabella could remember, Irene had mentioned this place once. It was a rural area on the city’s border, where Irene had conducted research for her college project.As Isabella entered the road le
"Are you alright, Isabella?"Nicholas got off his motorcycle, parked it, and immediately helped Isabella stand up. Isabella dusted off her backside after falling onto the asphalt, nodded, and said, "I'm fine. But what are you doing here?""Shouldn't I be asking you that? What are you doing in a remote village like Marysweet Avenue, Bella?"Isabella fell silent. Her mind still replayed the moment she discovered Rudolf and the reality that he had a baby. Letting out a long sigh, Isabella lowered her voice. "I think I found—""Found Irene?" Nicholas suddenly interrupted."How did you know?"Nicholas sighed, taking his helmet off the motorcycle and saying, "It's dark and cold here. We should talk while heading back to the city. Were you walking?""My car ran out of gas, back there," Isabella said, pointing to her SUV parked quite far behind them. She shrugged. "I couldn’t find anyone to help, so I started walking."With his uncanny intuition, Nicholas immediately sensed that Isabella was
Felix looked around and turned to see Sarah behind him. Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, "Are you serious, Sarah?"Sarah nodded, smiling as she held Felix’s arm with a joyful expression. "Of course, Felix. Come on, let’s go!""Wait, but this—""Sarah!"The voice cut Felix off before he could finish his words. He turned, and so did Sarah. There was Noel, their old friend. The man of English descent, who later married an African woman, had become one of their business partners in the media industry."Oh, hi, Felix. I didn’t know Sarah would bring you," Noel said with a hint of sarcasm.He wrapped his arm around Sarah’s waist and kissed her cheek gently. Felix was suddenly reminded of Isabella. Isabella would never want this if she were Sarah."Well, my relationship with Felix has improved a bit, and that’s good, right?"Noel looked between Sarah and Felix. He seemed hesitant but finally nodded reluctantly. "Sure. So... are we leaving now?""Of course. Come on, Felix."Unlike a qu
Isabella had just arrived home after searching for Irene and wandering around the town of Marysweet Avenue. It had been an exhausting and... very dramatic journey. She dropped herself onto the sofa, staring blankly at the large television in front of her. Her reflection appeared on the black screen, showing how disheveled and tired she looked.With a deep sigh, Isabella glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight, nearly twelve, and Felix still hadn’t come home."What exactly is Felix doing with Sarah?"Curiosity filled Isabella's chest. She reached into the backpack she had carelessly thrown onto the sofa and pulled out her smartphone. Unfortunately, it was out of battery, and she sighed yet again."My phone's dead, that's bad."Isabella got up from the sofa, leaving her exhaustion behind as she headed to take a bath. Her body felt weighed down, and a bath filled with mint and vanilla-scented bubbles seemed like the best choice right now. Not only did she prepare a fragr
The sound of an alarm from her phone woke Isabella. She struggled to open her eyes, feeling as if something heavy was weighing them down, almost like glue holding them shut. Slowly, she blinked and tried to gather her thoughts all at once. The memories of yesterday made her head ache. About Irene. About Felix. About everything.A long sigh escaped Isabella's lips. She got up and looked around. Her room was still the same. Nothing had changed."Has Felix come back yet?" Isabella touched her neck. "Oh, great, my voice is hoarse from crying all night. How did all this chaos happen at once?"Isabella stood up, hurried to check Felix’s room, but he still hadn’t returned. Her blue eyes scanned the entire house, confirming that her husband hadn’t been back since yesterday. She returned to her room and picked up her phone, but there were no new messages. Felix hadn’t replied or called back. Isabella's heart grew even more uneasy. Did this mean Felix had returned to Sarah and left her?Not wan