Chapter 049

Family Dynamics

The soft whine of the engines on the private jet hummed through the cabin as Isabelle pressed her face against the window, watching as the blue waters of the Pacific gave way to the familiar cityscape below. She felt Carlos squeeze her hand lightly, and she turned to meet his eyes, filled with both hope and uncertainty.

"Ready to face the real world again?" he asked, his voice chipping with a hint of his humor.

Isabelle smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "As ready as I'll ever be," she returned. Their week in Bora Bora had seemed like a dream, an opportunity to plug back in and heal old wounds, to rediscover that giddy love that brought them together. Now, though, as they made the descent back into the messy lives awaiting them at home, she couldn't but help wonder how well their progress was going to stand up against the stresses that reached out to them from there.

As soon as she stepped off the plane, Isabelle's phone buzzed with a message from Mrs. Winston - the