Chapter 3: Leaving Everything Behind

The bus stop was colder at night.

The wind moved through the empty street, brushing against Isabella’s skin like a harsh reminder that this was real.

Not a nightmare, not a passing moment but real.

Her suitcase stood beside her.

One medium-sized black case.

That was all she had taken from the Collins Mansion.

Three years of marriage, three years of waiting, and three years of loving a man who had never once reached back.

Reduced to a single suitcase.

An empty laugh escaped her lips, soft and broken.

“How did it come to this?” she whispered.

No one answered.

Only the distant hum of passing cars and the flicker of streetlights overhead.

Her hand slowly moved to her stomach again.

It has become instinct now.

A silent reassurance.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

This time, the apology wasn’t for herself.

It was for the life growing inside her.

Because this child would enter the world already carrying the weight of abandonment.

The thought made her chest ache.

A bus approached in the distance, its headlights cutting through the dark.

For a moment, Isabella considered getting on.

Going anywhere, just moving, but where?

She had no plan, no destination either and no home.

Her phone rings again.

Daniel.

She stared at the screen for a long moment before answering.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

His voice came immediately.

Direct, concerned and Isabella hesitated.

“At a bus stop.”

A pause.

The…..“Send me the location.”

“No.”

The refusal was immediate.

“Isabella,” Daniel said, his tone firmer now, it’s late, and you’re alone.

“I said no.”

She went silent.

Then his voice softened.

“You don’t always have to carry everything by yourself.”

Her throat tightened.

Because if she allowed someone to help her right now…

She might fall apart completely.

“I’ll be okay,” she whispered.

Daniel let out a slow breath.

“At least tell me you have somewhere to go.”

She looked down at her suitcase.

At the empty road ahead.

In life, she was no longer recognised.

“Not yet.”

That answer said more than enough.

“I’m coming.”

Before she could protest, the line went dead.

Isabella stared at the phone.

Then slowly lowered it.

Part of her wanted to be angry. But another part was the exhausted, lonely part, and was quietly relieved.

Back at the Collins Mansion.

Andrew sat alone in his study, a glass of whiskey untouched on the desk.

The room was silent.

Too silent.

His eyes moved unconsciously toward the door.

Empty.

No soft footsteps.

No quiet voice asking if he needed dinner.

No gentle presence moving through the room.

For the first time in years…

The mansion felt unfamiliar.

He frowned slightly.

This was ridiculous.

He had wanted space, distance and freedom from an arranged marriage that no longer served its purpose.

So why did the silence feel heavier tonight?

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Abigail stepped inside.

Elegant as always.

Composed as she always does .

“You’re still working?” she asked with a soft smile.

Andrew leaned back in his chair.

“Something you need?”

Her smile faltered almost imperceptibly.

“I was just worried about you.”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, his eye returned briefly to the empty doorway.

Abigail noticed.

And her eyes narrowed.

“She’s gone, Andrew.”

Her voice was gentle and calculated.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“I know.”

“Then stop looking at the door.”

The room fell silent.

For the first time, Andrew looked directly at her, cold and sharp.

“I wasn’t.”

Abigail’s smile returned slowly and knowingly.

“Of course not.”

Back to the bus stop.

A sleek black car pulled up beside the bus stop.

Daniel stepped out almost immediately.

Tall, well-dressed and familiar.

The moment he saw Isabella, his expression changed.

The concern in his eyes was immediate.

“You look exhausted.”

She forced a small smile.

“I’ve had a long day.”

Daniel’s eyes dropped briefly to the suitcase.

Then back to her face.

“Come with me.”

She hesitated.

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

Daniel gave a quiet laugh.

“You never were.”

The warmth in his voice nearly broke something inside her.

Because after everything—After Andrew’s coldness, After the divorce, After the loneliness….Kindness felt almost foreign.

“I only need somewhere for tonight,” she said softly.

Daniel nodded.

“For as long as you need.”

The apartment was modest.

Warm and clean.

Nothing like the mansion she had just left behind.

But somehow…It felt safer.

Daniel placed her suitcase near the couch and turned to face her.

You can take the bedroom.

No, I can sleep here.

You’re not sleeping on a couch.

A faint smile tugged at Isabella’s lips.

“You’ve always been stubborn.”

“And you’ve always been terrible at asking for help.”

For the first time that day…

A genuine smile touched her face.

Small, delicate but real.

Then suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her.

Her body swayed.

“Isabella”

Before she could steady herself, Daniel was already beside her.

Holding her shoulders.

“Hey, sit down.”

He guided her carefully to the couch.

His expression darkened with worry.

“Have you eaten?”

She went quiet.

That silence answered him.

Daniel exhaled sharply.

“Unbelievable.”

He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with water and food.

“Eat.”

She looked at him, then at the food.

For a moment, tears came out of her eyes.

Not because of the meal.

But because someone cared enough to notice.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Daniel’s expression softened.

“You don’t have to thank me for basic decency.”

Basic decency.

The words echoed painfully.

Because in three years of marriage…She had forgotten what that even felt like.

Her hand moved once more to her stomach.

This time, Daniel noticed, his eyes moved downward. Then widened slightly.

“Isabella…”

She froze.

The room suddenly felt too quiet.

And she realised—He had seen.