Chapter 37

The two in the lounge jumpy. Isabella clutched Michael's collar, her eyes wide with panic.

"Don't worry, I got this," Michael whispered to her.

Taking a deep breath, Michael pushed down his anger. He stood up, straightened his clothes, and headed for the door.

Michael opened the door and saw John, who was about to speak but had his mouth covered.

"Come with me; we need to talk," Michael said, dragging John away from the lounge.

With the door closed, Isabella could only hear their footsteps fading away. She knew Michael was buying her time. Quickly, she got dressed, peeked out to make sure the coast was clear, and hurried to the restroom to fix her makeup.

Isabella planned to touch up in front of the sink, but her flushed cheeks and frazzled look made her think twice. She ducked into a stall and pulled out a small mirror.

Just then, she heard Mia's voice outside. "Bianca, thanks to your idea, once Isabella and John are married, I'll make sure you're taken care of."

"Thanks, Mia. Isabella's all about family. If you threaten her with your life, she'll cave," Bianca's sweet voice felt like daggers to Isabella.

"Bianca, you snake," Isabella, angry, pushed the stall door open.

Mia was about to urge Isabella to go on stage to announce the wedding, but she was startled by Isabella's sudden appearance, as was Bianca, and the bathroom fell eerily silent.

"Isabella," Bianca stammered, trying to wheel away.

Isabella stormed up to her and slapped her hard. The slap echoed in the restroom. Bianca's face swelled up instantly.

She lost it, stood up from the wheelchair, and flailed her arms, "Isabella, you lunatic!"

Mia tried to step in, but Isabella shoved her aside. Isabella then kicked the wheelchair, sending Bianca sprawling on the floor.

"Isabella, stop! Bianca's your cousin," Mia cried, rushing to hold Isabella back.

Isabella shoved Mia away again, grabbed a vase from the sink, smashed it, and held the shards to Bianca's throat. Mia froze, too scared to move.

"Isabella, have you lost your mind?" Mia gasped.

"If I have, it's because of you all!" Isabella shouted, her eyes red with rage.

Pressing the sharp shards to Bianca's throat, a trickle of blood appeared. "Tell me, did you make my parents threaten me with suicide?"

Bianca cowered on the floor, shaking.

It was true. Mia and Jasper had threatened Isabella with suicide to force her to marry John, and it was Bianca's idea.

Bianca hadn't wanted to do it, but John had told her Michael was overseas looking for a kidney donor for her. Bianca knew she was running out of time. If it came out that her kidney didn't match Isabella's, all her lies would unravel.

Luckily, John didn't catch on. She still had a shot.

"Think staying quiet will save you?" Isabella yanked Bianca's hair, pressing the shards against her face this time.

"If I mess up your face, will John still want you?" Isabella's words finally broke Bianca.

In sheer terror, Bianca snapped. "Even if you know it was me, so what? Will you defy your parents? Watch them die in front of you?"

Isabella pulled so hard she nearly ripped Bianca's scalp off. With bloodshot eyes, she glared at Bianca.

Bianca shook with fear. Isabella's stare could've burned a hole through her.

"Isabella, please, don't do anything rash. Just listen to us this once, okay?" Mia begged, kneeling in front of her.

Isabella looked at Mia on the ground, feeling a wave of sadness.

She slowly let go of Bianca's hair and, with a cold smile, said, "Alright, you want me to marry John so badly? I'll go announce it now, and I want you to be my bridesmaid. I want you to witness my 'happiness,' from picking out the ring to the wedding. Remember, you made a big promise in front of everyone. If you dare to marry John, Mason will be the first to object."

Isabella tossed the shards aside and walked out of the restroom.

"Isabella, you witch! You can't do this, or I'll haunt you even after I'm dead," Bianca screamed, crawling on the floor, trying to grab Isabella's feet.

Isabella kicked Bianca's hand away and left the restroom. If no one wanted her to be happy, she'd make sure no one was.

As she walked out, she caught her reflection in a glass mirror on the wall. She looked up, staring at the woman with red eyes and messy hair.

'Is this me? Yeah, this is me, a woman betrayed by everyone she loves.' Isabella thought, feeling a wave of sadness.

'They all want me dead, so why not take them all down with me and then end it? It's all the same in the end.' Dark thoughts started creeping into her mind, slowly eating away at her sanity.

Suddenly, a door opened, and a bright light poured in. Isabella looked up and saw a pair of concerned eyes. A ray of light pierced through her dark thoughts.

Michael saw Isabella crying again, his heart aching. He rushed over and asked, "Why are you crying again?"

This was the second time he'd seen her cry that day.

Isabella quickly wiped her tears and tried to fix her hair and makeup. She didn't want Michael to see her like this.

"It's nothing. Just got something in my eye," she lied, turning around after fixing her makeup.

Michael gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, not calling out her lie.

"Before you say anything, I want to show you something," Michael said, pulling out a piece of paper.

"What is it?" Isabella asked, taking it curiously, then froze.

It was a property deed, and more importantly, it had her name on it. From the details, Isabella quickly realized it was the mansion Michael had shown her last time.