CHAPTER 3

The wedding party of Isabella and Jack was finally over. Jack wrapped his arm around Isabella’s waist, doing so to appear like a good husband helping his wife into the car. Jack had prepared another limousine to take Isabella to his mansion. And before Isabella left, she waved at everyone as if she had just enjoyed the party that wasn’t even meant for her.

Isabella sat beside Jack in the backseat and once the car window was closed, she leaned her tired back against the seat.

Jack had sensed Isabella acting strangely from the beginning and couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you happy with this wedding party? You seem… comfortable.”

Isabella turned and looked at Jack, rolling her eyes and adjusting her posture to sit upright. She said, “I know you're mocking me with that comment, Mr. Moore.”

“You know this arrangement is just a formality. It’s all about business and you should—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Isabella. It was the first time she ever interrupted Jack.

All this time, Isabella had always been the one woman who listened to every word and story Jack told from start to finish. No interruptions, no judgments, just listening and trying to understand.

Jack furrowed his brows but ended up saying nothing.

Jack’s personal driver managed to get both passengers to the mansion in just thirty minutes. When they arrived, Isabella immediately walked toward one of the rooms, forcing Jack to finally speak up.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

Still wearing a Cinderella-like gown, Isabella stopped walking. She turned around and set the suitcase she was carrying on the floor. “To my room. That is my room, isn’t it?” Isabella’s blue eyes shifted and she pointed casually. “That’s your room, and next to it is your office. You’d want me far away from it since there are so many pictures of the girl you like in there. Yep. Aurora Thorne. And I’m not going in that room. Never.”

Jack was left speechless after hearing Isabella explain all of that. The question was: how did Isabella know all of this?

Isabella walked into the room and locked the door. She looked around and shouted wearily. “Shit. I’m really back in this room. This is so… ah, damn it, I can’t even describe this annoying feeling.”

Knock. Knock. Knock!

The sound of knocking behind her made Isabella jump. It seemed like startling sounds always came suddenly, and Isabella was starting to get used to them. She opened the door and saw Jack standing there. As always, Jack stared at Isabella without expression.

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

“About what?”

Jack snorted shortly, sounding impatient. “How did you come to the conclusion that this is your room and how do you know about… everything?”

Isabella crossed her arms over her chest. If she had the chance, she would scream and curse at Jack while saying: of course Isabella already knew everything—she’d been imprisoned in this golden palace for two years.

But the words that finally came out of her mouth were, “I just guessed what was in your head, Mr. Moore.”

“You’re trying to dictate my life?”

“No. I just—”

“Just what?” Jack suddenly grabbed Isabella’s hand and pulled her close. From this close distance, Isabella could smell the scent of wood and vanilla from Jack’s cologne. Jack’s brown eyes stared straight at her—he really knew how to intimidate her. “Do you think you can judge me, Isabella?”

All of Isabella’s words got stuck in her throat. She couldn’t say anything when Jack looked at her that intensely. This was the first time Jack had ever been this close. For two years, Isabella had always felt like there was a giant wall keeping her away from Jack. Untouchable.

Jack let go of Isabella’s hand and turned away. But Isabella managed to gather her courage and shouted, “If you don’t love me, then let’s just get a divorce!”

Jack’s footsteps halted. He took a deep breath before continuing his way without responding to Isabella’s words.

Meanwhile, Isabella gave Jack’s back a middle finger before he disappeared into his room. “He’s so annoying! Just wait, I’ll get back at you.”

Isabella then entered her room and lay down. While staring at the ceiling, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

“If I go back to the past and events keep repeating, does that mean… I’ll still die in that accident?” Isabella pulled a bolster pillow close and rolled around in frustration. Then she stopped and snapped her fingers in the air. “If I died in the accident because I was driving, that means… I shouldn’t drive on my own. Maybe I should ask for a personal driver. Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Isabella hugged her pillow with a happy smile. And without realizing it, the day turned into night. She eventually fell asleep with all those plans in her head.

The next day, Isabella woke up and immediately got herself cleaned up. She changed out of her wedding dress into a pink, knee-length house dress. During her marriage with Jack, Isabella was never allowed to wear bright colors. Only black, white, and grey. When Isabella thought about that, she became extremely annoyed. Jack Moore—that man was really annoying.

“I have to find a way to divorce Jack before I die,” Isabella muttered. “But how?”

Click.

That sound. It was the sound of a door closing, which meant Jack had gone to work. Yep. Work. No honeymoon. No post-wedding leave. Just work and more work. At first, Isabella thought Jack just loved his job, but now she realized he did it to avoid her.

Isabella stepped out of her room and made sure Jack was really gone. For two years, Isabella had always been kind and Jack never returned her love. Every morning, Isabella would prepare breakfast and keep Jack company only to watch him chase the love he lost. What an irony.

Today, no one was in the mansion. Just Isabella—and she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. Isabella turned on music from her phone, connected it to the speaker in the main room. While dancing, she started preparing her toast.

The loud music made her unable to hear when the door opened and Jack entered the mansion.

“Na, na, na…” Isabella lifted her toast happily, spinning around with a spatula in hand. But she spun too many times and lost her balance.

In one twirl, Isabella felt herself about to fall. “Argh!”

But just as her body was about to hit the lit stove, Isabella felt something at her waist. She looked up and found Jack catching her.

“J-Jack?”