Chapter 5

"Where were you going?" Kason growled, his voice a low snarl.

The stench of alcohol on his breath was overpowering. Isabela turned her head away in disgust.

"Let me go, Kason."

Her defiance only fueled his rage.

He tore at her clothes, his movements rough and angry. "You want to leave me? You want to be with him?"

He insulted her, called her names she couldn't repeat, words that flayed her heart.

Their clothes were a mess, her shirt ripped at the collar.

Fear, cold and sharp, coiled in her stomach.

She had to get away. That was her only thought.

Her body was trapped, pinned beneath his.

He continued his assault, his lips crushing against hers.

A desperate resolve hardened within her. She wasn't going to be a victim.

Gathering all her strength, she kneed him hard. As he grunted in pain, she grabbed the heavy lamp from the nightstand and swung it with all her might, connecting with the side of his head. He collapsed on top of her, unconscious.

Shoving him off, Isabela crawled to the corner of the room, shaking uncontrollably. Exhaustion and terror overwhelmed her, and she fell into a fitful, dark sleep.

When she woke, the sun was streaming through the window. Kason was awake, sitting in a chair across the room, watching her. His expression was cold, devoid of any emotion.

He spoke, his voice laced with venom. "You really know how to play the game, don't you Isabela? First you try to seduce me, then you play the victim."

She started to speak, to explain, to tell him he was wrong.

"Save it," he snapped, cutting her off.

He tossed a small box onto the bed. It was a morning-after pill.

"Take it," he commanded. "I won't have you trying to trap me with a baby. Dalia would be devastated."

Isabela stared at the box, then at him. The last remnants of her love for him shattered into dust. He wasn't just cruel; he was vile.

He had become a monster.

He dragged her suitcase out of the room.

"And don't even think about calling Hadley or your father," he warned. "I'll be watching you."

She watched him go, then her eyes fell on the calendar on his wall. Her wedding was in two weeks. Hope was not lost.

She tore off the current page, a small, defiant act.

The days leading up to her departure were a blur of cold silence.

Kason took Dalia on a business trip, leaving Isabela alone in the vast, empty apartment.

She used the time wisely. She finalized her plans, sold some of her old jewelry for cash.

She visited her friends and old colleagues, saying her goodbyes under the guise of a long vacation.

She knew she would never come back to this city, to this life.

Her friends threw her a small farewell party.

They raised their glasses, their faces a mix of sadness and well wishes.

"We'll miss you, Izzy."

"Don't forget to call!"

Then, one of them mentioned Kason. "Is Kason okay with you being gone for so long? He's usually so attached to you."

Isabela just smiled and said nothing.

She knew her leaving wouldn't affect him at all. He had Dalia now.

A tightness gripped her chest. She took another drink, trying to wash away the bitterness.

Later that night, a sharp pain shot through her stomach. She doubled over, a wave of nausea washing over her.

She felt weak, her body trembling.

Just then, the front door opened. Kason was back early.

He saw her pale face, her hand pressed against her stomach. A look of pure panic crossed his face. Dalia was right behind him.

He thought she was pregnant.

His eyes darted from Isabela' s stomach to Dalia' s crestfallen face.

He quickly ushered a confused Dalia into her room, murmuring soothing words.

Then he returned to Isabela, his face a mask of cold fury. He stood over her, a judge passing sentence.