CHAPTER 272: GRIEF

The silence between us stretched until it hurt. I didn’t even realize I’d stopped crying until I felt how still the room had gone. My breath came shallow, ragged. Adrien’s hand was still at the back of my head, his thumb brushing through my hair like he could soothe the world into order again.

Then something inside me cracked.

My hands slid from his chest, limp.

Adrien’s breath stuttered against my shoulder. "Bella?"

I pulled back, just enough to see him. His amber eyes, so full of pain, searched mine, as if seeking an answer I didn’t possess. The warmth of his body lingered on my skin, but I couldn’t stand it—not right now. My arms dropped to my sides. My face felt empty, hollow.

"Princess..." His voice was a quiet ache. "Talk to me, sweetheart. What’s wrong? Do you feel a little better now?"

I gave a brittle laugh. "Better?" My lips trembled.

"Ever since I started loving you," I began, my voice quiet, flat, "I thought things wouldn’t be complicated. But..." I gave a broken laugh. "I mean, I knew it would be, but not that complicated."

He frowned, confused, his hand still cupping the back of my head. "What do you mean, love?"

"When I first started working for you," I said slowly, my eyes unfocused on the sheets, "you treated me like I was disposable. Like a slave, not a personal assistant. You barked orders, never said thank you, never even looked at me like a human. And still... I couldn’t stop falling for you." My voice cracked on the last word. "You were a total jerk."

"A complete and utter jerk. Demanding, entitled, condescending..." I trailed off, my gaze drifting to the ceiling, my mind cataloging every infuriating, yet somehow magnetic, trait. "I remember thinking, ’How can anyone be so utterly awful and still be so... captivating?’"

"I know," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper, thick with renewed guilt. "I was. I was an arrogant, self-centered bastard. And you... you deserved so much better, Bella. From the very beginning." He closed his eyes, a muscle in his jaw clenching. "But I changed, didn’t I? For you," he added, a desperate plea in his tone, opening his eyes to search mine.

I pulled away completely this time, sliding my back against the elevated headboard. The movement made the IV needle shift painfully in my arm, but I barely noticed.

I nodded absently, staring past him. "Then you offered me a contract. A relationship written on paper like it was a business deal. I didn’t want it—I swear I didn’t. It sounded insane. But the pay was good, and I was drowning in debt and lots of things jumbling together at the same time, and I thought maybe if I kept things professional, I could protect myself. Although I knew you were the one that pulled the strings." I laughed quietly, a sound with no humor. "I should’ve listened to that part of me that said run."

"But the problem was," I continued, "I couldn’t. Every time I said I should run, you did something—or you looked at me in a way—and I forgot every logical reason why I should be terrified of you. You became my weakness, Adrien. You became the only thing that felt safe, even though you were the most dangerous man in the world."

He leaned closer, his face a mask of sorrow, his breath warm against my cheek. "I know I messed up the start, Bella. But what we built, sweetheart, that’s real. This connection, our marriage, the life we were creating—that wasn’t a contract clause. That was us."

My thoughts were spilling too fast now, slipping past every barrier I’d built. "After a while of posing as your girlfriend, we went to meet your mother. And I got cornered by my ex and his so-called cousin."

His eyes softened. "Why are you bringing that up, love?"

"You stepped in," I said, ignoring him. "You stood up for me. And I started to see you differently. I started to believe you weren’t as cold as you pretended to be. Even though I hated that you interfered. I was mad. I didn’t need your help. But a tiny spark ignited in me."

I kept going, voice distant. "And then... you called me a gold digger. A liar. Said I was acting—using you to climb." My throat burned. "You saw me as some manipulative woman who planned her way into your life. You humiliated me, Adrien. My pride was bruised, and all because we’d met before — by accident — and you thought it meant I was scheming. That hurt. You broke something in me that day."

His voice was soft, hoarse. "I know I was an idiot. I’m sorry for those mean times, Bella. I was cruel. I didn’t see you. I’ve regretted those words every day since."

"But then you apologized," I continued, my voice faintly trembling. "With that silly note and a teddy bear that came with the most delicious cookie I’ve ever had. I still remember the taste. I told myself I’d forgive you. I even tried to teach you a lesson—made your coffee wrong on purpose, messed up your office just a little. I thought you’d fire me."

A faint smile ghosted across his face. "I noticed," he said quietly. "And I found way to repay your kindness. It was... fun, honestly. I found it charming."

My eyes flicked toward him briefly — not with affection, but exhaustion. "Then came the scandal." My voice grew tight. "Aria came to pick me up from the office that day. My name was plastered across every site, every feed. Because I was your fake girlfriend. And they said I was cheating on you—with a man who was just my friend. The same friend who helped me after you left me stranded on the road, in the rain, after you called me a gold-digger." I met his gaze, eyes sharp with pain. "You don’t know what that did to me, Adrien. I should’ve known then that life with you would never be simple."

"Bella, I know you’re hurting," he said, his voice low, protective, but brittle. "And you have every right to blame me. Every right."

"And then," I continued, my voice softer now, the anger slowly bleeding into a pervasive sadness, "we started to build something real. You learned to trust me, I learned to trust you. You saw me. Really saw me. You asked to be my boyfriend, not as part of a contract, but because you wanted me. And that puppy, Adrien. That silly, goofy, wonderful puppy... she was the physical representation of a dream I’d never thought I deserved."

I finally looked at him, my gaze falling on the faint lines around his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights and worry. "You made me feel loved, Adrien. Truly, deeply loved. And I fell, completely."

"I know that feeling." He said trying to take my hand in his but I didn’t let it happen. "it was a happy moment for me too, you made me the happiest man that night."

His words sat heavy in the air, but they didn’t reach the hollow space inside me. The silence stretched again, thick with unsaid things, until I finally spoke, my voice barely above a whisper.

"And then one day, I almost got hit by a car. My brother pulled me back, and I sprained my ankle." I looked around the sterile room. "I’d never been in a hospital before, Adrien. Ever. But Ever since I met you, it’s like hospitals have become a second home in just the span of few months that we’ve known each other."

He looked down, guilt flickering across his face.

"Second time," I continued. "I almost died in a spa. Locked in a sauna. Hurt my eyes. Hydrotherapy pool accident. I thought I’d die. But I held onto hope. Hope in you. I still wanted you."

"Isabella, please—"

"I just kept surviving." I swallowed, the dryness in my throat making it difficult. "And now... this. This is the third time. This is the third time I’ve ended up in a hospital bed because of you, Adrien. ’m not stupid—I know this happened because someone wanted to send you a message by doing this to your mother and I. You’re powerful, Adrien. Too powerful. Of course you’d have enemies who are out to get people close to you."

"Don’t do this to yourself. You’re exhausted. You’ve been through too much."

"Too much," I echoed softly. "And then the gala. When they tried to—"

I swallowed hard. "You said Clara was behind it."

My eyes lifted to his slowly. "Did you plan it with her?"

His eyes widened. "What?" His voice was sharp, disbelieving. "Isabella—what the hell are you saying? Where is all this coming from?"

"Even if you didn’t," I whispered, "I’m sure you must’ve had fun before you noticed I was gone. No wonder she wanted me out of the way because you won’t have a distraction — I was interrupting her fairytale."

"Don’t," he said hoarsely, shaking his head. "Don’t do that. Don’t twist this, love. Please. Is all of this because of what was released in the news? You know they are all lies."

"She’s perfect for you," I said, my tone flat now. "You don’t have to pretend otherwise."

He reached for me again, but I leaned back.

"My life kept being threatened, toyed with. And now—" My hand found my stomach again, trembling. "Now I’ve lost my child." My voice cracked, thick with tears.

"I was so happy," I whispered. "For two months, I kept this secret, this perfect little secret inside me, and I was going to give it to you, wrapped up in a bow. I was going to give you something pure, something safe."

A tear tracked down my face, silent and heavy, but he made no move to wipe it away.

"And what did your world do to it, Adrien?" I asked, leaning forward, my voice rising slightly, still flat, still quiet. "What did your world do to my perfect secret? It killed it. It took it away because someone must’ve wanted to hit you where it hurt the most."

"Every time I’ve loved you, something inside me gets ripped away. Is it so wrong to love you? Or is it wrong because you’re you? Because you’re too powerful, too cursed for someone like me? Maybe our love was always destined to be marked by loss, because it started from such a broken place. Maybe we were never meant to have anything good, anything truly perfect, because of its foundation. Maybe I should’ve stayed in my class. Maybe I should’ve loved someone who couldn’t ruin me."

"I don’t want to survive you anymore."