CHAPTER 021
ISADORA’S POV
9:00 AM
“Was there any need for this stupid clock?” I grumbled as I slowly got up, rubbing my eyes. The alarm was meant to wake me up an hour ago, but it failed miserably. I /stretched my arms above my head, feeling the slight ache in my back before dragging
myself out of bed and into the bathroom.
Toilet flush.
I took my toothbrush and began my morning routine, brushing in slow circular motions while staring at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a mess, my skin looked a bit dull–maybe because I stayed up too late last night. After spitting out the foam, I rinsed my mouth and splashed cold water on my face, letting out a small sigh. Stepping out of the bathroom, I noticed that one of my maids had already brought my usual morning orange juice with ginger, just as I requested every day. I grabbed the glass and took a sip, letting the cool citrus flavor wake up my senses.
After a few minutes of stretching, I hopped onto my treadmill, setting the speed to a comfortable walking pace. My feet moved rhythmically as I stared blankly at the wall in front of me, my thoughts drifting.
Adrian.
I hadn’t heard from him.
I worked out for a full hour before stepping off the treadmill, slightly out of breath but satisfied. Without wasting time, I headed into the bathroom for a shower. The hot water relaxed my muscles, washing away the sweat. By the time I stepped out, steam filled the room. I wrapped a towel around my body and walked toward my vanity table, towel–drying my hair as I picked up my phone.
-1 checked my messages.
Still nothing from Adrian.
I frowned, tapping my phone against my palm. I had sent him a message yesterday, yet there was no response. My patience was wearing thin.
I tried calling him.
Ring… Ring… Ring…
No answer.
Successfully unlocked!
phuccessfully un
I narrowed my eyes, gripping my phone tighter. avoiding my calls again?
I tossed my phone onto the table, frustrated. Since the night we slept together, he had been acting distant, and I didn’t like it one bit.
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CHAPTER 021
“I just hope you didn’t use me like a sex doll that night,” I muttered to myself as I picked up my comb, running it through my damp hair. “I’m not something that people use and dispose of.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “I know I’m a gem.”
Some people might think my relationship with Adrian is toxic, but I don’t care. I’ve been through worse–far worse than this.
A small laugh escaped my lips as old memories surfaced.
When I was seven, my mother constantly compared me to our neighbor’s daughter.
“Look how well–mannered she is. Look at how gracefully she carries herself. You should learn from her!”
Those words tormented me daily.
Back then, I was a tomboy. I loved playing basketball and running around with boys, and I didn’t care about dresses or makeup. I was rough, wild, and full of energy. I can still remember the number of arms I nearly broke during school fights.
But my mother hated it.
She wanted me to be just like the neighbor’s daughter–poised, delicate, obedient.
But I refused. I loved myself for who I was.
That was until the day she told me she regretted giving birth to me.
I think something in me shattered that day.
After that, I did everything to become the perfect daughter she always wanted. I changed my dressing style, abandoned my tomboy habits, and learned proper manners. When I turned fifteen, I started experimenting with makeup and beauty routines. Eventually, I perfected my appearance.
But focusing on myself, and making myself this beautiful came with a price, my grades from school and college were all bad, but that was just the beginning.
By the time I was in high school, I was the girl every guy wanted.
But I wasn’t interested in any of them.
Not until the day Adrian walked into my life.
I remember it so clearly. My parents‘ business partners were coming over, and I made sure I looked my absolute best. I wore my finest dress, and my best shoes, and styled my hair perfectly.
Then I saw him.
Adrian sat on the couch, carelessly scrolling through his phone, looking completely uninterested in his surroundings.
He didn’t even look at me.
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CHAPTER 021
And that was what drew me to him.
He was the first guy who didn’t fall at my feet.
Mrs. Westwood took a liking to me immediately, thinking I was a well–mannered young lady. But Adrian? He barely acknowledged my existence. Adrian and his mom started coming quite often and Adrian didn’t speak to me until his mom officially introduced
us
Little by little, we started talking.
I thought we had a connection.
I was sure he felt the same way.
Then everything changed.
The worst day of my life happened when Adrian’s parents died and as my parent’s biggest investors our company slowly began to crumble.
We weren’t leaving the lavish lifestyle we once used to live, things were getting tight.
That was when my mother came up with a brilliant idea.
“Marry Adrian.”
If I married Adrian, he could take care of our family. He had the wealth, the power, the name. And I liked him.
And I was certain he liked me, too.
So, on the day I planned to confess my feelings to him, I got hit with the most painful betrayal of
my life.
Adrian was getting married.
To that slimy dog named Olivia.
I still remember how many bottles of whiskey I downed that night, trying to drown the unbearable sting of heartbreak.
Tnever saw it coming.
How? Why?
He gave me all the signs. He wanted me. Then suddenly, he married another woman.
It didn’t make sense.
Maybe Olivia used some kind of trick. Maybe she manipulated him. Maybe she was holding him down in that, marriage with something.
But I wasn’t going to give up on him. I refused to give up on him. I didn’t care if he was married. I didn’t care how long it takes.
I was going to have Adrian,
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