She remembered entering this same room after her wedding, filled with hope.

Now it felt hollow. Empty.

She took a mechanical shower.

Then she lay on the bed, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Ethan’s cold, detached stare haunted her.

She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there when the mattress dipped.

A familiar warmth enveloped her.

He was back.

Without speaking, he pulled her into his arms.

His warm breath brushed her neck, making her shiver.

Isabella stiffened.

Her fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

But she didn’t resist.

She didn’t pull away.

She just lay there, letting him hold her.

“Liam is still young,” she whispered into the darkness. “He needs me.”

Ethan’s eyes opened.

Something unreadable flickered across his face.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have that bastard brought here.”

Her head shot up, fury blazing in her pale features. “My son is not a bastard.”

Each word was slow. Defiant.

“Oh? Not a bastard?” His lips curled into a cold, mocking smirk. “He’s the child you had with Lucas. What else should I call him?” His voice was sharp, barely containing his rage.

In an instant, he moved over her, pinning her down.

“You care that much about the son you had with him?” His gaze burned into her, sharp and relentless. “If you want a child, I’ll give you one myself.”

How absurd.

A cold numbness spread through her bones.

Three years ago, he’d told her he would force her to abort if she ever got pregnant.

Now, after all this time, he claimed he would give her a child.

The bitter irony stole her breath.

She closed her eyes, shutting him out.

No fight. No tears. Just emptiness.

Ethan watched the woman beneath him, her lack of reaction stirring a strange frustration in his chest.

Without another word, he pushed himself away and stormed out.

The door slammed shut, the sound echoing through the silent room.

Isabella pulled the blanket tight, curling into a ball.

She didn’t sleep at all.

By morning, golden light streamed through the curtains.

She lay motionless, face pale, eyes vacant.

Memories of the night replayed on a loop, tightening around her chest.