"No, I never believe you!" Isabella quickly turned her face away.
"I don't care whether you believe me or not, but I will explain everything," said Hunter, as he stood up.
Isabella immediately turned to watch Hunter walk over to an open shelf filled with antique decorations. He grabbed his phone and walked back to her. She remained silent, gazing at her husband with intense curiosity.
"You'll understand why I became a liar," Hunter said as he opened a file application using a password until he found a file that contained a photo of a beautiful girl with natural black hair, smiling sweetly with a dimple on her right cheek. She was sitting on a long bench, wearing a white dress, with a garden in the background, while holding a book in her hand. "One of the reasons is her," he continued, handing the phone to Isabella.
Isabella took the phone and examined the girl's photo. For a moment she was pounding, feeling pain in her heart, suddenly feeling worried that there was another woman in Hunter's heart.
"Her name is Sarah... She lives in Vermont. She was a student at one of the faculties in New York. She was one of the scholarship recipients from my company... I was very interested in her... We often met, especially when I visited her campus... I liked her, but it turns out my mother found out before I had a chance to confess my feelings for her," Hunter said while looking at the photo. "My mother asked the campus to move her to continue her studies in Mexico... And she also kept her address a secret... I don't know, but I think she talked to her to stay away from me... So now, she won't communicate with me anymore... She's avoiding me, and even her father came to see me, begging me not to approach her again for her safety...
I was devastated... I wanted to fight for my love for her, but before I could, she already had a new boyfriend, the owner of a company that competes with mine... I was disappointed... I wanted to be angry, but it was pointless. I didn't want to talk to my mother, but she forced me to marry the girl of her choice so I could receive the inheritance from my grandfather... Not because she needed the money or wanted to increase her wealth, but because she didn't want Davin to marry first and receive the inheritance from my grandfather... That would make Aunt Anne laugh at her... Aunt Anne is Davin's mother... She hates her, I don't know why... I don't care about their feud... My disappointment made me refuse to marry the girl of her choice... Then one day, I had an accident... It wasn't too serious, but I used that moment to pretend to be paralyzed and impotent, so no girl would want to marry me...And my mother will not take advantage of me anymore." He explained with a blank stare, his thoughts drifting to the past, while Isabella quickly handed the phone back to him.
"You acted weak, slow... In the end, you missed your chance to get your love... This isn't entirely your mother's fault," Isabella said sharply.
"Yeah... I know..." Hunter nodded. "I was too naive..."
"And in the end, you gave in... You agreed to marry the girl of her choice, which is me." Isabella pointed at herself.
"That's because you fit my criteria," Hunter whispered, looking deeply into Isabella's eyes. "I've explained this to you many times."
Isabella swallowed hard, continuing to stare at Hunter, feeling that his gaze showed some attraction, but then her eyes shifted to his phone, which was still showing the image of another girl.
"You'll never really fall in love with me," she said.
"I will..."
"If you were going to fall in love with me, you should have deleted that girl's photo... Truly erased her from your mind."
Hunter looked back at his phone, then back at Isabella. "It's just a photo, keeping it doesn't mean I'm still hoping for her or thinking about her. It's just... I'm just too lazy to delete it."
Isabella smiled faintly and turned away. "Nonsense!"
"But that's the truth!" Hunter insisted. "Now let me ask you. When you're trying to learn to love me, have you completely removed the thought of your ex from your mind? Have you done it?"
Isabella was silent.
"You're not even fully sure you want to love me, are you?" Hunter asked, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Isabella immediately stood up. "It's not as easy as you think... Besides... Besides, this wasn't part of my original plan. All of this is happening because of your previous lies. This is all so shocking to me... I was thinking of leaving my ex because I saw you as having great potential to be my husband forever... But I'm also afraid that in the end, you'll only hurt me because you're a liar... And now that fear has grown because of your past... Maybe your mother will treat me like Sarah... And you can't fight her... So in conclusion, getting your love might not be a good thing for me!" she said firmly, anxiety and disappointment clear in her eyes, as she quickly walked towards the door.
"Isabella!" Hunter immediately followed her. "Where are you going? Are you going to leave me?" he asked anxiously, continuing to follow her.
"Isabella... Everything has changed... I won't let what happened to Sarah happen to you!"
"Isabella... Please, give me a chance!" Hunter kept pleading until Isabella suddenly stopped near the front door and turned to face him. She sighed, looking at him with frustration. "Please... I know you need time, but don't leave me before the time is up... Give me a chance to prove my sincerity... I can treat you better than him... I..."
"I don't want to hear it," Isabella whispered, her gaze sharp.
Hunter froze, his lips stiff, unable to speak.
"If I leave you, it means I'm a fool, it means I'm the one who's cheating!" Isabella hissed. "I won't break the agreements I've made with your mother... But tonight, I just want peace..."
"Fine... You can go wherever you want," Hunter replied, disappointed.
"Don't follow me or send anyone to follow me!" Isabella warned, then quickly left.
Hunter stood silently by the door, imagining Isabella, wondering what she would do out there.
"Is she going to meet her ex?"
Curious, he immediately looked at his phone, which was still in his hand, and tried to call a contact named Robert.
"Robert."
"Sir?"
"Has that man left New York?" Hunter asked while walking towards the sofa.
"Not yet... From what I know, he's still focusing on training someone at the gym every morning and evening," Robert explained calmly.
Hunter immediately let out a deep breath, feeling tight, so tight when thoughts of Isabella and Joe filled his mind.
"Is there anything you want me to do for you?" Robert asked.
Hunter just remained silent, even ending the call. He sat on the sofa, lost in thought, remembering the time he had spent with Isabella just a few hours ago, which had felt so sweet and intimate as if they were in love, but now the situation had turned chaotic, and his thoughts kept drifting back to Joe, who was still in New York.