In a hurry, Isabella rushed up the stairs to the bedroom after Estella left.
Upon arriving, she found her husband sitting on the sofa, watching a celebrity show on TV, even though he usually disliked such programs. Frowning, she approached him and stood in front of the screen, blocking his view.
"You're acting strange," she remarked.
Hunter sighed, still pouting, and shifted to lie down, using a pillow to cover his face while resting his head on the edge of the sofa.
"Honey..." Isabella quickly sat beside him, pulling the pillow away. "Is this about Sarah?"
Hunter remained silent, his gaze cold.
"I don't deserve that look just because of that girl, anyway!" Isabella insisted, crossing her arms.
"Sorry," Hunter muttered, his expression softening.
"What happened? Why were you so cold to her... making her leave? Estella nearly suspected you had a problem with her!" Isabella exclaimed, irritated. "You shouldn't act that way if you've really moved on and love me now..."
Hunter glanced at Isabella.
"I love you... Don't think what I did was because I don't love you—or that I still have feelings for her. Don't think that way," he said anxiously.
"Then why?"
"I... I just don't want Davin to hurt her," Hunter explained, lowering his gaze to his hands on his stomach. "Davin's a jerk... a player. I'm sure he's dating Sarah only because he knows I used to like her... I'm afraid he just wants to mess with me."
"Does it bother you that he's dating her?" Isabella cut him off, her gaze sharp and intimidating. "If it does, it means you still have feelings for her. Then what's the point of me being here?"
"Honey... It's not like that..."
"What's the point of me being here if that's not enough to make you happy? Instead, you're thinking about your old love..." Isabella stood, and Hunter quickly sat up. "I decided to be with you forever, defying my mother and brother, but now you're making me doubt you..."
"Honey, it's not like that!" Hunter grabbed Isabella and pulled her into a side embrace. "I love you so much... there's no one else."
Isabella remained silent, pouting.
"I was just upset with her because she's being stupid. First, she hurt me by dating my enemy, and now she's dating Davin, another enemy. And she won't listen when I warn her that Davin isn't a good man. I'm only mad at her stupidity... I don't want her to regret it later," Hunter confessed, his expression sad.
Isabella turned to look at Hunter. "I know you care about her; that's natural since you once loved her. But you don't need to worry about her anymore. It's been a long time since you were together, and you don't even know if Davin genuinely likes her or not. You shouldn't always assume the worst about him. Maybe he does love Sarah. You can't judge everything based on your grudge against him," she said, frowning. "Not all bad things last. Even fierce lions have a love for lionesses. Things aren't always as you see them."
Hunter fell silent, exhaling slowly and releasing his hold on Isabella.
"Like me, she's a strong woman... She managed to get over her ex, just like I got over Joe. And if Davin hurts her, she'll get through it, too, just like before," Isabella continued, gently brushing her fingers against Hunter's forehead. "I'm here as your wife... I don't like seeing my husband thinking about another woman, especially one he used to love. That hurts me," she added softly.
Hunter swallowed hard, staring into Isabella's green eyes.
"Please, don't hurt me," Isabella whispered, her face twisting with sadness. "I chose you... Don't disappoint me by bringing another woman into our marriage."
"No..." Hunter shook his head, pulling Isabella into a tight embrace. "Only you. I won't hurt you. I only love you."
Isabella stayed quiet, her expression blank, struggling to breathe under Hunter's tight embrace.
"I'm sorry... I'll stop thinking about her," Hunter said as he let go of her, his eyes filled with concern. "I didn't mean to hurt you... I was stupid. I should have been more aware of your feelings, especially since you're still shaken from your mother's visit today. Instead, I added more problems. Forgive me..."
Isabella gave him a faint smile.
"It's okay..." she murmured as she stood. "Let's not talk about it anymore. I want to focus on what I need to do here... as your wife."
"You don't need to do anything," Hunter said, standing up and wrapping his arm around her as he led her to the bed. "You just need to rest. I'll prepare warm water for our bath."
"Our bath?"
"Yes..."
Isabella sat on the bed, looking up at him with a frown.
"I know that when we're in the bath together, we won't just take a shower... You'll only make me more tired," she said, her expression skeptical.
Hunter grinned, shaking his head. "No... This time, just a bath. I promise."
Isabella pouted, pulling her legs up onto the bed and turning her back to him, hugging a pillow.
"It's hard to trust your promises," she muttered.
"You trust me, but sometimes you don't trust yourself," Hunter teased as he walked toward the bathroom.
Isabella smiled, knowing she often asked Hunter to initiate intimacy just to feel comforted and forget their problems. She exhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and tried to sleep.
...
Davin entered his apartment sluggishly, only to be startled by Sarah sitting on the sofa with a bottle of wine.
"You're here," he said, frowning.
Sarah looked at him without moving, then stood and approached him.
"Why? Don't you like it?" she asked.
"Of course I do..." Davin forced a smile, eyeing her elegant appearance—her hair neatly tied to match her formal gray suit. "I'm just... surprised. I thought you were with my brother earlier. You said you'd go back to your place."
Sarah wrapped her arms around Davin's neck, resting her head against his chest. "Let me stay here... If you don't mind, let me quit my job too," she whispered, her expression vacant.
Davin frowned, looking down at her. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you understand?"
Sarah pulled away, distancing herself from Davin, who stared at her in confusion.
"Don't you love me enough to want me here? Or are you only with me to hurt Hunter? Do you not love me enough to take care of me so I don't have to work?" she asked impatiently.
Davin stood there, bewildered.
"You're just playing with me, aren't you?" she accused, shoving his chest with the hand holding the wine bottle before releasing it.
Davin quickly caught the bottle before it fell, then moved closer to Sarah, who turned away from him.
"Baby, I'm not playing with you! None of what you said is true!" he insisted.
Sarah remained silent, her face still upset.
"Of course, I'd love for you to stay here. And if you want to quit working, that's fine—I'll take care of everything. You staying here means we'll be living together, and that makes our relationship more serious," he said hesitantly, watching her reaction.
She looked up at him.
He gave her a small smile. "We can start whenever you want," he added.
"Now," Sarah whispered. "I don't want to go back to my place... I don't even want to get my things. You'll have to buy me new, expensive ones. And I don't want to work at your office anymore as a secretary or just an employee. If you want me here and think our relationship is serious," she said as she walked back to the sofa.
Davin sighed, watching Sarah, who still looked angry. What's going on with her? Why is she acting materialistic all of a sudden? Should I take our relationship to the next level? What if she just becomes a burden? I don't like spoiled girls... I don't want to feel like I'm bowing down to her!