Stuck in The Marriage Pact-Chapter 63: can’t accept her mother

One Week Passed

Pretending to be disabled again, Hunter walked with two canes alongside Isabella, leaving the elevator toward the main door of the penthouse, followed by Collin dragging a large suitcase. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I think I’ll head straight to the office," Hunter murmured.

Isabella suddenly stopped, prompting Hunter and Collin to stop as well.

"Aren’t you tired?" she asked.

"No," Hunter replied, shaking his head. "I didn’t do anything on the plane... I’m not tired at all," he added, shrugging.

Isabella exhaled sharply, paused briefly, and then continued walking.

"Alright... I have no right to stop you," she said.

Hunter furrowed his brow, watching Isabella walk faster, then glanced at Collin.

"Sir, she doesn’t want to be far from you," Collin whispered with a faint smile.

"But she insisted that I return here and focus on work," Hunter retorted, resuming his walk with his canes.

Collin immediately followed.

"Women are complicated like that—hard to understand."

"Yeah... Sometimes, they don’t even know what they want."

"Haha... That’s why I don’t date. I don’t want to deal with things like that."

"You’ll end up an old bachelor!" Hunter pushed open the main door and entered, spotting Isabella standing still, staring at two figures on the living room sofa.

He frowned and slowly approached his wife.

"Why are you here?" Isabella asked weakly, her gaze locked on Loraine and a middle-aged woman with a glamorous style—her bright red lipstick, excessive jewelry, and black sleeveless dress all seemed unsuitable for her age.

"Isabella..." the woman exhaled sharply, her expression sorrowful as she approached Isabella.

"Enough, don’t come near me, Elisabeth Eselon!" Isabella shouted.

The woman stopped immediately. "But I’m your mother. I miss you... I want to hug you..I want to talk to you," she pleaded.

Isabella turned her face away, swallowing hard, her mind drifting to memories of her mother’s betrayal of her father.

"I know I made mistakes... But let me make things right. I’m your mother, and you should know I never stopped thinking about you!" Elisabeth’s voice trembled, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You couldn’t stop thinking about me?" Isabella shot her a piercing gaze. "I’m sure you heard about the problems I’ve been facing... Uncle must have told you... Or Aunt, or one of our neighbors... But you stayed silent. I know you were off vacationing with your new husband and his children, enjoying your life with them. You forgot about me, didn’t you?"

Elisabeth sighed, shaking her head.

"I heard about it, but I couldn’t do anything to help... I really couldn’t," she said. "My stepchildren wouldn’t have let me stay if I continued dealing with your father..."

"This isn’t about you and Dad!" Isabella interrupted. "It’s about me and my brother! Stop making excuses... You chose to stay with them and protect your comfort instead of helping us."

Elisabeth shook her head.

"It’s fine. I’ve accepted it, and I no longer expect anything from you. I don’t need your attention anymore," Isabella said, her voice firm. "So there’s no need for you to come to me again."

"But I’m your mother," Elisabeth whispered, her voice choked with tears. "I love you so much, and I’m sorry I couldn’t help you... I’m deeply sorry for what you had to endure because of me. Please, forgive me!"

Isabella turned her face away as if unable to bear Elisabeth’s sorrow.

"I’ve forgiven you, but the pain won’t heal," Isabella said softly.

"Oh, God... What am I supposed to do?" Elisabeth asked, sobbing uncontrollably as she covered her mouth with both hands. Loraine immediately moved closer, holding her shoulders from behind.

Isabella remained silent, letting Elisabeth cry.

Hunter approached Isabella. "Honey... Just like you asked me to treat my mother kindly, despite my resentment, I hope you’ll do the same with your mother. After all, we’re family," he whispered.

Isabella stayed quiet.

"Do you want me to stay with you while she talks to you? You don’t need to feel embarrassed," Hunter coaxed gently.

"She’s embarrassing," Isabella muttered, glancing at Hunter with a frown.

"But she’s your mother... She came to you. You should appreciate that," Hunter replied.

Isabella remained silent, glancing from her mother to Loraine, who gave her a serious look as if asking her to give Elisabeth a chance.

"Fine. You can wait for me in the bedroom," Isabella murmured, heading toward the sofa.

Hunter turned to Elisabeth and offered his hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she took it, her gaze meeting Hunter’s icy blue eyes.

"I hope you won’t harm my daughter," she whispered.

"As you wish," Hunter replied with a smile, withdrawing his hand and walking away with his canes slung over his shoulders.

Elisabeth exhaled sharply. "He seems like a bad man," she remarked.

"He’s good. Don’t judge him so quickly," Isabella snapped, folding her arms.

Elisabeth sat beside Isabella, while Loraine took another seat across from them. Elisabeth clenched her fists, staring at her daughter, who refused to look at her.

"Your brother told me everything—how you married him and how he deceived you," Elisabeth said. "That’s proof he’s not good for you... I can’t let you stay with him. He’s dangerous."

Isabella turned to her mother.

"I don’t need your advice, nor do I care about your opinion of him. Why are you suddenly concerned about me? Are you afraid I’ll become a burden to you if something goes wrong?" Isabella asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Honey..." Elisabeth sighed. "I might have abandoned you, but I’m trying not to now. That’s why I don’t want you to get hurt. Wouldn’t it be better to prevent it? I don’t want you to suffer again... I could take you away from here and introduce you to better men—honest men, not like him."

Isabella shook her head, her gaze wandering.

"My love, I love you," Elisabeth whispered, but Isabella stood abruptly, clenching her fists.

"How can you dictate my life when I haven’t even healed from the wounds you caused?" she demanded, pointing to her chest.

"Sister..." Loraine stood, but Isabella glared at him.

"You’re just a foolish young man with no conviction! You don’t deserve to advise me or change my mind. Because of your carelessness, Uncle sold Dad’s house. Who else could save it if not Hunter? Could you ask your stepfather for the money?" Isabella snapped impatiently.

Loraine remained silent, looking down.

"And you..." Isabella turned to Elisabeth. "Just leave me alone. Let me choose my path. Don’t make me sin by harboring anger toward you... I can’t hold back this rage, even though you’ve admitted your mistakes."

"I did this out of motherly instinct," Elisabeth whispered through her tears.

Isabella said nothing, turning away.

"Please listen... I just don’t want you to fall deeper into suffering."

"I’m not suffering," Isabella whispered, thinking of Hunter. "I swear, my husband is a good man. He won’t let me suffer or allow anyone to harm you."

"Alright..." Elisabeth sighed, standing up. "I know you love him. It’s only natural—he’s handsome, wealthy, and treats you well. I’ll trust him. But remember one thing... His mother. Be careful with her."

Isabella’s expression darkened as she recalled Juliana.

"I know she doesn’t like you. Be smart in dealing with her. Make sure you’re safe as part of the Brown family... You can’t always rely on your husband alone. The rest of the family matters too," Elisabeth warned anxiously. "But if you ever feel unwelcome here... I’ll always take you back."

Isabella sat down, watching as her mother and brother walked away. Suddenly, her chest tightened, haunted by her mother’s tears. She grabbed her head with both hands and let out a scream.

"No... I’m not wrong! She’s just trying to scare me!"