CHAPTER 186: CHAPTER 186 WAS I REALLY THAT EASY TO LET GO OF...?

Four months before she would no longer live here.

Before this house would stop feeling like home.

Before Leonardo would no longer be her husband.

And so, she pulled away.

She stopped herself from expecting anything.

She stopped herself from enjoying the way his voice sounded when he said her name.

She stopped letting herself look too long when he walked past in those crisp black shirts that made her stomach flutter in ways she hated to admit.

But the part that hurt most?

He didn’t stop her.

He didn’t ask why she was avoiding him or why she left the room just before he entered. He didn’t reach out. Didn’t speak. Didn’t try.

And that silence cut deeper than anything else.

Was I really that easy to let go of...?

He was confusing.

He made her feel things she didn’t know how to name.

There were moments—rare, but real—when he was so close it made her breath catch. Like when he hugged her at the hospital without saying a word. Or when he quietly picked a dress for her in the boutique without being asked. Or when his hand settled on her waist, firm and protective, in the crowd at the wedding.

But then there were the other times.

When his eyes were cold.

When his words were distant.

When she felt like just another formality in his life like a bookmark in a Chapter he wasn’t interested in reading anymore.

And now, with Lina and Alessandro gone—having returned to their estate for urgent business—the house had grown even quieter.

Only three people remained under its grand roof.

Jay. Leonardo. Her.

And maybe the workers and bodyguards, too.

Some days, the house felt too big for three. Some days, it felt like she was shrinking inside it.

***

The late afternoon sunlight poured through the window, casting a golden glow across Bella’s blanket as she sat curled on her bed, phone pressed gently to her ear. The room was quiet, the kind of quiet that made her think too much. Still, she smiled as she heard Lina’s familiar voice from the other end of the call.

"How are your wounds, dear?" Lina asked gently, her tone warm and full of care.

"I’m okay now," Bella replied, her voice soft but cheerful. "They’ve healed a lot."

And it was true—at least on the outside. Her skin was no longer sore, her bandages were gone. But deep inside... there was still a heaviness she couldn’t quite explain. Like something important was drifting farther and farther out of reach, no matter how much she tried to smile through it.

Lina paused, then asked the question that made Bella’s heart slow just a little.

"And how is Leo treating you?"

Her tone was kind, but there was a hint of worry underneath it like she already knew the answer, but still hoped it might be better.

Bella hesitated.

She stared down at the corner of her pillowcase, where a loose thread curled upward like a question. She twirled it gently around her finger.

"Umm... I think okay," she finally said with a small smile. Her voice was gentle, but not convincing.

Lina didn’t respond right away.

Because Lina... knew.

She had seen the way Bella looked at her son when he wasn’t looking. She had seen how soft and kind she was, how much love she carried in her little heart even if she didn’t say it out loud. Bella was the kind of girl who loved without asking for anything back.

And Leo—her son, still wounded from the past—might lose her if he didn’t open his eyes soon.

If he keeps mourning over fake gold he once thought was treasure, Lina thought sadly, he’s going to miss the diamond that’s been beside him all this time.

"Well," Lina said finally, her voice gentle, each word chosen with care, "you’re strong, Bella. I know you won’t complain. I know you’ll keep everything tucked inside that big heart of yours. But if there’s ever a moment—any moment—when you need someone, you call me. Alright?"

Bella nodded even though Lina couldn’t see her, eyes growing slightly glossy. "I will," she whispered.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

There was a pause. A quiet kind of silence that held a hundred unspoken things between them.

Then, Lina added softly, "You’re very precious to me, dear. Don’t ever forget that."

Bella closed her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her smile grew, but it was softer now... a little sadder.

"I won’t," she whispered. "Thank you, Mom."

And when the call ended, Bella stayed seated on the bed, the phone resting quietly in her lap. Her hands curled slightly, her thumb brushing the side of the screen. The sunlight had shifted by then, fading a little—just enough to cast longer shadows across the room.

She sat there for a while, unmoving, as the warmth from Lina’s words slowly gave way to the ache she was trying so hard to ignore.

Because hearing those words had reminded her of something she hadn’t wanted to admit—

She had grown attached.

To this house.

To these people.

To the strange, broken, beautiful family that had let her in.

Was it even possible to detach now?

No.

And none of that would change.

Not even when the contract ended.

Just as Bella placed her phone down after the call with Lina, a soft sigh escaped her lips. Her fingers lingered near the edge of her blanket, her eyes still thoughtful. That quiet feeling of being seen and loved by Lina had warmed her heart but it also reminded her of everything that was slowly slipping away.

She was just starting to lean back against her pillow when her phone buzzed again.

Her face brightened instantly.

She picked up the phone and her voice lifted. "Scar?"

"Bella!!" came Scarlett’s rushed voice on the other end.

Bella held the phone a little away from her ear and blinked. "What happened?"

Scarlett didn’t even breathe.

"Tell me right now—Blackknight just called me out of nowhere, and said he’s going to stay at your house for a few days. That man’s crazy, but he sounded serious! You agreed to this?? Did you actually agree?! He’s not lying right?!"