AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Caroline stayed in bed for a while, thinking Alexander would soon come by and see her but after waiting for a while with no sign of her husband, she grew impatient and made up her mind to meet him in his study. She found it slightly amusing that when she had wanted him to go away, he always insisted on staying with her, and now that she wanted him to come to her, he was staying away.
Now that she knew for certain that she was indeed with child, she found that she had regained a little bit of the strength that had deserted her. She got up on unsteady legs and almost climbed back into bed as a wave of nausea hit her, but she chose to soldier on. She had been stuck in bed since she fell ill, only leaving to use the washroom with the help of her husband or Polly.
Caroline headed to the washroom to wash away the smell of the brews, then she called for Polly, to help her with her hair and her clothes before setting off to tell Alexander the news.
Caroline walked as quickly as she could in her current condition, to the study. As she made her way over, she found she was excited. Their relationship had improved significantly since the time they first met, and she believed they would only get closer as they embarked on this journey together.
She heard voices when she got to the entrance of the study and slowed her steps, wondering who he was with.
“Why do you always have to be so moody?” the person asked. Their voice filled with laughter.
The voice she heard was that of a woman, and for some reason, it seemed very familiar to her. She moved closer and peeked into the room. Caroline felt her heart sink as she realized why the voice seemed so familiar. It was Isabella. She was sitting in his lap like she belonged there.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she stood in front of the half-open door, waiting for Alexander to push her away from his lap. To tell her to get out, stating that he was happily married but instead she watched as Isabella leaned into him and kissed him. Her heart broke into a million pieces.
She moved away from the scene in front of her, confused and dejected, and walked blindly to her room, the tears she struggled to keep from falling making it difficult for her to see where she was going. She closed the door behind her and slid down to the floor, as the tears finally made their way down her cheeks.
He promised…Caroline was distraught. As she sat there, the doctor’s words came back to her mind, and her head shot up. She couldn’t just sit there crying. Wallowing in pain would be bad for the baby. She got up from the floor and took off his ring, throwing it on her bed. Her emotions switched from pain to anger. She pictured Isabella and Alexander meeting up in their rendezvous spot, laughing at how gullible she was, and how they had managed to deceive her; and Caroline let it ignite the fire that was increasing in her.
As she stayed thinking about the situation, it struck her that not only had he betrayed her, but he had also disrespected her. Alexander had brought his mistress home with him, not caring that she was sick in bed or that people might see them together and mock her.
The words she had spoken to her mother just before she was forced to marry him came back to her. She remembered telling her that she could never replace the love of his life, even if she was the one married to him, and now those words had been proven true. She had been a fool to think he had totally forgotten about Isabella and would love her instead.
She placed her hand on her stomach to calm herself, finally reaching a decision. She would not allow herself or her child to grow up with a man who did not care for her. There was no way she would ever allow herself to believe any word uttered from those lips anymore and she would never stay with a man she could not trust to be honest with her and treat her right.
She recalled how certain Isabella was with her terrible accusations and rude remarks and realized that she had been stupid to ignore the signs that were right before her.
She decided to return to her parents. They would understand why she could no longer live with him after she would have explained the situation, and the rest of her belongings would be collected later by her family’s servants.
As she made her way out of the room, Caroline put on a calm expression, and walked out the door. The carriage was still out front, so she called for the coachman. She watched the door of the manor, praying that Alexander would not come out before they had time to ride off. She feared that if she saw him and he tried to talk to her, she would break down in tears.
Caroline did not know the extent of her affection for him until this very moment when she realized that he had never been hers and that the beautiful memories she had created with him had been a façade.
The carriage moved away from the manor and Caroline settled into the seat, the tension in her shoulders easing off slightly. She wished she did not have to talk to her parents about what had transpired, but she had nowhere else to go, and she knew they would want to know what happened before they chose to take her in.
The carriage stopped in front of the Campbell house and Caroline was once again close to tears. She had never thought she would be returning for anything other than a visit, yet here she was, with a failed marriage.
As Caroline stepped out, she was greeted by the sight of her mother who appeared to be on her way out. She rushed to her, a look of concern that Caroline was not used to seeing directed at her, crossed her mother’s face. “I heard you were sick and was on my way over to see you. Why are you here? Has something happened?”
At her mother’s words, Caroline broke down, the tears she had promised not to shed gushing out of her so forcefully her body convulsed as she rushed into her mother’s arms. “Mother.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Alexander pushed Isabella out of his lap, shocked that she had kissed him. “What is the matter with you, Isabella? You are in the house I share with my wife, and you think you can act any way you like?”
Isabella tried to move back to him, “I do not see your wife anywhere, do you? Come on, Alexander, you cannot have so easily forgotten the times we shared everything.” She placed her hand on his cheek, but he pushed it away.
“I do not think you understand, Isabella, you cannot take such liberties with me anymore. I am married and I am not the type to be unfaithful to my wife. I have never been that type of person and I shall never be. I would have never done that to you, so why would you want me to do that to someone else?” Alexander asked, fed up with her antics.
Her facial expression changed from the easy-going and flirty one she had on, to something ugly. “You do not have to bring her up every time I see you, Alex. I am here to see you, not her. So why do I have to keep hearing about your ‘lovely wife’?” The sarcastic tone with which she saidyour lovely wifefilled Alexander with disdain. He could not believe he had been so blinded by his feelings that he had failed to see the real her.
“You need to leave, Isabella. I do not have time for your games.” He stood up and pointed to the door.
“What games? You loved me, Alex,” she said. “You may be confused right now, but a few months ago, I meant everything to you, so you cannot expect me to believe that has changed so soon. You would not have cheated on me because you loved me. How have you become so rigid? You were never like this when you were with me. She is changing you and you are letting her do it. It is not like you love her, anyway.”
Alexander paused to look at Isabella as she spoke. He let out a small laugh when she got to the end of her rant.
“What is so funny?” she glowered at him.
