Chapter 72: Chapter 72 I don’t blame you, heart... you expected too much again
Isabella eyes landed on the soft white slippers placed neatly beside the bed. She slipped her feet into them and stood up carefully.
That’s when she noticed it, a suitcase beside the chair near the window. Her suitcase. She tilted her head in confusion. But I didn’t bring one... she thought. Maybe he had someone pack it for her? Her heart fluttered a little. Was he always this thoughtful when he wasn’t scolding her?
But... where was he?
She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and walked toward the door. The hallway outside was wide and quiet, with soft white walls and large windows that let in gentle moonlight. She walked slowly, turning corners, noticing multiple rooms as she passed—each one with closed doors. It looked like a villa. A massive one.
She followed the faint sound of voices echoing from somewhere ahead.
After a few steps, she reached an open space and peeked around the corner.
Her feet stopped.
It was a living room. Cozy and modern, filled with warm lights and a glass wall that opened out to a glowing poolside view. Leonardo stood in the center, calm as ever, dressed in a fresh black shirt with his sleeves rolled up.
But he wasn’t alone.
Isabella’s heart skipped as she pressed herself against the wall, peeking carefully.
There were others in the room, people she recognized.
Casper, the playful one she’d met before, laughed loudly and threw himself onto the couch. "Dude! I thought you brought her here for a honeymoon," he joked, holding his stomach from laughing.
Isabella blinked, her face blank. Honeymoon? What does he mean... ’thought’?
Beside him, Alan Brown smiled charmingly, raising a drink. "Thank you for inviting us. We haven’t been together like this in forever. We’ll have fun like old times."
Isabella stood in a quiet daze.
Her eyes stayed wide, her breath caught in her throat.
This wasn’t...This wasn’t just their trip.
It wasn’t even a real honeymoon.
And Leonardo? He hadn’t told her anything.
She just stood there...
Feeling like the only person in the world who didn’t know the full story.
"Haha! We’re really all here, finally!" Alexa laughed, lifting her glass with a wide smile. Her red lipstick matched the glow in her cheeks. "A full break with no business, no stress—just beach, food, and fun!"
"Hmm," came a soft reply from Zion, who was leaning back quietly on the couch, arms folded, saying little as usual. He nodded, but his eyes didn’t smile.
Casper, who was already two sips into his drink, leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "But wait a second... didn’t you say this was a honeymoon trip, Leo?" He raised his eyebrows and looked directly at Leonardo. "Isn’t your little wife somewhere around here?"
The room went silent for a breath.
Leonardo slowly placed his glass down on the coffee table. His eyes narrowed, sharp and cold.
"That’s a private matter," he said, voice low and smooth like a warning. "Between me and her." His gaze stayed on Casper a second longer, as if daring him to joke again.
Casper raised both hands with a chuckle. "Okay, okay! Touchy subject. Got it."
Alexa giggled again, sipping her drink. "Aw, come on. It’s kind of sweet, isn’t it? The cold Leo bringing his little bride to the beach. I think it’s cute." She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, her fake funny smile lingering on her lips.
Leonardo didn’t answer. He picked up his glass again, swirling the liquid but not drinking.
From behind the wall, Isabella watched everything.
Her eyes flicked from Leonardo to Casper to Alexa... and then back to Leonardo.
He hadn’t corrected them. He hadn’t even told them she was right there in the villa. He just kept drinking like she didn’t exist in that moment.
She noticed Alexa was drinking too—looking comfortable, familiar, laughing freely beside Leonardo and the others. They were used to each other. This world belonged to them.
Not her.
Her chest tightened.
And in that split second without thinking—Isabella turned and ran back the way she came. Her feet were quiet, fast, her heart pounding louder than her footsteps.
She reached the room and closed the door softly behind her, then climbed back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.
The warmth didn’t comfort her this time.
Her wide eyes stared into the darkness beneath the blanket, her chest rising and falling fast.
She hugged the blanket tighter around her and whispered softly to herself,
"Well... I don’t blame you, heart... you expected too much again."
And this time, no dream could save her.
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Leonardo’s gaze turned sharp as he set his drink down, the ice clinking softly in the glass. "Stop joking around," he said, his voice colder now. The laughter in the room dipped. "And Bella is sleeping... so keep it quiet."
His tone wasn’t playful.
It was a warning.
Casper raised both eyebrows and leaned back with a mock-surrender gesture, though the smirk never left his face. "Alright, alright, I’ll zip it. But man... the way you’re getting protective these days. Who would’ve thought?" He chuckled under his breath. "Big bad Leo has a soft spot."
"That’s enough." Leonardo didn’t raise his voice but it didn’t need raising. The way he looked at Casper made even Zion sit up straighter.
"Aww..." Casper laughed again, more gently this time, clearly enjoying the tension. "It’s cute. You really like her, huh?"
Alexa, who had been sipping her drink quietly, turned her head just enough to hide the look in her eyes. But not before a flicker of jealousy passed through them. She looked at Leonardo for a second too long.
She set her glass down with a little too much care and forced a smile. "You really brought her here for honeymoon?" she asked casually, though her tone was too sweet, too sharp beneath the surface.
Leonardo didn’t look at her. He only leaned back into the couch and replied, "She needed rest. That’s all you need to know."
Alexa’s smile faded slightly.
What none of them knew except Alan, who glanced between them all with quiet understanding was that Alexa wasn’t really invited by Leo.
She came because she followed Alan. And Alan was here because he and Zion had unfinished business with a property nearby. The beach trip was a cover, a break. But Alexa had no reason to be here... other than to see Leonardo again.
And now, watching how easily Leonardo’s entire focus changed when Isabella was mentioned, that bitterness quietly tightened in her chest.