Stuck in The Marriage Pact
Chapter 23: Holding on to anger

Chapter 23: Holding on to anger

Hunter paced back and forth in the living room, holding his phone but not calling anyone.

"Damn it!" he gritted his teeth. "What should I do? If I try to find her or even ask someone to look for her, she’ll get even angrier with me... But I can’t just leave her out there without any resolution... What if something bad happens to her?"

"Sir?" Collin approached Hunter.

Hunter quickly turned to him. "Collin... What should I do now? She hasn’t come back. What if she’s hungry? What if she needs help? She didn’t bring her phone or her bag... She has no money!" He asked, frustrated.

"It would be best if you let me look for her now," Collin responded calmly.

"She’ll be mad at me!"

"I’ll search for her without showing myself when I find her. This is just to ensure we know where she is and that she’s alright," Collin explained.

Hunter fell silent, staring seriously at Collin as if considering his suggestion. His attention was suddenly drawn to his phone vibrating. He quickly checked it and saw a message from Davin, then opened it.

It turned out to be a picture message, showing Isabella sitting on a bench, her head resting on a man’s shoulder. of course, it was Joe.

Hunter immediately trembled, his breathing quickening, imagining what might be happening between them, imagining that Isabella might never learn to love him, that she would leave him and go back to Joe.

"No..." He shook his head and moved on to read another message from Davin.

As I said, your wife will never be impressed by what you have, by what you can offer. She needs a man who can understand her, satisfy her... Maybe she married you out of pity... That’s pathetic. If your grandfather or anyone else finds out about this, you’ll be pitied even more... Hahaha... How tragic your fate is.

"Fuckkk!" Hunter shouted, throwing his phone towards the couch, smashing items there, knocking them over, some even breaking.

Collin was startled but remained silent, watching Hunter, who was panting with a sharp glare.

"She’s so damn stubborn!" Hunter growled, then stormed towards his bedroom.

Collin was left confused, unsure whether he should still search for Isabella but too scared to ask Hunter because of his intense anger.

"Ugh, what’s going on?" He sighed heavily, then spotted Hunter’s phone lying on the shelf and went to pick it up.

...

Still sitting on the park bench, Isabella stood up, and so did Joe. She looked at her lover anxiously until he suddenly leaned down to kiss her lips.

"I’ll miss you," Joe whispered, cupping Isabella’s left cheek and gazing at her intensely. "If you have free time, maybe we can meet tomorrow before I head back to Seattle," he added.

Isabella swallowed hard and immediately turned her gaze away.

"It’s hard to meet you during the day... Especially when Hunter thinks we have no relationship. I don’t want him to know about our meetings and..."

"Okay, I understand," Joe whispered before Isabella could finish. "I get it, and I won’t pressure you," he continued with a smile and gently kissed her forehead.

Isabella remained silent, her heart pounding, but her mind drifted to Hunter, feeling guilty for being affectionate with Joe.

"Now go back to him... Don’t make him angry... I don’t want him to hurt you," Joe said calmly, and Isabella just nodded before quickly leaving.

Joe stood still, watching as Isabella slowly disappeared from view, his heart aching because he couldn’t stop her from going, even though she was heading to see another man.

"No... I can’t think like that. That man... That man can’t do anything to her. He’s just her husband in name, what she does is more like a caretaker. She’ll be alright... She’s mine," he thought, trying to convince himself despite his frequent fear that Isabella might fall in love with Hunter.

...

Hurriedly, Isabella walked along the pedestrian area, occasionally glancing back towards the park, where she could still faintly see Joe watching her.

"Joe... I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry!" she cried, unable to hold back her tears, when suddenly she bumped into someone and fell.

"Ouch!"

She shifted slightly, holding her sore bottom from the impact, her eyes landing on the man who stood smiling at her.

"Davin," she muttered with a frown.

"Not my fault," Davin replied, crossing his arms. "You weren’t paying attention, rushing but looking elsewhere... That’s pretty strange!" he added with a sarcastic smile.

Isabella quickly stood up, glaring at Davin with annoyance, instantly recalling how much Hunter despised him.

"What are you doing out here at night?" Davin asked casually. "And you’re alone, too."

"None of your business!" Isabella snapped, then tried to walk away, but Davin blocked her path. "Get out of my way!" she demanded.

Davin just smiled.

"I just don’t get why I still doubt your love for Hunter," he said teasingly. "I think you’re only with him because you pity him... Or... you’re enjoying his wealth," he added, raising an eyebrow.

Isabella quickly distanced herself from Davin.

"Instead of thinking about me, maybe you should look at yourself. See if you’ve done anything right. You can’t even make a woman love you enough to marry you, and you’re perfectly healthy!" Isabella retorted sharply before walking away.

Davin just smirked, letting Isabella leave.

"How dare she try to lecture me... Of course, I’m better than Hunter... I could steal her, make her beg for my love!" he thought arrogantly, watching as Isabella slowly disappeared.

...

After a few minutes, Isabella finally arrived at the penthouse. She went straight to the bedroom, but when she got there, she immediately felt sad seeing Hunter curled up on the bed, his back turned to her.

She swallowed hard, clasping her hands over her mouth, walking slowly toward her husband with a pounding heart, her mind filled with the guilt of her meeting with Joe, which felt like betrayal.

"He’s my husband... And then I shared affection with another man. I feel worthless... I feel like a terrible woman," she thought, her eyes welling up with tears, remembering Hunter’s plea not to leave him, to let him keep loving her.

She sat on the edge of the bed, took off her sandals, and lay behind her husband, wanting to touch him but feeling afraid.

"Why has everything become so complicated... My heart... My heart feels so uncertain. I fear him, but I don’t want to disappoint him either... I know our future won’t be good, but why can’t I stop hoping for him? Is he good or not? Should I prioritize him over Joe? But Joe... Joe is pleading for my love again... He’s even starting to think about our future," she wrestled with her thoughts, growing more confused, feeling extremely stressed, unable to make up her mind.