Stuck in The Marriage Pact
Chapter 40: regret and annoyance

Chapter 40: regret and annoyance

Wandering without a destination, that’s what Isabella was doing. She crossed the pedestrian area, observing the quiet surroundings far from the skyscrapers, as the location of Jake Owen Brown’s mansion was dominated by elite residential buildings. She kept walking, occasionally looking back, feeling terrified.

"Running away from the mansion isn’t as easy as escaping the penthouse. It’s so empty here, I don’t even know when I’ll find a shop or cafe... Restaurant... I can’t even call a taxi!" she muttered in frustration, glancing back again. "And... I don’t know where to go. This doesn’t seem like the way to the main road. There’s no public phone... should I just go back to Grandpa’s mansion?"

With hesitation, Isabella turned around and entered an alleyway that was very quiet, even somewhat dark. She occasionally jogged a little, feeling increasingly scared, especially as she often heard the sound of dogs.

"Damn it, why does this feel like a horror movie? I shouldn’t have left. Why am I even like this? Why am I mad at Hunter when I haven’t even given him any certainty?" She questioned herself, feeling so foolish that she hit her head.

"Isabella Quinn... You always act impulsively. Now you feel it, your feet will suffer from carrying your body all this way!"

"Hey!"

A man’s voice coming from another alley startled her. Isabella immediately stopped and swallowed hard, seeing a man wearing a leather jacket with long hair blocking her way.

"Girl... What are you doing here? You don’t seem to be from around here?" the man asked, approaching Isabella, who kept backing away. "Aren’t you afraid of robbers?"

"Um... I..."

"Or maybe you’re lost?" the man asked again, stopping in his tracks, eyeing Isabella’s elegant and sexy appearance. "You look like a rich girl who just attended an event... But why are you alone?"

"Ah, I’m waiting for my husband!" Isabella exclaimed, pushing the man away. "I have to go now!" She quickly walked on.

"Hey!" The man started following Isabella.

"He must be a bad guy!" Isabella thought, hurrying her pace but struggling due to her high heels. Her heart pounded, haunted by the man’s face, fearing she might become his victim. "Damn it, why is this happening? Stupid, I shouldn’t have left Hunter!"

"Hey, you can’t run from me. Instead of waiting for your husband, why not have some fun with me!" the man kept following her out of the alley onto the main road where few pedestrians but many cars were passing by. He decided to run after her. "Hey, stop!"

Isabella looked back, realizing the man was getting closer. Her eyes widened in panic, and she spontaneously took off her heels and ran without them.

"Hey! Stop, you fucking bitch!"

"You bastard, how dare you call me that!" Isabella kept running, gasping, until a car suddenly stopped in front of her.

She looked for a way to get past but was startled when a girl stepped out of the car.

"Estella?"

"Isabella!" Estella immediately approached her, noticing the man who had been chasing Isabella had stopped and was watching them from a distance. "I knew something was wrong with you." She looked at Isabella, noticing she was now barefoot.

Isabella just nodded and followed Estella into her car. She sighed in relief, resting her head back and brushing her hair away.

"Do you want me to take you to the penthouse or my apartment?" Estella asked while driving.

Isabella remained silent as if unsure of how to respond.

"Sarah told me you argued with Hunter before leaving, so I figured you might not want to see him right now," Estella added.

"I don’t know," Isabella whispered anxiously, recalling Hunter’s face and the cause of their argument, making her chest feel so tight with bottled-up emotions.

"You can talk to me to ease your mind, I promise I won’t tell anyone." Estella coaxed.

"No, there’s no issue between us," Isabella said with a frown. ’I can’t tell her about my feelings... She might tell Hunter since they’re so close. Everything could get messy, and besides, I don’t know if she’s a good cousin or not,’ she thought.

"If there’s no issue, then why did you leave without even saying goodbye to your grandparents?"

"But really, there’s no serious problem... I just... I just feel tired of myself... I mean... I have past trauma that can disturb my thoughts at any time... It’s really bad, and Hunter shouldn’t have to deal with it." Isabella lied nervously, then turned to Estella. "Please take me to the penthouse... I don’t want Hunter to worry about me," she added.

Estella sighed heavily. "He must be really worried about you. He’s a mature man with a protective nature... He always cares for the women close to him, including friends and family... He won’t be at ease until he knows everything’s okay," she said.

Isabella remained silent, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving Hunter without even saying goodbye to her grandparents.

’Once again, I’ve caused him trouble just because of my unstable behavior. Grandpa and Grandma must be wondering and asking him many questions... And he won’t be able to give them the real answers because there’s so much we have to hide,’ she thought with regret.

...

Hunter and Colin had just arrived at the penthouse. Hunter immediately threw his cane carelessly, then rushed to the bedroom while taking off his jacket, even throwing it on the floor, causing Isabella’s phone to fall as well.

Upon reaching the bedroom, his frustration grew when he saw his mother calling repeatedly. He answered while sitting on the sofa.

"Hello?"

"Is your wife causing trouble again? How did that happen? Didn’t you say that once you had control over that contract, she wouldn’t dare act out anymore?" Juliana asked irritably.

"Stubbornness will remain stubbornness, even if they know punishment awaits," Hunter replied curtly.

"Oh my God!"

"You don’t need to worry about this... After all, this is between me and her, and the important thing is that my brother won’t ever revoke the assets given to me. Isn’t that what matters most to you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes... But I also don’t like her acting out when we’ve paid her so much. We didn’t pay her to embarrass you!"

"I’ve been humiliated and broken long before I married her, and that’s because of you!" Hunter snapped, recalling how Sarah had left him and dated Davin. "It’s all because of you... So don’t pretend to care about my dignity now... It’s all ruined, ruined!" he continued, ending the call and throwing his phone onto the bed.

Hunter clenched his fists, hitting the sofa repeatedly. "Damn it, you bastards. Davin, Sarah... Joe... All of you. Isabella... Mom... You’ve all succeeded in making me feel worthless. I’ve never been a priority... Never. I’m never anyone’s priority... You will always underestimate me!"