Stuck in The Marriage Pact
Chapter 74: back together

Chapter 74: back together

Joe immediately stood up, his gaze sharp as he focused on Hunter, but in an instant, his attention was diverted to the police officer entering.

"Mr. Joe, we are arresting you for document fraud and for hiding Mr. Brown’s wife," the officer said as he approached Joe.

"What?" Joe frowned and shook his head. "This must be a mistake..."

The officer ignored Joe’s words and handcuffed him behind his back, forcing him to walk toward the door.

"Isabella, I’m not guilty, you know I’ve explained everything!" Joe shouted.

Isabella remained silent, her gaze sad, watching Joe slowly disappear from her sight.

"Honey..."

She quickly turned to look at Hunter, who was approaching her slowly with his cane. She watched his face, as if trying to understand him.

"It’s over... Now nothing can stop us from being together again," Hunter said, smiling. "You’re my wife, legally... And your marriage to Joe is completely invalid because the divorce certificate he gave the department is fake. Your marriage to him is not recognized by the state because you’re still legally my wife... You’re mine, and you’ll always be mine," he continued, reaching for Isabella’s hand and gently stroking it with his thumb.

Isabella remained silent, gazing at Hunter while remembering Joe’s explanation about their past.

"What are you feeling right now?" Hunter asked.

"I..." Isabella hesitated, then pulled her hand from Hunter’s. "Do I have no family? Why is it only you and Joe involved in my life?" she wondered.

Hunter bit his lower lip.

"I... I can’t deny that I believe you’re my husband... You have proof. But I can’t remember about us’... I’m not sure I can be with you right now," Isabella said nervously, then lowered her head. "Besides, your mother doesn’t like me. Maybe she will use another way to..."

"She won’t do anything to separate us." Hunter stopped Isabella and took her hand again, looking at her with a sad expression. "Please... Come back to me. Believe me, I can restore the love that’s been lost in you... Give me a chance... I won’t let anyone hurt you, never..."

"You haven’t answered me."

"Yes, you have... You have family!" Hunter said softly, shaking his head. "But you hate them."

Isabella frowned. "What do you know about my family? Please tell me... Because... Joe didn’t tell me."

"You once said that your mother cheated on your father when you were little, and you even caught her. That’s why you hate her so much... You lived with your father and young brother while she married the man who was her affair. But then your father passed away... And... you hated your mother even more. The last time she came to see you, you still hated her even though she regretted her actions... And your younger brother, he lives with your mother," explained Hunter, and Isabella froze, staring blankly.

"No wonder no one tried to find me, it turns out there’s no family who cares about me," Isabella whispered as tears began to fall.

Hunter quickly took a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and wiped Isabella’s tears.

"If I hadn’t been in a coma, I would have found you sooner," he said. "I’m sorry you had to go through all of this."

Isabella glanced at Hunter, staring deeply into his eyes.

"I know, even though you don’t remember us, you still believe in me."

"You’re the father of my child... Of course, I believe you," Isabella whispered through her tears, and Hunter immediately sat next to her and hugged her. "I’m really confused... I keep feeling strange about Joe’s behavior... It turns out he deceived me..."

"Yes... But if my mother had removed you from my life in another way, not by calling Joe, the consequences might have been fatal... It might be difficult for us to be together again."

"What do you mean?" Isabella looked up at Hunter.

"I..." Hunter sighed. "I hate Joe for hiding you and marrying you illegally, and for not giving you proper treatment so your condition worsened... But if he hadn’t been with you, maybe you wouldn’t have survived. Behind all the bad things, he took care of you with love, didn’t he?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Isabella immediately turned her gaze away, her eyes seemingly filled with Joe’s shadow.

"Yes... He loved me and respected me," she whispered. "He never forced me to accept him... He never hit me, never got angry," she continued nervously, recalling every moment with Joe.

Hunter fell silent.

"You..." Isabella looked up at Hunter. "I mean, Hunter... I’m so sick of this drama. I want you to help me start my life over, properly... Without making others suffer or hate us."

He remained silent, furrowing his brow.

Isabella took Hunter’s hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Can you just free Joe?" she asked. "It’s not because I want to choose him, that’s impossible... But I just want him to realize that he can’t force me to choose him, even if I don’t remember our past. I want him to stop obsessing over me, and maybe he can find love with a better girl than me... I just..." She shook her head and lowered her gaze.

"I’ve heard how this love triangle started, and it’s not entirely his fault, but also mine. So I want him to have freedom..."

"I’ll do it," Hunter said, and Isabella immediately looked up at him. "But I’ll make a condition so that he won’t take you from me again."

Isabella nodded with a smile, and suddenly Hunter kissed her lips, making her freeze and feel strange. She gently pushed his chest, staring into his eyes intensely.

"I... I’m still not used to accepting you as my husband," she said nervously. "I believe you’re my husband, after all, I’m carrying your child... But..."

"I understand..." Hunter nodded with a calm smile. "I’ll wait until you’re ready." He kissed her forehead then carefully got off the bed.

Isabella remained silent, watching Hunter, who still had to use a cane.

’I wasn’t seriously injured in the accident while he became lame and was in a coma for a month. Did all of this happen because he prioritized my safety?’ she wondered in her mind, while Hunter received a call from someone.

"What did you get?" Hunter asked.

"Sir, we’ve found the person responsible for your car accident," a man on the phone replied. "It was Mr. Hans Robinson, your uncle," he continued.

Hunter froze, his heart pounding.

"We’ve gathered all the evidence, and the police have arrested him, but he has a lawyer who will get him released by any means. I think you should return to New York immediately for this case, we can’t let him go free... he might harm you again."

"Alright..." Hunter ended the call and sighed deeply, his face unable to hide his disappointment.

"What happened?" Isabella asked.

"It’s about our accident," Hunter replied, sitting back down. "Turns out it was all my uncle’s doing."

"Your uncle?"

"Yes... He’s Davin’s father... I thought he didn’t hate me like Aunt and Davin, but it turns out..." Hunter sighed, unable to finish his sentence.

Isabella tried to sit up, holding her stomach with her right hand, and then reached for Hunter’s right hand with her left.

"I don’t know anything, but... I’m here for you," she whispered.

Hunter smiled faintly. "Thank you."

"So... What will you do now?"

"First, I need to make sure you’re really healthy so we can go back to New York, we’ll return to our home," Hunter explained, but Isabella showed a worried expression.

She froze, remembering how Juliana lied to her and kept her away from Hunter.

"Don’t be afraid of my mother, she won’t have a chance to get close to you and hurt you," Hunter said, as if reading Isabella’s mind. "I’ll always be by your side, I promise!" He held his wife’s hand tightly and kissed it.

Isabella remained silent with a blank stare, but slowly nodded.