The End of a Marriage (Colette and Matheo) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188

CHAPTER 3

The cars began to leave one by one from the church parking lot, their

engines humming softly as mourners departed in clusters. Isla stood

off to the side, barely aware of the movement around her. She felt

disconnected, as though she were floating outside of herself, her body

moving only because the world around her expected it to. Groups of

people passed her, exchanging quiet goodbyes and words of comfort

she neither heard nor desired.

A kind woman approached her at one point, her eyes warm with

concern. “Would you like a ride home, dear?” the woman asked, her

tone gentle. Isla shook her head without looking up, her gaze fixed on

the gravel beneath her feet. The woman hesitated, then walked away,

leaving Isla to her solitude.

The sun was out, casting sharp shadows across the parking lot, but

Isla felt no warmth. The air around her seemed heavy, damp with an

invisible fog that clung to her skin. The brightness of the day felt like

an insult, as though the world had no right to shine when her life had

been plunged into darkness.

As the crowd thinned, only a few stragglers remained, lingering in

clusters or exchanging quiet words near their cars. Isla deliberately

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Chapter 188

avoided their eyes, retreating further into her corner. She didn’t want

their pity. She didn’t want their conversations or empty platitudes.

She wanted to be left alone, to grieve in the silence that had always

been her companion.

But then her eyes caught sight of Graham Lancaster. He stood apart

from the others, speaking to a man in a dark suit. His girlfriend stood

beside him, her arm looped lightly through his, her head tilted toward

the conversation. Graham’s posture was relaxed but commanding, his

dark suit impeccable, his presence radiating authority even in the

midst of mourning.

Isla’s gaze dropped quickly. She didn’t want to look at him, but she

couldn’t help it. There he was, the man who now held the keys to her

entire life.

“Miss Isla?”

The voice startled her, breaking through the haze of her thoughts.

She turned to see Edwin Harlow, their family’s driver, standing a few

steps away. His face was lined with grief, his eyes rimmed red. Edwin

had been with the Lancasters for as long as she could remember, a

quiet constant in her life.

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“Would you like me to take you home now?” he asked softly.

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Chapter 188

Home. The word made her chest tighten.

She nodded but didn’t move, her feet rooted to the ground. Her eyes

darted back to Graham, his broad back turned to her as he continued

his conversation. A sudden, sharp thought struck her: Was Graham

going to keep Edwin on? And Maggie?

Maggie Lane, their housekeeper, had been more of a mother to Isla

than anyone else ever had. She was older now, closer in age to Isla’s

grandmother, but her warmth and care had never wavered. Edwin and

Maggie were her family in every way that mattered, and now their

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