The End of a Marriage (Colette and Matheo) novel Chapter 226

The End Of a Marriage

Chapter 226

When Isla was sixteen, she had a friend named Maria who lived in one

of the cottages on their property. Maria’s family rented the space

from Isla’s stepfather, who managed the estate with a practical eye

for business. Maria’s father was an architect at a prominent firm in

the city, but her mother, with her love for open fields and quiet

mornings, had insisted they live in the countryside. Every day,

Maria’s parents made the long commute to the city for work, leaving

Maria with hours to explore and entertain herself.

Maria was a whirlwind–a bold, outspoken, and fiercely independent

girl who seemed to know things Isla couldn’t even begin to imagine. Maggie, the older woman who’d taken care of Isla since her mother had passed, was wary of Maria from the start. “That girl is trouble,” Maggie had said, her disapproval evident in the tight press of her lips.

To Maggie, Maria was wild and unruly, a storm in the guise of a

teenage girl.

But to Isla, Maria was fascinating. There was something magnetic

about her confidence, the way she seemed to move through life

without fear or hesitation. Isla had always felt like a quiet shadow

compared to Maria’s vivid energy.

One warm summer afternoon, as the two of them lounged on the soft

grass behind the cottage, Maria brought up a topic that made Isla’s

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cheeks burn. The conversation had been casual at first–school

gossip, boys from the village, dreams of leaving the countryside

behind. But then Maria had turned to Isla, her dark eyes glinting with

curiosity and something else Isla couldn’t quite name.

“Do you ever touch yourself?” Maria asked, the question as casual as

if she’d inquired about the weather.

“Touch myself?” Isla echoed, her voice barely above a whisper. Her

face flushed red, and she sat up slightly, unsure if she’d misheard.

Maria smirked, propping herself up on one elbow. “You know… down there.” She gestured vaguely, her tone light but teasing. “It’s natural,

Isla. Everyone does it.”

Isla stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. She shook her head slowly,

the heat in her cheeks spreading to her neck and ears. “No… I’ve

never…

Maria’s expression shifted to one of genuine surprise. “Seriously?

Isla understood what sex was–she wasn’t naive about the mechanics

or the reasons people did it. After all, they were living in the digital

age, where knowledge was only a click away. But despite knowing the

how and the why, Isla had never felt the fiery passion or irresistible

pull that Maria described so effortlessly.

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Maria’s vivid descriptions of desire and longing left Isla feeling

awkward, as though she were missing some vital part of herself. And

in those moments, as Maria spoke with confidence and ease, Isla

couldn’t help but feel like a fool–unsure, inexperienced, and out of

place in a world that everyone else seemed to navigate so naturally.

Isla worried that something might actually be very wrong with herself

for not having any physical urges had decided to experiment that

night. She had searched on google about everything she needed to

know. She had quietly pulled her nighty over her stomach that night,

when she had been sure everyone had gone to sleep before she had experimented by touching herself down there between the juncture of

her limbs, rubbing herself at the nubbin as some articles on the

internet had told her to do. But nothing had worked. Worried even

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