The End of a Marriage (Colette and Matheo) novel Chapter 255

The End Of a Marriage

Chapter 255

CHAPTER 35

The next day dawned with a quiet stillness that did nothing to ease

Isla’s unease. It was her birthday, but the house felt empty, void of

the anticipation she used to feel when she knew Graham would come.

The hours crawled by, each minute dragging her spirits lower. By

midday, her heart was heavy with dread, and by evening, her hopes

had crumbled completely.

Graham didn’t come.

Not a single phone call, not a note, not even a message sent through

someone else. The silence from him was deafening. Isla spent most of

the day curled up in her room, her phone clutched in her trembling hands as she dialed his number over and over again. Each call went

unanswered, the line either busy or redirecting her to voicemail.

Desperate, she called his office. When Nella answered, her voice professional yet tinged with sympathy, Isla felt a glimmer of hope. “Nella, please,” she said, her voice cracking. “Can you tell him I need

to speak to him? It’s important.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Isla,” Nella replied gently. “Mr. Lancaster isn’t

available right now.”

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Chapter 255

The words hit Isla like a physical blow. Her breath caught, and she

fought to keep the tears at bay. “He isn’t available,” she repeated, her

voice trembling, “or does he just not want to speak to me?”

The question escaped before she could stop it, and she immediately

regretted it. “I’m so sorry, Nella,” she said quickly, her cheeks

flushing with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to put you in that

position.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Isla,” Nella replied, her tone soft and understanding. “I

hope you understand—I’m just doing my job.”

“I do,” Isla whispered. She really did. But it didn’t make the pain any

easier to bear. She ended the call with another apology, her hands

shaking as she set the phone down.

Watching Isla unravel day by day was agonizing for Maggie, but she

felt powerless to help. Every tear that Isla shed, every hollow sigh,

weighed on Maggie’s heart like lead. She could only hope that,

somehow, the situation would resolve itself.

At around nine in the evening, as the house settled into its quiet

nighttime rhythm, the phone rang. Maggie, ever attentive, was quick to answer. She lifted the receiver, her voice bright with cautious hope. “Hello, Thornfield Manor,” she said. A moment later, her expression

changed, and she shouted up the stairs, “Isla! Isla, come down quickly

-it’s Master Graham!”

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Chapter 255

Excitement flared in Isla’s chest, a spark of hope igniting after days of despair. She rushed to the staircase, her feet barely touching the floor

as she descended.

Maggie, meanwhile, had turned back to the phone, her relief evident

as she spoke. “Oh, Master Graham, you finally called! Isla’s been trying to reach you all day–she was so worried! And I was beginning

to think-”

But Maggie’s cheerful rambling trailed off abruptly. The voice on the other end of the line was cold–so cold it seemed to seep through the receiver, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

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