The Tycoon's Secret Wife's Escape novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Isabella

Cassie’s gone.

My best friend, my sister, my soulmate…

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Though I asked the hospital to keep her death private, Cassie’s status made it impossible. She wasn’t just an ordinary woman from a simple family.

I handled all the final arrangements, determined to give my friend the peaceful farewell she deserved.

After calling Evan, I sent her urn to her parents along with the letter she’d written. Alone by the ocean, I scattered her ashes into the waves, my tears blending with the sea. It’s been a week since Cassie left, and while grief weighs heavy, I must stay strong–another family depends on me now.

I was heading back to the villa when a familiar voice cut through the sound of the waves–one I hadn’t heard in months.

“Isabella?”

There stood Gabriel, his skin sun–kissed from island life, just like mine.

“So, it’s true. It is you!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been on this island for months. The locals mentioned a celebrity staying around here, but I didn’t think much of it since it’s not unusual. Then I heard your name… and Cassie’s. I knew I had to find you.”

I could only manage a silent nod, my throat tight with unshed tears.

Gabriel continued, “I… I heard you and Cassie disappeared more than two months ago. It caused a huge stir on social media.”

That had been part of our plan. We knew Asher would go frantic, assuming we’d gone to Bali, following the trail of breadcrumbs we deliberately left behind.

“We threw our phones away,” I said, my tone casual despite the weight of the truth. “I have no idea what’s happening outside this island.”

Gabriel closed the distance between us, wrapping me in a gentle embrace. His touch was warm and grounding, his hand gently rubbing my back.

“I’m sorry, I only found out now,” he said softly. “I heard what happened to Cassie. Isabella, my condolences…”

Gabriel was the first person to speak those words of condolence, and something inside me finally broke. My tears continued to spill over.

After I composed myself, he invited me to a local restaurant to check on me. The thought of being alone with my grief was unbearable, so I agreed.

“How are you, Isabella?” Gabriel asked, his voice tinged with sadness.

“My past two months on the island have been great, if that’s what you’re asking. I returned to designing jewelry and sent pieces to a shop one of Cassie’s friends owned. I’ve been keeping busy and feeling happy… that is, until a week ago.”

Gabriel’s face softened with understanding. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said quietly. “Uh, does Mr. Blake know that you Cassie were here together?”

I could see the lingering hope in Gabriel’s eyes, and for a moment, I lied.

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08:29 Mon, 14 Apr

Chapter 76

“Yes,” I replied.

His gaze dropped to the table, shoulders slumping slightly.

JUU!

459)

“I’m happy for you,” he said, “Truth is, I’ve been in denial, struggling to accept how quickly you found someone else. These past months, I’ve tortured myself trying to understand where our relationship went wrong. I realized it was my ego that drove you away. I owe you so much, Issa…”

His eyes reddened, and he looked away, trying to hold back the tears.

I wasn’t ready to forgive Gabriel’s cheating or his past actions, but I didn’t have the energy to dwell on them. We finished our meal in quiet thought.

Back at Cassie’s villa, I checked in with the nurse caring for Cassic. Then, I started packing, and my thoughts were already on France, where I had an interview for a design position. They were interested in helping me launch my own jewelry brand.

This is it. I’m moving on.

This new chapter will be just me and the child in my belly.

***

Grayson had traveled to the Bahamas on a trip invited by a business partner. It was there that he first heard the news of Cassie Monroe’s death.

How could this be? He thought of Isabella’s friend, who was always lively and energetic.

“What?” Grayson asked, his voice tight and confused. Had something happened that he didn’t know about in the past few months?

“Yes, Mr. Blake,” Mr. Charles replied. “Evan Monroe arrived here on the island and managed to suppress the news of his sister’s death. Remember how the family searched for Cassie and Isabella Prescott for two months? It seemed they were recuperating here.”

Grayson’s body tensed as memories crashed over him.

He suddenly recalled Isabella’s presence at the hospital when his grandmother had been ill. At the time, he assumed she was there to visit Mrs. Prescott, who had also been hospitalized. He didn’t look any deeper into it.

When Eliot suggested that Isabella might have been kidnapped, Grayson briefly looked into it. He was convinced, however, that Isabella was simply helping Cassie escape an unwanted marriage.

‘Damn it!‘

His frustration surged as he thought he’d been so focused on hearing about Isabella’s wellbeing from Eliot that he’d deliberately ignored everything else, refusing to see the bigger picture.