The Tycoon's Secret Wife's Escape novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Isabella

“I’m so sorry, my dear…” Grandma whispered, tears slipping down her soft cheeks.

“So that’s the truth…” I murmured, a shiver crawling over my skin.

I could hardly breathe. The darkness I had uncovered was more horrifying than I ever imagined. My biological father. that monster–was far worse than Mr. Prescott. He had assaulted Bella Jones… and I was the result of that nightmare.

Tears welled in my eyes and fell, heavy with sorrow. I’d always thought my life was marked by misfortune, but knowing my birth mother’s pain broke me.

I turned to the woman I’d called mother all my life, my chest tightening with conflicted emotions. She had saved my mother… yet she had also been one of the people who had hurt her.

“No one knew Bella was pregnant back then,” Grandma continued. “The Volkovs still have no idea you’re one of them?

A sharp pang shot through me, but before I could speak, Grandma added, “Thank God you took after me–there’s nothing of Bella in your face.”

Her expression twisted with regret.

“I should’ve believed her when she said that man would be the death of her,” she murmured sorrowfully.

The silence stretched between us.

“I’m sorry, Issa..” my mother finally spoke.

I swallowed hard. “Is that why you could never love me properly? Why does Charlotte always come first?”

“Issa…” she whispered my name like a plea. Then, she sat beside me on the bed, reaching for my hand. “Please forgive me… I was afraid. If Dmitry ever decided to take you away, I wouldn’t have been able to stop him. He was too powerful, and I was trapped–by love, duty, and fear. I know I failed you, and I’m paying for it now.”

“Darling, this must remain buried,” Grandma warned. “You don’t understand the depths of the Volkovs‘ cruelty.. Bella didn’t just disappear from the Jones family’s history.”

Mom continued, her voice heavy with bitterness. “Dad was helpless against the Volkovs‘ influence. That monster couldn’t bear to face what he had done to my sister, so instead, he turned his hatred on our family.”

I sat in stunned silence, knowing only that I had to stay far away from anyone named Volkov.

When my grandmother and mother finally left, I lay back on the bed, staring at the blank ceiling. A cold dread coiled in my stomach as a terrifying question surfaced.

What if that man already knew I existed?

I’d gone to Paris and met Joanne, but now a new fear gripped me… Had I ever mentioned my possible connection to Bella Jones?

***

I visited my father to check on his condition. Though I wanted to maintain my distance and remain indifferent, I couldn’t ignore my worry about his health.

Once I was assured he was fine, a nurse pushed my wheelchair toward Gabriel’s ward. She knocked, then opened the door

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Chapter 98

and wheeled me inside.

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Monica, Gabriel’s mother, was also there. Her face lit up when she saw me, but the moment her gaze dropped to my swollen belly, a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. I shook my head slightly, silently telling her the baby wasn’t Gabriel’s. Her shoulders dropped, and I could see her hopes fading–that I might have become her daughter–in–law.

Gabriel turned to look at me, and the sadness in his eyes was unmistakable. He lay on the hospital bed, his leg in a cast, the room filled with medical equipment.

“Isabella…” Monica murmured, kissing my cheek when my wheelchair reached her.

“I came here to thank Gabriel personally,” I muttered.

Monica nodded and rose to her feet. “I’ll give you two some time alone.”

Despite her age, she still looked remarkably youthful–no one would guess she had a son as old as Gabriel. After she left, my eyes were drawn to the cast that held Gabriel’s injured leg.

“Why did you help me, Gabriel? It must have caused you terrible pain,” I asked, my voice laced with unspoken emotions.

He let out a soft sigh. “Compared to the mistakes I’ve made against you, this is nothing, Isabella”

His voice was tender with regret. “That night, I was smoking outside, near a pine tree, when I suddenly heard you screaming Charlotte’s name. It caught me off guard because everyone thought she’d died at the bridge. When I saw her car coming, I didn’t hesitate. I just knew I had to get you out of the way. Thank God you landed in the soft snow.”

A faint, forced smile crossed his lips as he added, “And now, here I am–the one in a cast.”

“I’d probably be dead by now if you hadn’t saved me,” I murmured.

“But if you died, I’d probably follow you… I know you may not believe me, but I truly, deeply love you, Isabella. I wanted to love you more, even without expecting anything in return,” he said, his eyes filled with an unmistakable sadness.

“When I learned about your marriage to Mr. Blake, I couldn’t forgive myself for letting you slip away; that’s why you ended up with someone else. Only then did I truly understand everything you’d done for me. I never took seriously that you might leave one day. I believe you gave me everything and your endless love for me. I told myself, “There’s no way Isabella would leave me…“”

His voice cracked slightly. “I kept hurting you. If I’d been different, I might be your husband now, and that baby might be mine. But that’s all in the past. All I can do now is focus on healing.”