Page 67 of Isabela

Isabela is quiet when we get home. She eats in the kitchen with us, and then says she wants to take a nap. I’m worried about her, and my hands fist as I watch her go.

“You’re going to have to give her time, Gael,” Aria says softly.

“Does she need time, or does she need to rewrite the narrative?” I growl. I’m not mad at Isa, how could I be? Instead, I’m worried about giving her too much space and losing her.

Keeping my hands busy, I start putting food away and washing dishes.

“I don’t know what the right thing to do is,” Aria sighs. “How was she when you helped her in the shower?”

“She felt awkward and embarrassed,” I grunt. I take my anger out on a dish as I scrub the fuck out of it. “Do you remember when you broke your foot, when you were walking and typing a few years ago? You were on a deadline, and the muse was making you insane.”

“Ugh, yes,” Aria groans. “I rolled it and then fell wrong and broke it. It had to be the dumbest way to break something in the history of breaks.”

Snickering, I remember how miserable she was on crutches. “I helped you shower and it wasn’t a big deal, know why?” I ask.

“Because we had known each other for a million years by then?” she asks, amused.

Bingo. “Yep. Isa and I don’t have that kind of history, so it’s just awkward as fuck. I don’t care though. I’m going to continue to offer to help, until it stops being weird for her,” I promise.

Finished with the plate, I dry it before I put it away and then start to clean the sink.

“This kitchen is going to sparkle before you’re through with it,” Aria teases me. “We’re at the beginning of our journey with Isa, and while we’ve had some bumps, we’re going to be okay.”

“I just have to kill a few people first,” I mutter.

“Yes, but before you do that, please ask Isa if she’d like to join you,” Aria says wryly. My lips curl in amusement as I rest my forearms on the lip of the sink and look over my shoulder at my wife.

Smirking, she blows me a kiss before she flounces out of the kitchen. Aria Murphy has several spankings with her name on it, I’ve just been too busy to give them to her. Rinsing out the sink, I dry my hands on the kitchen towel before hanging it up.

Walking out of the kitchen, I spot Aria working on the porch with her computer, enjoying the morning air. She’ll be out there for a bit, probably.

Pulling out my phone, I email my students for the rest of today stating that my TA will be taking over my classes for the next three days, and then email Cassandra to let her know. A bit backwards, but whatever. Everyone knows what they need to know, so I should be fine, right?

My phone buzzes in my hand, and I see Theodore’s name. Goddamnit. I forgot to call him.

“Hello, Theodore,” I answer, wincing.

“I’m at your gate,” he growls. “Let me in. I want to see her.”

A beep at the front gate camera alerts me that he is in fact there. Opening the app, I see Theodore glaring at me in the back seat of his sedan, already having hung up. This man never leaves his house. I feel awful that I didn’t call him. He adores Isabela, and we really thought she was safe with the Society.

Buzzing him in, I sigh as I walk through the house to where Isa is staying. The door is open and she’s curled up on the bed, staring at a corner. My heart aches as I watch her.

“Hey, Isa?” I ask. I’m trying hard to use her name instead of a nickname that is now tainted. We need to have a conversation about what could trigger her and exactly what happened with Charles.

We’ve been a little busy surviving for the moment.

“Yeah?” she asks. It looks as if she’s deep in thought, and Isa blinks as if trying to come back to the present.

“Theodore and his driver are about to pull into my driveway, and the man never leaves his house. I’m an asshole and forgot to update him about everything,” I explain.

Her eyes widen as she stands, taking a few steps toward me. “Oh no. Someone told him?”

“Michael probably did,” I tell her. “He’s taking point on a few things as we clean up the trash.”

Nodding, she rubs her forehead. “Okay, I’ll go talk to him. My head kind of hurts,” she admits.

“I have CBD lotion. Let me grab it,” I tell her, turning and going to my room.

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