Chapter 86

Tears sprang to Isabella's eyes, her mind going momentarily blank. She quickly composed herself. "Thank you." Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "What are the—"

Alexander stubbed out his cigarette before she could finish. His fingers brushed away a stray tear tracing her cheekbone. "Get some rest."

Isabella stood frozen, watching his retreating form. The unexpected gesture left her momentarily disoriented. When she finally collected herself, uncertainty gripped her.

His instruction to rest early—did that imply she should stay overnight?

Technically, they were still married despite living separately. One night under the same roof shouldn't matter.

But the master bedroom? Absolutely not.

Taking a steadying breath, she gathered her things—a change of clothes, toiletries—and headed for Sophia's room instead.

Morning came early. Isabella awoke before seven.

Sophia stirred soon after, wrapping small arms around her neck. "Mommy, will you take me to school today?"

"Of course," Isabella agreed.

They descended for breakfast after freshening up.

Alexander entered the dining room mid-meal, taking his seat across from them.

"Morning, Daddy!" Sophia chirped.

"Morning." Alexander's gaze flickered to Isabella before dropping to his plate. Silence settled over the table.

Isabella mirrored his quiet. His agreement to help changed nothing between them. The chasm remained as wide as ever.

After dropping Sophia at school, Isabella headed straight to work.

The tech expo had sparked numerous ideas between her and Nathaniel. The InnovaTech partnership had consumed their time until now.

Finally free to develop their concepts, they dove into planning sessions. The workload piled up rapidly.

Isabella planned to order takeout and work late. At six, her phone buzzed—Alexander's name flashing on screen while she was knee-deep in blueprints.

She excused herself from the conference room. "Hello?"

"Grandmother's here." Alexander's voice was clipped. "Come home."

The line went dead before she could respond.

Returning to the meeting, she briefed Nathaniel. "Family emergency. Email me the meeting notes—I'll review everything tonight."

Nathaniel waved her off. "Go. We've got this."

Thirty minutes later, Isabella pulled into the estate driveway. Alexander's car already occupied its usual spot.

Inside, she found him on the living room sofa with Eleanor and Sophia. He noted her arrival without comment.

Eleanor rose with a warm smile. "Isabella, darling! You're just in time for dinner."

Alexander took the seat beside Isabella without prompting this time.

Eleanor piled food onto Isabella's plate, tutting. "You're skin and bones! Don't they feed you at that office?"