Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Isabella hesitated, looking down at her half-packed suitcase. She took a deep breath, then met Daniel's gaze with a steady, if sorrowful, expression. It broke his heart to see her face like this, but he could not fathom what on earth was happening. It did not make any sense for her to be packing like this. He had not even confronted her yet. He had not even said the words that had been brimming on the edge of his lips ever since he left the ball.

Looking at the intense sadness in her eyes, he was not sure that he wanted to confront her at all. All he really wanted to do was comfort her. To embrace her and do whatever he could to make her feel better.

"I'm leaving," she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes on the floor.

"Leaving?" Daniel repeated, incredulous. "Why? Because of the scandal sheets?"

Isabella's face tightened, and she looked away. "The rumors aren't just going to go away, Daniel. It seems like everyone has made up their minds, and I will only bring endless trouble to your household if I remain. I need to leave so you are not affected by my problems."

Daniel's heart sank as he watched Isabella struggle with her emotions. He could see the pain in her eyes, and it tore at him that she felt the need to leave over this mess. He stepped closer, his voice soft but firm.

"Isabella, you are not causing trouble. The rumors are nothing but lies. I was there when the necklace was stolen. I know you had nothing to do with it. You know that I am the only person who knows exactly what happened. Well, me and the man who did the stealing, but I do not know if we are ever going to get the truth from him."

Isabella glanced up, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "But that does not matter, does it? People believe what they want to believe, and Lady Marie...she is determined to ruin me. I know it was her behind the rumors in the scandal sheets, and that is just the start of things. I am sure that she has much more to say and do. She has only just gotten started. She has a truly nasty side."

Daniel shook his head, his expression resolute. He had seen the nasty side, he knew that it was there, but he did not think that anyone would go this far. "Lady Marie can say whatever she wants, but I do not care about society's gossip or what they think. I know you, Isabella. I trust you. And I do not want you to leave because of these baseless accusations."

Isabella's resolve wavered, and she looked down at her hands, clasped tightly together. "But you do think that I might have taken your mother's sapphire necklace."

Daniel's blood ran cold.

He had not mentioned that to Isabella, even if he had experienced a glimmer of doubt, but it seemed like she sensed it regardless. The whole house knew that it was missing, and now…

Now, it had come back on Isabella.

His silence seemed to speak volumes to Isabella.

Her eyes flashed with hurt and anger. "Do you really believe I would do such a thing?" she asked, her voice shaking. "After everything, do you think I would betray you like that?"

"No," Daniel said, more firmly than he felt. "I do not believe it…"

"And yet, I feel like all eyes are upon me wherever I go."

Daniel's heart ached as he watched the pain and anger flicker across Isabella's face. He reached out, gently taking her hands in his, feeling the tension in her fingers. He needed to explain himself, but he was not sure that she would understand.

"Isabella, I...I did not want to believe it. I have been struggling with this because I trust you, I truly do. But with everything that has happened, the rumors, the accusations, it is hard not to question everything around me."

Isabella looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I did not take your mother's necklace," she said, her voice steady. "Just as I did not steal Lady Marie's. I would never steal from you, or anyone else. All I want to do is live an honest life, but no one will let me do so. So I cannot stay here and wait for people to destroy me with their lies."

"Isabella, I am sorry. I was wrong to doubt you, even for a moment. But running away will not solve anything. It will only make them think they are right."

She shook her head, pulling her hands away. "What am I supposed to do, Daniel? Stay and face the scorn of society? The whispers and stares? I cannot...I cannot live like that."

Daniel felt a rush of desperation as he watched Isabella pull away. He could not lose her—not like this, not when he knew deep down that she was innocent. The flickers of doubt should not be there. Especially with her eyes so open and honest like this.

"Isabella, please," he implored, reaching out to stop her from backing away from him.

But as she turned to leave, her dress swished, and a faint clinking sound echoed in the room.

Isabella froze, which caused him to stop, too.

What was that?

Why was she acting so strange all of a sudden?

The sudden sound broke the tension between them. Daniel and Isabella shared a puzzled look, both turning their attention to the source of the noise. Isabella reached into her pocket, her hand trembling slightly. As she pulled out the object, her face went pale—there, in her hand, was a delicate necklace, unmistakably one of Lady Marie's. The family symbol could not belong to anyone else.

Isabella's eyes widened in horror. "This...this is not mine. I swear, Daniel, I have no idea how it got there!"

Her voice was panicked, her expression a mix of fear and disbelief.

Daniel stared at the necklace, a cold chill running down his spine. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"Isabella, how...?" His voice was low, filled with a mix of disbelief and confusion. "How do you have it?"

He desperately wanted to believe her, but the evidence was damning.

Isabella's hands shook as she clutched the necklace, her tears finally spilling over.

"Please, you have to believe me! I would never steal anything. Someone must have put this in my pocket!"

Her eyes pleaded with him, desperate for him to understand.

Daniel's mind raced. He wanted to trust her, to believe in her innocence, but the situation was too bewildering. He could not think of a time that Lady Marie had been near Isabella to make this happen.

"I do not understand," he murmured. "How has this happened?"

Isabella's face twisted with frustration and despair. "I do not know! But Lady Marie has been set on ruining me from the start. This must be her doing. She is trying to turn you against me, to make me look guilty."

They stood in silence, the air thick with tension and unspoken questions. Daniel struggled to reconcile his feelings for Isabella with the damning evidence in front of him. He took a deep breath, his voice softer but strained. "Isabella, I want to believe you. But I cannot wrap my head around this."

Isabella's face crumpled, a sob escaping her lips. "So, you think I am guilty," she whispered, the pain in her voice cutting through the room. "You think I could do something like this?"

Daniel's face darkened, his earlier calm replaced by a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Isabella," he began, his voice low and controlled, "you have to be honest with me. How did you come by this necklace? I need you to tell me the truth."

Isabella looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I do not know! Someone must have planted it on me. Daniel, you have to believe me!"

Daniel paced the room, his mind racing at the speed of light. "This is exactly what Lady Marie will seize upon to make you look guiltier. Especially if her family do get the police involved…"

"Please, I did not do this! You have to believe me! You know me. You have been spending time with me, and you understand me in a way that most people do not…."

Daniel stopped pacing, his gaze fixed on Isabella. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions: disbelief, confusion, and a deep, gnawing fear that perhaps everything he believed about Isabella was a lie. The thought made his stomach churn, and he struggled to keep his voice steady.

"If you are innocent, then why were you trying to leave so quickly? It looks like you are trying to run away with the jewels."

Isabella's eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back as if physically struck. "Run away? You think I would steal and then run away?" Her voice was incredulous, wounded. "Daniel, I was leaving because I could not bear the thought of staying here, surrounded by suspicion and doubt. I did not want to cause you any more issues because I care about you so much. I never wanted to steal anything! The thought is horrifying to me."

Daniel's heart ached at the pain in her voice, but his own fear and confusion were clouding his judgment.

Was this his fault?

Had he caused this by upsetting Lady Marie and mentioning Isabella?

But he still could not work out how this could have happened.

"How can I make you believe me?" Isabella cried out. "Shall I empty my pockets? Prove to you that I have stolen nothing from here?"

Daniel said nothing, which must have spoken volumes to Isabella.

With a trembling sigh, Isabella reached into her pockets, pulling them inside out. There was nothing else—no more jewelry, no incriminating items. Just the awful realization that Daniel did not trust her, which hung heavily between them both. She stood there, shaking, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Are you satisfied?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, the hurt palpable.

Daniel looked at the empty pockets, his heart sinking. There was nothing, yet the damage was done. He had doubted her, and that doubt hung heavy between them. He felt a wave of shame wash over him, but before he could speak, Isabella turned and ran, sobbing, from the room, grabbing hold of her cases as she went.

"Isabella, wait!" Daniel called after her, but his voice was drowned out by her anguished cries.

He wanted to run after her, to apologize, to somehow make it right, but his legs felt like lead. He stood frozen, guilt and regret weighing him down as he watched the woman he cared about disappear from sight, leaving behind only the echo of her pain.

As the door slammed shut behind her, Daniel collapsed into a chair, burying his face in his hands. The room felt colder and emptier without her presence. He had let his fear and doubt ruin everything. The necklace lay on the table, a stark reminder of his failure to trust her when she needed it most. The sound of her crying as she fled echoed in his ears, and he knew he might have lost her for good.

His head fell into his hands, his whole body aching with regret.

As Daniel sat there, the reality of what had just happened began to sink in. The woman he loved, the one he thought he knew so well, had just run out of his life in tears, leaving behind nothing but confusion and heartbreak. His eyes fell on the necklace lying on the table, the cold, glinting metal seeming to mock him.

How had things spiraled so out of control?

He could not shake the image of Isabella's face, stricken with hurt and disbelief. Her tearful insistence on her innocence rang in his ears, yet the evidence—the necklace—was damning. But more than that, the way she had reacted, the depth of her pain, and the sincerity in her eyes…was it all an act? Could she really be that good at deception?

A new, darker thought crept into Daniel's mind. What if everything Isabella had told him about her feelings was a lie? Had she manipulated him all along, using his affection to cover her tracks? Just like the rumors had suggested?

The thought twisted in his gut, a poisonous doubt that gnawed at the edges of his mind. Had her smiles, her touches, her words of affection been nothing more than a facade? A way to gain his trust, to steal from him?

He remembered the way she had always seemed to understand him, the connection they shared, the deep conversations and shared moments of vulnerability. But now, all those memories felt tainted, like a beautiful painting splattered with mud. Had she been playing a role the whole time? He hated himself for even considering it, but the evidence was right there, undeniable and unforgiving.

Daniel stood up, walking out into the hallway, and shutting the door behind him. His thoughts were a chaotic swirl of anger, confusion, and sorrow. He had never felt so lost. He wanted to believe in Isabella, to trust the woman he thought he loved. But the necklace...how could he ignore that?

A sudden thought struck him, and he stopped in his tracks. What if Isabella was telling the truth? What if someone had planted the necklace on her? Lady Marie had always been hostile toward Isabella, seeing her as a threat to her own social standing. Could she really have gone so far as to frame her? And if so, why?

He knew that Lady Marie had lied about the original theft…unless Isabella was in cahoots with the man who had attacked her…

It was all so confusing. He did not know what to think.

The questions tumbled over each other in his mind, but one thing was clear: he had to find out the truth. Not just for his own sake, but for Isabella's. He couldn't live with himself if he let an innocent woman be branded a thief, especially one he had such deep feelings for.

Daniel felt bitter frustration welling up inside him, mixing with the guilt and doubt that already consumed him. He needed clarity, a moment to breathe and think. With a heavy sigh, he headed to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a generous glass of brandy. The amber liquid swirled in the glass, catching the dim light of the room as he stared into it, hoping to find some answers at the bottom.

Taking a deep sip, the warmth spread through him, dulling the sharp edges of his anxiety. He needed to calm down, to think rationally. He had been caught off guard, overwhelmed by the sudden discovery of the necklace and Isabella's distress. But now, he had to approach the situation with a clear head.

He drained his glass and set it down, the reality of the situation pressing down on him. The night had been exhausting, emotionally and mentally. He glanced at the clock; it was late, and the tension of the evening weighed heavily on him. There was nothing more he could do tonight, no way to solve the mystery in his current state. The answers would have to wait until morning.

With a weary sigh, Daniel made his way to his bedroom. The house felt emptier without Isabella's presence, the silence almost oppressive. As he lay down, the events of the evening replayed in his mind, each detail scrutinized and reexamined. He knew he had to talk to Isabella, to Lady Marie, to anyone who could shed light on the situation.

But for now, all he could do was try to rest.

He had to sleep off all of this confusion and pain.

As he closed his eyes, he hoped desperately that in the light of day, things would become clearer. He prayed that Isabella would still be willing to talk to him, that they could find a way to sort through this mess together. His heart ached with the uncertainty of their future, but he resolved to face whatever came next with determination and honesty.