Those two words shattered everything.
Months earlier, Isabella hadn’t been foolish—just lonely. As the sole heir to the largest hospitality empire in the country, she felt lost after her father’s death, trapped in a mansion that echoed with silence. When she met Nathaniel, a charming architect with polished manners, she thought she had found safety.
The illusion didn’t last.
After the wedding, affection turned into contempt. Then Margaret moved in, claiming she wanted to help. In truth, she wanted control.
One afternoon, four months pregnant, Isabella overheard them in the kitchen.
“If you divorce now, you get nothing,” Margaret said calmly. “But if she dies after the baby is born, you become guardian. You control everything.”
Nathaniel sighed. “I’m tired of her. Claire wants us to be together openly.”
“Then be patient,” Margaret replied. “Her pregnancy is fragile. Nature can be… helpful. Just make sure she takes what I give her.”
That night, Isabella poured the “herbal supplements” into a plant. By morning, it was dead.