Chapter 16
Kendall’s arms stiffened in mid–air, and his smile froze.
Isabel looked at him, feeling like he was a familiar stranger. For a moment, she was dazed. She thought she would never see him again. Tyler left with Stephen and Helena. They were confident that Isabel could handle this alone.
Soon, Isabel and Kendall were the only people left in the garden. She sat on the swing again and stroked the cat in her arms, looking indifferent. Kendall rubbed her head as he’d always done and crouched so they were at eye level. He looked at her tenderly and said, “I missed you so much, Izzy. Don’t leave without a word next time, okay? You’ll make me worry. You can tell me if you want to go somewhere or meet someone. I’ll go with you.”
In the past, she would’ve been moved to tears by his tenderness and thrown herself into his arms. But now, she merely snorted. “Your tenderness is so fake, Kendall. Have you forgotten about everything that happened?”
He knew she was still mad when she mentioned what had happened. After a brief moment of hesitation, he lowered his head and apologized. “I’m sorry, Izzy. It’s all my fault. I know you’ve suffered, and I also neglected your feelings. Please forgive me.”
Isabel found the situation laughable. Did he think he could erase all the torment she endured with a simple apology? He seemed to think it was expected of her to love and forgive him.
She looked at him, her gaze cool. It was as if she were looking at a stranger. “Did you think it was a given for me to forgive you as long as you apologized, Kendall? Did you think I would go back with you without another thought as long as you deigned to come to me?
“Did you think I would forget about everything that happened as long as you said you loved me? Did you think I would go back to following you like a shadow, like I did for the past 11 years?”
Kendall was taken aback. He didn’t speak, but his answer was obvious.
Isabel laughed softly. “Once upon a time, I thought I would love you forever. But your neglect and indifference gradually extinguished whatever love I harbored for you.
“You didn’t care when I burned up a high fever while alone at home, and you didn’t care when I was soaked in a cold swimming pool for five hours.
“You also didn’t care when everything I had was taken from me, and you still didn’t care when countless people insulted me and made me lose the will to live.
“The only things you cared about was what Winifred said and did. Now, I’m tired. I’ll back out and give you two my blessings. So please, leave me alone. Both of you.”
