Chapter 7

The moment Isabella stepped into the private ward, the frail Harrison Sinclair perked up instantly. His dull eyes brightened with recognition.

"Bella! Come here, sit beside me!"

Without hesitation, Isabella obeyed, settling gracefully onto the edge of his bed.

"Mr. Sinclair, how are you feeling? Is there anything troubling you?"

"Nothing ails me when you're near," Harrison rasped, clutching her hand with surprising strength. "Bella, that fool Nathan told me you've divorced. Is it true?"

"Yes. We're no longer married." Isabella's lashes fluttered down, masking the ache in her chest.

"That imbecile! Letting go of a woman like you—does he think he'll find an angel descending from heaven?" Harrison struggled upright, shooting Nathan a venomous glare.

Nathan remained silent, unwilling to agitate his grandfather further.

"Mr. Sinclair, please don't blame Nathan. I didn't want to continue the marriage either. We... simply grew apart." Isabella's voice was soft but firm as she gently patted Harrison's back.

Nathan's jaw tightened.

She wasn't manipulating the situation or turning his grandfather against him. Was this some twisted attempt to win him back?

Isabella, what makes you so sure I'd fall for your games?

"Bella, did they mistreat you in our home? Did Victoria make your life difficult?" Harrison pressed, his grip tightening.

"No. Nathan and I just wanted different things. Divorce was the best solution for both of us."

A flicker of sorrow passed through Isabella's eyes, so fleeting it might have been imagined. "Mr. Sinclair, don't be angry with Nathan. We had good times these past three years. That's enough. No regrets."

Nathan frowned, an unfamiliar tightness in his chest.

Good times? He couldn't recall any. He hadn't even given her a proper wedding—just a rushed courthouse ceremony under Harrison's pressure. She'd moved in with a single suitcase, becoming his wife in name only.

Did she truly consider that beautiful? Or was this her way of mocking him?

"Bella... was I wrong?"

Harrison's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I only wanted your happiness. I never imagined that fool would throw it all away. Forgive me."

"Please don't say that. Some things just aren't meant to be."

Thirteen years of devotion, gone in an instant. Only she knew the depth of that wound.

But if Nathan could walk away so decisively, clinging would only strip her of dignity. She refused to become that bitter woman begging for scraps of affection.

"Mr. Bennett, bring Bella's birthday gift!"

The butler hurried forward with white-gloved hands, presenting an exquisite velvet box.

Inside lay a flawless diamond bracelet—an antique piece, easily over a century old.

"Mr. Sinclair, isn't this Grandmother's—?" Nathan's voice cracked with disbelief.

"Yes, my wife's favorite. An Abernathy heirloom passed down for generations."

Harrison lifted the bracelet, sunlight catching its facets as his expression softened. "Before she passed, she made me promise to give this to the woman I approved as my granddaughter. Bella, you're the only one worthy of it."

"Mr. Sinclair, I can't accept this. Besides, I'm no longer—"

"Even if you and Nathan are divorced, you'll always be the granddaughter I chose!" Harrison's voice turned steely. "If you refuse, I'll smash it right now!"

"No! I'll take it!" Isabella caught his wrist in alarm. "Thank you, Mr. Sinclair."

"Good girl." Beaming, Harrison fastened the bracelet himself.

The diamonds only enhanced Isabella's natural elegance. Nathan found himself staring—he'd never noticed how delicate her wrists were, how the jewels paled against her luminous skin.

"And you," Harrison rounded on Nathan, "what did you give Bella for her birthday?"

"Mr. Sinclair, Nathan already gave me a gift. One I'll never forget."

Nathan's fists clenched.

Her birthday. The day he'd served her divorce papers.

Isabella, you cut deep.

"Bella, is there truly no hope for you and Nathan?" Harrison pleaded.

Isabella cradled his aged hands gently. "If you care for me, wouldn't you want me to live as I choose?"

Harrison sighed in defeat. "At least stay until my eightieth birthday. It's only days away."

"Grandfather, that's inappropriate," Nathan interjected coldly.

"Inappropriate?" Harrison slammed a fist onto the bed. "Would it be appropriate if you brought Victoria here instead? That woman and her mother think they can control the Abernathy men? Never! As long as I live, I'll never accept her!"

Outside the door, Victoria paced furiously.

"Stop that, you're giving me a headache," Victoria Sterling snapped, massaging her temples. "Harrison's an old man. How much longer can he stand in your way? Secure Nathan's heart, and the rest will follow."

"But while he lives, I'll never be acknowledged as Nathan's wife!" Victoria hissed before glancing around nervously.

"Harrison refused me too, yet here I am," Victoria said, admiring her manicure. "When Nathan insists, even his grandfather will yield."

Victoria's rage cooled slightly—until the ward door opened.

The butler escorted Isabella and Nathan out.

Victoria schooled her features into sweetness—then froze.

The diamond bracelet on Isabella's wrist was breathtaking, putting her own "heirloom" to shame.

Jealousy twisted Victoria's face. As she approached, she deliberately lurched forward—

"Ah!"

She'd planned to "accidentally" snatch the bracelet during the fall.

But Isabella sidestepped gracefully, leaving Victoria to crash face-first onto the tiles.

A sharp crack echoed—

Victoria's own bracelet shattered.