Chapter 234

“How could you hide something this important from me, Gabriel?” Isla snapped, her voice shaking with anger.

Ever since her mother told her the truth about the secret the Wyndham family had kept from her, Isla had been boiling inside. Diana had explained everything carefully.

She had told her why they hid it, how it was meant to protect her during a dangerous time.

But even with that explanation, Isla couldn’t accept it.

Especially not from Gabriel.

All the visitors had already left the mansion. The house was quiet now, as if it could feel the tension between them. It was just the two of them, standing apart in the large living room.

Gabriel had been trying to talk to her for a while now. He had explained, pleaded, and apologised more times than he could count. But Isla refused to listen.

“I am sorry,” Gabriel said again, his voice soft and heavy with guilt. “I am truly sorry that we hid something so serious from you, my love.”

He took a careful step toward her.

‘It was never meant to hurt you,” he continued.”

Everything we did was to protect you. Please… try to see it from our perspective.”Isla narrowed her eyes at him. She was angry—so angry but she didn’t interrupt him. She listened, even though her chest hurt.

Gabriel left where he stood and moved closer. He wanted to reach for her, to touch her hand, to calm her the way he always did. But Isla stepped back immediately.

That rejection hurt him deeply.

“Please,” Gabriel said, stopping where he was. “I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t even have the strength for that.”

His voice dropped lower.

“I just need you to understand that we believed we were acting in your best interest.”

Isla’s eyes burned with unshed tears.

“And if I had known all this time,” she said, her voice breaking, “I would have gone there. I would have visited him. I would have said thank you.”

She placed her hand on her chest.

“Do you even know how that makes me feel, Gabriel?”

Her pain can not be explained, it was deeper than anger, heavier than words.

Isla finally broke down again.A deep sob tore out of her chest as her knees gave in and hit the soft rug. She bent forward, unable to hold herself up anymore, and her head tapped gently against the floor.

Her shoulders shook as she cried, all the pain she had been holding inside pouring out at once.

Gabriel’s heart ached.

Keeping that secret for so long suddenly felt heavier than anything he had ever carried. He quickly crouched down in front of her, his hands twitching at his sides. He wanted to touch her, to pull her into his arms, but he didn’t dare.

So he stayed there.

He stayed and watched the woman he loved fall apart right in front of him.

“He loved me like his own child,” Isla cried, her voice broken and uneven. “He loved me unconditionally.”

She let out a painful laugh through her tears.

“How could I be this ungrateful?” she continued. “And it’s because of you.”

She slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were swollen and red, her face wet with tears. The moment Gabriel saw her like that, something inside him snapped.

He couldn’t hold back anymore.

Gabriel reached out, pulled her toward him, and wrapped his arms tightly around her body. He held her as if lettinggo would break her completely.

This time, Isla didn’t push him away.

She was too tired to fight. Too tired to stay angry.

They both ended up sitting on the floor, their bodies pressed together. Isla’s head rested against Gabriel’s chest, right over his heart. She could hear it beating fast, just like hers.

Gabriel kissed her forehead again and again, his lips brushing softly through her hair.

“It’s okay, my love,” he whispered, trying to calm her.”

You’re okay.”

They had once promised each other that they would never hide anything again. No secrets. No lies. No matter how difficult the truth was. It was a promise built on love, care, and deep trust.

“I promise,” Gabriel said quietly, his voice full of regret.” I will never hide anything from you anymore.”

“You said that before,” Isla whispered, her voice weak.” And you still broke your promise.”

“I know,” he replied softly. “And I’m sorry. It was never intentional. We only followed what the lawyer advised at the time.”

Silence settled between them.Gabriel kept holding her, breathing in her scent, afraid that if he loosened his arms, she would disappear. Isla didn’t pull away either. She stayed there, wrapped in him.

It was a peaceful moment.

A much-needed one.

“I missed him,” Isla said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her words pulled her back into the past.

She remembered the first day she met Alfred Wyndham.

That day, she had been forced to attend a birthday party she didn’t even want to be at. She hadn’t known the party was for Alfred Wyndham himself. Her parents had insisted she go with them.

Back then, Gabriel had been deeply in love with Delphine.

Isla hated seeing them together. It hurt too much. So she had quietly left the hall and stepped outside to get some fresh air.

That was where she met him.

At the time, she thought the old man was just a guest, maybe a friend of the celebrant. She spoke to him freely, joked with him, and treated him kindly. When he asked her for a dance, she smiled and accepted happily.

It was during that dance that she discovered the truth.She had been dancing with the most important man in the room.

The celebrant himself.

Fear had rushed through her. She couldn’t believe it. Shea nobody-had danced with a man everyone respected. A man she had heard so much about but never cared to meet.

And yet, he liked her.

Even more when he found out she was Gabriel’s best friend.

“Isla.”

Gabriel’s voice gently pulled her back to the present.

“I missed him, Gabriel,” she said again. “I want to visit him.

Let’s take the children with us. He would be happy to see them.”

“Okay,” Gabriel said without hesitation. “We’ll do that.”

Isla sniffed and hugged him tightly. Gabriel chuckled softly and hugged her back just as tight.

Now, he was determined to make her happy again.

He blamed himself for keeping that secret for so long. But at that moment, everything felt right again.

“I have a gift for him,” Isla said.”A gift?” Gabriel asked, surprised

She pulled back slightly and looked at him, then nodded.” Yes. A very special gifft.”

“I made special keys for the new city,” she explained.”

They are his access to the city he founded.”

Gabriel looked at her for a long moment, his eyes filled with admiration. Then he smiled.

“That’s very thoughtful, Isla,” he said warmly. “I am so proud of you, my love.”

“I love you, baby,” he added.

“And I love you more,” she replied.

He pulled her into his arms again, but this time, his lips found hers. Isla kissed him back softly, her heart finally at peace.