Chapter 188
CHAPTER 3
The cars began to leave one by one from the church parking lot, their
engines humming softly as mourners departed in clusters. Isla stood
off to the side, barely aware of the movement around her. She felt
disconnected, as though she were floating outside of herself, her body
moving only because the world around her expected it to. Groups of
people passed her, exchanging quiet goodbyes and words of comfort
she neither heard nor desired.
A kind woman approached her at one point, her eyes warm with
concern. “Would you like a ride home, dear?” the woman asked, her
tone gentle. Isla shook her head without looking up, her gaze fixed on
the gravel beneath her feet. The woman hesitated, then walked away,
leaving Isla to her solitude.
The sun was out, casting sharp shadows across the parking lot, but
Isla felt no warmth. The air around her seemed heavy, damp with an
invisible fog that clung to her skin. The brightness of the day felt like
an insult, as though the world had no right to shine when her life had
been plunged into darkness.
As the crowd thinned, only a few stragglers remained, lingering in
clusters or exchanging quiet words near their cars. Isla deliberately
1/4
Chapter 188
avoided their eyes, retreating further into her corner. She didn’t want
their pity. She didn’t want their conversations or empty platitudes.
She wanted to be left alone, to grieve in the silence that had always
been her companion.
But then her eyes caught sight of Graham Lancaster. He stood apart
from the others, speaking to a man in a dark suit. His girlfriend stood
beside him, her arm looped lightly through his, her head tilted toward
the conversation. Graham’s posture was relaxed but commanding, his
dark suit impeccable, his presence radiating authority even in the
midst of mourning.
Isla’s gaze dropped quickly. She didn’t want to look at him, but she
couldn’t help it. There he was, the man who now held the keys to her
entire life.
“Miss Isla?”
The voice startled her, breaking through the haze of her thoughts.
She turned to see Edwin Harlow, their family’s driver, standing a few
steps away. His face was lined with grief, his eyes rimmed red. Edwin
had been with the Lancasters for as long as she could remember, a
quiet constant in her life.
1
“Would you like me to take you home now?” he asked softly.
2/4
Chapter 188
Home. The word made her chest tighten.
She nodded but didn’t move, her feet rooted to the ground. Her eyes
darted back to Graham, his broad back turned to her as he continued
his conversation. A sudden, sharp thought struck her: Was Graham
going to keep Edwin on? And Maggie?
Maggie Lane, their housekeeper, had been more of a mother to Isla
than anyone else ever had. She was older now, closer in age to Isla’s
grandmother, but her warmth and care had never wavered. Edwin and
Maggie were her family in every way that mattered, and now their
futures–like hers–were at Graham’s mercy.
She swallowed hard, the weight of it pressing down on her. Robert
Lancaster had left everything to his son; it was a fact she had known
and accepted for years. He had already given her more than she could
have asked for–a loving home, a safe childhood, and a trust fund to
secure her future. She had no right to expect anything more.
And yet, as she stared at Graham’s imposing figure, the realization
hit her like a physical blow: She didn’t know what was going to
happen to her now, either.
The house–Thornfield Manor–had undoubtedly gone to him. The
place that had been her sanctuary for fifteen years, the only home she
had ever truly known, was no longer hers. She was just another
dependent, an unwanted obligation. Her throat tightened as the
3/4
Chapter 188
thought spiraled: Graham could ask her to leave at any time.
Comments
