Chapter 54. Betrayal and Clarity

James’ POV

The more time I spent with Isabella, the more I realized how much she could offer me. It wasn’t just her beauty or the thrill of our stolen moments, it was what she represented. Power. Influence. Confidence. She was everything Avery wasn’t, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was standing beside an equal instead of someone waiting in my shadow.

Still, doubt lingered.

What was I doing? Was I thinking straight? Was I willing to throw away everything I had with Avery for a woman I had only just met? A woman I knew little to nothing about.

I wasn’t oblivious to the way others looked at me, the hushed whispers when I and Isabella disappeared from a room together. The knowing glances. The veiled judgment. I was still engaged to Avery, after all. Still bound to a woman who loved me with quiet devotion, who had never once questioned my choices or my absence.

But was that love enough? Could I truly spend my life with someone so pas