Chapter 48. Goodbyes

They were even in a worse state than she thought. Mr. and Mrs. Monroe sat grimly in the sitting room, the same space where the news of her marriage with Alexander was revealed.

This space had always been associated with bad memories for as long as Isabella could remember.

She felt like a stranger in the mansion, too bare and vulnerable.

Isabella hugged her body.

From this distance, they looked like hope had left them. Isabella understood why.

Her parents had a sort of parasitic relationship with money. It ate them from the inside, twisted their heads away from what truly mattered until their vision turned blurred.

She’d never felt such a somber presence, not even in a funeral. Her father had his phone in his hand, slack in his grip. He stared at a spot, not bothering to peel his eyes away even with her approaching footsteps.

Her mom was way worse. She was bawling, and it wasn’t the most pleasant sight. Her mother had a way of using emotional