Chapter 146

My chest tightened, and I shook my head. "No." It just slipped out. The thought of him loving someone else—and for so many years—was enough to make my body instinctively flinch. But deep down, I knew I still loved him. "Then what were you avoiding just now for?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Isabella, you've never avoided me before." My lips were painfully dry. I licked them without thinking and avoided his gaze. "I was just... thinking about something. I wasn’t trying to avoid you." Ronald stared at me for a second, his voice still cool and even. "Let's go home." I followed him, but my legs were numb. I’d been sitting on my knees all afternoon, so even after a short rest, walking felt awkward. He noticed right away, and his sharp brows furrowed. "So you storm off without a word, and now even when you can’t walk properly, you still stay quiet?" He reached out to carry me, but I gently held his hand, unsure of where this sudden tenderness was coming from. I forced a