Chapter 109

Isabella’s POV “You’re avoiding him?” Melinda asked after sipping on her coffee. We’re in the coffee shop. I asked to meet her here because I’m going crazy thinking about what happened last night. Stella left the mansion this morning, and I haven’t talked to Matteo. Noah apologized to me this morning and I forgave him, of course. He’s just a kid. “Yes,” I answered as I stirred my coffee in a cup. My eyes were fixed on the cream swirling into the dark coffee, mixing into a balanced color. Melinda sighed. She was sitting across from me, and I know she’s watching me intently. “What’s your plan?” She asked after a few minutes. I took a deep sigh and looked at her. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m being punished for something I didn’t even do. Like…there has been a constant trial in my head. Unending, like a cycle.” She nodded as if she understood me. “That’s what guilt does. It will consume you, slowly, painfully. You would try to reason out and fight it, but there’s only two endings to that