“Indiscretion?” Her voice came out hoarse, but steady. “I never cheated. Not once.”
Arthur Castellano, the patriarch, sighed like she was wasting his time.
“Please. Ryan told us everything. We have photos. If you don’t sign and disappear, we’ll drag your name so hard through the mud your neighborhood grocery store won’t even hire you.”
Isabella turned to Ryan, one last time.
“Look at me,” she said quietly. “Tell me yourself. Say it’s true.”
Ryan finally faced her. His jaw clenched.
“Sign it, Bella. It’s for the best. Go back to your father. Back to the auto shop. That’s where you belong—grease, noise, uneducated people. We’re… too much for you.”
Something snapped inside her.
Not her heart.
Her fear.

Part 2 — The Call They Laughed At
Isabella closed the folder, breathing through the burn in her throat.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll sign. But first I need to make a call.”
Martha laughed, sharp and delighted. “To who? Your daddy so he can pick you up in a rusted pickup? Tell him to park on the street—I don’t want oil stains on my driveway.”
Isabella didn’t answer. She dialed. Two rings.
“Dad,” she said softly. “It’s time. They’re doing it right now.”
She hung up and looked at them, calm as ice.
“He says he’s already here.”
They smirked—because in their world, “already here” meant a broken truck and a man in stained work boots.
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