The room fell silent briefly afterward.
Then Elena leaned back slightly against the couch and gave a faint knowing smile. "So eventually," she said calmly, "you ran away and married the love of your life instead."
Her tone sounded light. Almost teasing but the look inside her eyes said otherwise.
There was something heavy sitting there.
Something Isabelle couldn't fully understand yet.
Still… she noticed it.
"Yes," Isabelle answered quietly. "That's what happened."
Elena nodded slowly to herself as though mentally connecting pieces together already.
"So that's how everything started."
But Isabelle's expression immediately hardened afterward.
"No, Elena."
That made Elena look toward her again.
"That was only the beginning." The softness disappeared entirely from Isabelle's face now as bitterness entered her voice. "You have to understand what your father did next to me… and to this family."
