The Way We Were

After cleaning up the mess, I returned to the new house Christopher and I were supposed to share. As soon as I opened the door, I was shocked to find someone inside!

"Lena, long time no see!" Isabella greeted me. She was wearing a light, revealing nightgown that showed off her graceful figure.

She stepped out of the room that was supposed to be mine and Christopher's, an apologetic, yet provocative smile on her face.

"Tim and Chris were worried about me, so they asked me to stay here."

I looked around the room, which I had so carefully decorated, now invaded by Isabella. All the matching furniture and items I had selected were thrown haphazardly into the study, replaced with her personal belongings.

"Chris said this room has a great atmosphere. I just had surgery abroad and need to recover, so he gave me this room," she added.

A flash of suspicion flickered in my eyes as I realized—this was the very room Christopher and I had planned to share as newlyweds.

Just then, the door opened again. Timothy and Christopher walked in, carrying a cake and flowers. There was a faint hint of displeasure in their eyes as they looked at me.

"What are you trying to do now? You've already kicked Bella out once," Christopher said, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"Bella is now part of our family. This is her home too," Timothy said coldly as he looked at me.

I stood there without a word—Timothy had given me this villa as a gift.

He had told me that he would always be my family. As long as he was around, I would always have a home.

But after that, Isabella came to live in this very villa.

Out of respect for Olivia, I had agreed to let her stay. But as soon as she found a place, Isabelle was to move out.

However, Isabella didn't stop there. She took my things without asking, and even ended up in bed with a drunken Christopher, wrapped in his arms.

When that happened, I reached my breaking point and slapped her hard across the face.

But instead of backing me up, Christopher shoved me to the ground.

"Bella doesn't have any family left. She sees us as her brothers," he said, his voice firm. "You've had us by your side since you were a child. Bella's been through so much more than you!

"You're older than she is. Can't you at least treat her like a little sister?"

I looked at my bleeding palm, a shard of glass embedded in my hand. For the first time, I felt like a stranger in Christopher's presence.

Now, Isabella was back again, occupying my bedroom with Christopher and acting like the lady of the house.

"Helena, I've given you everything all these years and raised you to this point. You should be grateful! Now, Bella is my sister! You have no right to make her leave! If you hadn't forced her to go abroad, her condition wouldn't have worsened.

"You're staying in the study. Let Bella recover, then we'll talk," Timothy warned me, his tone icy.

Christopher's eyes were full of suspicion as he looked at me. "Bella needs care right now. We're not even officially married anyway. If you keep causing trouble, this wedding is off!"

I stared back at them, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

If I were the old Helena, maybe my heart would have shattered. But now, all I felt was disappointment.

This place no longer welcomed me. It was time to return to the life that belonged to me.

Since I had already decided to leave, I didn't bother responding.

I turned and walked into the study.

My things were scattered across the room in disarray. These were things I had carefully chosen and designed.

They represented my hopes and dreams for the future.

I silently threw the wedding items that Isabella had ruined into the trash.

Christopher nodded in approval. "Those things are worthless. We can always buy new ones for the wedding later."

A shadow of bitterness flashed in my eyes.

What was worthless wasn't just these items. Also, there would be no "later".

This place was no longer my home.