Chapter 5 Should I go back

Isabella sat in silence on the small hotel bed where she had been staying. Her eyes were puffy. Not a single night had passed without tears since she left Arvino's house.

Her thoughts were tangled-a storm between the pain of betrayal and the resolve to rise again. As she stared blankly, lost in her thoughts, her phone rang.

The screen lit up with one name: "Mom."

Hesitantly, Isabella picked it up.

"Hello, Mom..."

Her voice was soft and hoarse. On the other end, her mother's voice rang clear, firm, and sharp.

"Isabella... I can't stand seeing you hurt like this anymore. Do you still want to stay with that shameless man?!"

Isabella sighed, trying to hold back the emotions bubbling inside her.

"Mom, please don't get involved right now. I just need some time to clear my head. I know what I'm doing."

"Clear your head?!" her mother snapped. "How much longer are you going to pretend to be strong?! I've already arranged your divorce process. Soon, you'll be free from Arvino!"

"WHAT?!"

Isabella shot up from the bed.

"Mom... how could you make such a big decision without asking me first?! I'm not ready to get divorced right now!"

"You're not ready?" her mother's voice rose. "How long do you want to stay with a man who defends that whore right in front of your eyes?! He even slapped you, Isabella! I will never accept that!"

Isabella clenched her fists tightly, her breath shaking.

"Mom... I know Arvino hurt me. But I'm not done paying him back for the pain he caused me. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before her mother spoke again, this time colder.

"I've already lost faith in your marriage. Isabella... I don't want you wasting any more of your time. Come home tomorrow."

Isabella frowned.

"Why are you suddenly asking me to come home?"

"I've prepared someone for you."

"What do you mean...?"

"I've arranged for you to meet someone worthy. A young businessman I know. He's respectful, successful, and knows how to treat a woman right."

Isabella was speechless.

"Come home tomorrow. Meet him. See for yourself the kind of man you should have married-not Arvino!"

"Mom!" Isabella shouted.

"Why so fast?! Why are you pushing me to jump out of one wound only to fall into something new?"

"Because I know you won't heal if you keep drowning in that pain! Stop being so stubborn! Arvino is poison, Isabella! He'll destroy your life if you stay!"

Isabella didn't answer. She bit her lip hard, trying to hold back the wave of emotion rising in her throat.

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow. Don't give me another reason to be disappointed."

The call ended abruptly.

Isabella slowly lowered her phone. Her eyes stayed fixed on the blank screen, her mind spinning with confusion and fire.

"Why does everything have to happen at once?" she whispered.

She walked over to the mirror and stared at her reflection.

Tired eyes.

A cheek still red from Arvino's slap the night before.

In her mind, the questions crashed like thunder:

Should I go back to Arvino's house... to make him pay for everything?

Or... should I give up and start a new life like Mom wants?