Jayden's POV

The ride to the lake house is in complete silence. At a point, I believe Isabella wasn't only giving me the silent treatment but was dozing off to even know that we are headed to the lake house.

When I skipped work today, I was hoping it would be worth it. I visited her and told her I wanted to take her somewhere.

She was reluctant but I could see that Isabella had gone past that stage. The stage of despair, anger, betrayal, and frustration.

I was hoping my letters to her will reveal all that she needed to know and I was hoping it will help heal her just like it healed my wounds.

I guess it worked. But I don't want to be over-excited about it. I am going to take one step at a time till everything is cleared off, even though I doubt if she would ever trust me again.

I doubt if she would trust me with her heart like she once did. I trampled upon it, breaking it into pieces and she is still trying to fix up the pieces back in their place.

She asked me where we were going and I told her it was a surprise. I could see how much she wanted to ask and shout for me not to take her to the mansion until she saw that I didn't take the route leading to the mansion.

I have no intention of forcing her to do anything. I have no intention of making her come back because of the contract.

Now, all I want is for her to come back on her own free will.

I stop the car and get out. Before I can go to her side to open the door for her, she opens her eyes and looks around yawning.

She gasps when she sees the lake house and her eyes hold twinkles.

I open the door and she gets out, still looking around.

Without a word, I signal to her to lead the way and she does that while I follow behind calmly. I brought her here because coming here with her made me realize a whole lot of things.

Coming here with Isabella holds a lot of memories that are difficult to erase. This was where it all started. This is where my attraction for her started. This is where we had our first kiss, even though we pretended afterward as though it never happened.

This is where I opened up to her. This is where the weight on my shoulders was lifted off. This is where I acted like the Jayden I was when Helena was alive; cheerful, carefree, and happy.

And most importantly, this is where Isabella told me how much Helena would want me to be happy.

These two women mean a lot to me. This place reminds me of both of them even though Helena was never here.

She turns the doorknob and it opens. I can sense her surprise as she enters.

Remembering that I didn't come with the file I left in the car, I rush back to the car to grab it before turning back to the house.

Isabella is still glancing around, probably looking for changes in the lake house or the surprise.

There is no surprise. This is the surprise. Coming here is the surprise.

The first time we were here, I could see how much she wanted another time and that is what I am doing.

She sits on the couch and relaxes her back as if to continue sleeping.

Hiding the file behind me, I ask. "Are you hungry? Should I make you something?"

"No, no, I'm fine", she says with a wave of the hand and her eyes still closed. She is still avoiding me but I'm glad the coldness in her tone is no longer present.

Just then, her stomach rumbles and she flutters her eyes open in embarrassment. I almost laugh out loud but I am quick to suck it in.

She ate cereal before we left home this morning. We spent almost two hours on the road and I can't say if her stomach is rumbling because of the talk of food.

I turn back with the file. "I should make you something."

Making sure that she isn't seeing the file, I leave the sitting room to the kitchen. I instructed my maid to get me chicken yesterday and I plan to make chicken recipes for her since she said something about chicken the other time.

Dropping the file on a table, I open the refrigerator to get what to use.

In a small bowl, I mix onion powder, garlic granules, paprika, and red pepper flakes and set them aside.

I use a sharp knife to make a pocket in each of the chickens making sure I won't cut through to the other end.

I season the chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper and brush with some oil including the pocket. I also season the chicken with the dry rub including the pocket then move on to making the filling

In a small bowl, I add cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and chopped spinach, and mix them together.

I fill the chicken breast pocket with the spinach cream cheese filling and secure the gap with some toothpicks

A hand holding a tray of uncooked chicken, I melt the butter in the microwave and rub it in the baking dish.

Finally, I place the stuffed chicken in the baking dish to bake in the oven without covering it.

Taking my attention back to the file, I open it and it reveals the contract. I go through it, my mind going back to Isabella.

I am really an asshole. The rules of the contract are stringent and I broke them all. Isabella didn't do anything to go against the contract.

This is why I have decided to bring this here and end it.

After some minutes, I turn back to the oven to check the chicken. Taking note of the time and its color, I take the chicken out of the oven and begin to serve it immediately on two different plates.

I heave a deep sigh when my gaze shifts back to the file on the table. Thinking of when to do it, I drop my own plate of food so I can grab the file along with Isabella's food.

Then I walk back to the sitting room to see her sleeping. Calmly, I wake her up. Her eyes widen when she sees the chicken recipe I made for her and within minutes, she is digging into it while I watch.

"Aren't you eating?" She finally asks me, sparing me a glance.

"I will", I answer as I continue to watch her.

When she is almost done, I rise and walk back to the kitchen to grab my food and get some yogurt for her to take.

By the time I am back in the sitting room, Isabella is done. She looks up at me, stretching the plate towards me. "Can I get more, please?"

An unconscious smile creeps to my face as I stare at her flushed face. I take the empty plate and give her mine to eat.

She does not bother to ask if it is mine or not before digging into it again. I drop the yogurt besides the food on the table and sit to watch her till she is done.

She gulps down half of the content of the yogurt and she looks satisfied. It makes my heart swell.

Our eyes meet and she looks away instantly. The heavy silence becomes awkward.

When she leans back on the couch as if she wants to go back to sleeping, I tap her on the lap and she gazes up at me.

Raising the contract without a word, I tear it into tiny pieces to mark the end of my contractual marriage.

To signify that I want something more than the contracted marriage, I brought something along with me.

A diamond ring.

I produce it in a split second and her eyes grow larger when the reality dawns on her that the paper I just tore is the contract binding us together in marriage.

I want more.

I want all of her.

I don't want just a year. I want eternity with her.

Placing a knee on the floor, I push the box of ring closer to her. "Will you please be my real wife?!"

****

I didn't have the intention of updating again today but when I saw the persuading comments, I couldn't help it.

I will post the rest tomorrow.

Thank you so much. Meanwhile, you can check out The Billionaire's Unwanted Bride here on Wattpad because I will be updating the book by Saturday.

ENJOY

💓