Hate Me Then. Beg Me Now.

By the middle of the night, I was finally done packing.

There was not much to take. Everything fit into one small suitcase.

I had no intention of taking anything that belonged to the Colobo family.

I carried the suitcase downstairs.

Just as I reached the entrance hall, they came back with Sophia.

I stood in the shadows. They did not notice me at first and kept talking among themselves.

“Good thing she didn’t eat much,” Luca’s mother said, still shaken. “The reaction wasn’t too serious, but it was frightening. Isabella went too far this time. She needs to apologize to Sophia later.”

Sophia spoke in a small voice.

“There’s no need. I’m sure Isabella didn’t mean it.”

My brother’s voice was cold.

“Sophia, you’re too kind. Kindness is a good thing for people in the Colobo family, but not for someone like her. She needs to be punished properly. By the way, haven’t you always wanted her bedroom with the fireplace? Let her give it to you as an apology.”

My father frowned, as if he wanted to say something.

Sophia could not quite hide the excitement in her voice.

“Really? Her room has that big fireplace. I’ve always wanted to read beside it when it snows.”

My father’s frown slowly eased.

He said nothing.

That was his permission.

My eyes stung.

What was I still hoping for? No one in this family cared about me anymore. The Colobo name was worth more on her than it was on me.

I stepped out of the shadows and looked at Sophia.

“If you like that room, you can have it.”

Perhaps she was too pleased. When Sophia saw the suitcase behind me, she almost laughed.

My brother, who had just told her to take my room, frowned.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why are you talking about giving up rooms in the middle of the night? Besides, do you think we can trust you under the same roof as Sophia? What if you try to hurt her again?”

“I’ll move to the family apartment in the city,” I said at once.

His face darkened instantly. He stared at me as if I had shamed the family.

“Do whatever you want.”

Sophia quickly put on a frightened expression and hid behind my father.

“Isabella, don’t be angry. I don’t want your room anymore. I was only joking.”

I looked at her calmly.

“Don’t worry. If I said it’s yours, then it’s yours. And I won’t be coming back.”

Joy flashed in her eyes. This time, she did not even bother to hide it.

My father’s face turned cold.

“Not coming back?” he said. “When Sophia told me, I didn’t believe her. I didn’t expect you to have fallen this far. You’ve just graduated, and already you’re thinking about staying out and fooling around. After all these years, I still failed to raise you properly. You’re just like the useless people who run the second they’re asked to carry family responsibility. The Colobo family can’t afford that kind of shame.”

Pain struck hard in my chest.

So that was how he saw me now.

“That’s not it,” I said, my voice unsteady. “I’m moving out because the day after tomorrow, I’m going to…”

“Do whatever you want.”

His shout cut off the rest of my words. The way he looked at me was no different from the way he would look at a stranger.

“Who cares what you’re planning? If you want to leave, then leave. Do you think I want you to stay? The Colobo family doesn’t need another daughter. I’ll pretend I never had you. I have Sophia now, and she’s better than you in every way.”

I said nothing more.

I picked up my suitcase and opened the door.

It had started raining at some point. The cold drops hit my skin and made me shiver.

I wanted to go back for an umbrella, but the heavy oak door slammed shut behind me before I could move.

That was the door of the Colobo family.

From that moment on, it was closed to me.

My brother’s mocking voice came from inside.

“If you’re leaving, then leave cleanly. Don’t come crawling back later like a dog, begging the family to take you in. The Colobos don’t keep embarrassing things like you.”

I gave a bitter smile and walked into the rain.

I walked alone, thinking I would find a hotel for the night. The apartment in the city might carry the family name, but the key had been taken from me long ago. I could not get in.

The gate of the Rizzo estate opened next door.

Luca came after me into the rain.

He did not seem to care that he was getting soaked.

“Isabella, would it kill you to say something nice for once?” he said. “Sophia is a good person. Why can’t you just get along with her? You know how important the relationship between the Rizzos and the Colobos is. Do you have to make everyone uncomfortable?”

I did not answer.

Why didn’t they ever ask themselves why I could not get along with Sophia if she was so good?

Because she was two-faced to the bone. Because every word out of her mouth was a lie.

But I no longer wanted to say any of that.

I suddenly realized I had nothing left to say to the man I had once wanted to spend my life with. From beginning to end, he had never once stood on my side.

When I stayed silent, Luca lost his patience and grabbed my wrist. His grip was tight, like he was restraining a disobedient subordinate.

“Isabella, can you stop acting like this?” he snapped. “If you apologize to Sophia properly and promise to get along with her from now on, I can still marry you.”

“The engagement doesn’t have to be canceled. The alliance between the Rizzos and the Colobos can still go on. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

I stopped walking and looked into his eyes.

Those eyes had once been full of me. Now they only saw a problem that refused to behave.

“There won’t be an engagement, Luca. We ended a long time ago, didn’t we? Go marry Sophia. Give her the alliance. Give her everything you once promised me.”

My gaze seemed to sting him.

He threw my hand away.

“Stubborn as ever. I shouldn’t have gone soft on you. Go ahead and destroy yourself. Don’t expect anyone to collect your body when you take this too far.”

He turned and left.

The Rizzo gate slammed shut behind him.

The rain grew heavier.

I stood under the streetlight, water streaming down from my hair. Then I dragged my suitcase forward, one step at a time.

Behind me, the gates of both families were closed.

But I was no longer a Colobo.