She wanted a divorce. There was no other way for this to end. Isla had asked him for a divorce and he had no clue as to why. He had known this day would come; he just thought he had more time. He needed more time to change her mind. Although he knew that was not going to happen because of the deal, they had made eight months ago.
They had married for reasons they both knew and neither one of them had to do with love. She had married to gain access to an inheritance. He had married so that she could not testify against him. They had agreed the marriage would last one year, and here it was eight months later and she had asked for a divorce. Why? There was no answer to his question and he did not expect one.
Michael wanted to hold on to his marriage, but how do you tell that to someone who never wanted to marry in the first place. Had she not needed him to gain early access to her inheritance, she would have never married him. She would be free, and he would not be standing at the window watching her load her things into her car. For a brief moment, their eyes met through the window. Michael let the curtain fall shutting off his view of her.
Isla had hoped just for brief moment that he would come after her. Hoped he would say he loved her, but he never did. Not once in eight months had he said he loved her. She had sworn to never fall victim to a man and when she realized that she was in love with Michael, she decided it was time to end their marriage. Had he said he loved her, she would have stayed. Had he come after her now, she would not have left.
It was time to start the next phase of her life and she had to walk this path alone. There was no sister, or parents. There was only one person she could turn to. She had called her grandmother and told her the whole story. Her grandmother had told her to come home, so she left.
FOUR YEARS LATER
The casket had been lowered long ago, but Isla still sat quietly crying in her chair. Her father sat on one side; her mother on the other. Each of them thinking of how to console their daughter, each one knowing there was nothing they could do. Isla had lost her rock. The one person she could depend on was now lying in a casket six feet below the ground where she sat. How was she going to manage without her grandmother?
Isla Marine D'Amico had been everything to her granddaughter. They had formed a bond early in her granddaughter's life. The bond had nothing to do with the fact that this was the only granddaughter that she had named after her, but it existed because the elder Isla saw something special about her namesake. She saw the fight in her eyes when a challenge was placed before her. The elder Isla often challenged her granddaughter in conversation. When she was younger, they talked about her school days compared to the current school days. As the younger Isla grew older, her grandmother would have her read about politics, entertainment, and financial pages. This had allowed Isla to grow into a well-rounded young woman. They were closer than any two women, from two different generations, could be. Grandma Isla was the one that the younger Isla went to for comfort after she found her sister's lifeless body.
Isla had found her older sister, Taryn, lying on her bed. She looked as if she was sleeping. Isla attempted to wake her up for dinner, but Taryn did not move. Isla began to scream and her grandmother and her father came into the room. Thomas, Isla's father, began CPR when he did not feel a pulse. Her grandmother called the ambulance. They worked on Taryn for what seemed like hours before they gave up. Nothing had worked. Taryn was dead.
Grandma Isla noticed an instant change in her granddaughter. She withdrew from her parents. She did not go out with her friends. She had been interested in a boy and then all of a sudden the boy had disappeared. Isla gave the reason that she lost interest in the boy and that she broke off their relationship. Grandma Isla allowed her to grieve the loss of her sister. She understood loss of this magnitude. She had lost her brother during the depression. He had gotten sick and with little money, the family could not afford appropriate care. Grandma Isla refused to let her only living granddaughter follow in the footsteps of her sister.
Grandma Isla began to reach out to Isla. She would ask her to accompany her to certain engagements. Isla would meet people, important people. As she grew into womanhood and went off to Columbia University, her grandmother bought an apartment in New York City in order for Isla to have a place to call home. The four years Isla attended Columbia allowed her to come out of her shell. She still would not date, but she did make it a point to have fun. When she graduated her grandmother moved back to Buffalo, but Isla stayed in New York. They spoke by phone everyday.
As she sat, looking at the casket Isla felt a peace come over her. She smiled through her tears then stood calmly with her parents. She threw the orange rose on top of the casket, blew a kiss and walked away. That is when she saw him.
Michael leaned against a car parked right in front of the limo that was to take the immediate family back to the house on Woodbridge. Isla continued to walk with her parents. She was grateful that Michael had shown up. Her grandmother had always liked him. It made her feel better knowing he had come. She acknowledged him with a smile and a small wave. She felt a flutter in her stomach when he smiled back.
Isla noticed the swarm of reporters coming towards her at the same time Michael did. They fired questions of her and her parents. They even dared to bring up Taryn's death. They asked questions that only the heartless could ask at a time like this. One reporter asked about her inheritance. Another questioned her role in the death of her grandmother. He even hinted at foul play by stating how ironic it was that she found both of her dead relatives. Michael fought his way through the crowd, took Isla in his arms and led her to his car. Her parents were already in the limo having been separated from Isla. Michael's driver sped away from the cemetery. Michael ordered him to go to Thomas' home.
"Thanks for the help, cowboy." She smiled slightly. She looked down and noticed their hands were still intertwined. She made no move to release it.
"Always willing to help a damsel in distress," Michael smiled back. He knew how she was hurting. There was no one closer to Isla than her grandmother was. That is no one, but him. Michael began to caress the hand that was enclosed in his. He knew seeing her would make him remember the love that he felt for her. He knew he could not escape the memories of their brief marriage.
Isla trembled at the closeness. She could feel is heat and it comforted her. She had grown abnormally quiet. She watched the scenery and the rain began to fall slowly. She sniffled and Michael knew she was crying.
"Are you ok?"
She nodded and then leaned her head against the cool window. "I'm fine, thanks," Her voice was shaky. Michael could hear the tears in her voice. He knew she had suffered a major loss in her life once again. He also felt her pain. Having lost his parents in an accident when he was young, and being raised by his grandparents, he understood her loss. Michael continued to hold her hand. Even through her pain, she could still feel the electricity of his touch. She allowed him to hold her hand, wishing she could draw strength from him. They rode to her father's house in silence.
At her father's house, Isla bypassed the crowd and went out into the rose garden. She and her grandmother had often sat in the gazebo and talked. She sat here now and cried. She was so deep in her own grief she did not hear anyone approach. She felt his strong arms embrace her from behind. "Michael," his name escaped her lips in a whisper.
"Go ahead and cry. I know it hurts." Michael continued to hold her as she leaned back into him and continued to cry. He caressed her arms as she stood away from him. He pulled her back into his embrace with her face buried in his chest. Michael rubbed her back and allowed her to continue to cry until they heard an energetic small voice break through the silence.
"Mommy!" the ball of energy came running toward Isla. Michael stepped back and watched the interaction between the two. He could not help but notice how much the little girl looked like Isla. Then it dawned on him that she had called her "mommy".
"Hi, pumpkin," Isla said as she tried to smile through her tears. Then she noticed the woman who came up behind her daughter. "Hey, Carm."
"Hi." Carmen her friend since childhood looked up at Michael. "I knew you would show up." She smiled
Michael returned her smile and then turned his attention toward the little girl in Isla's arms. "And who is this little beauty?"
