Chapter 2

The night was insanely long but that was nothing compared to what the morning brought with it. The first thing I wanted to do was find out what kind of mess I looked like, so I made a beeline for the bathroom and checked myself out through the mirror.

Heartbreak was written all over my face. How ridiculous. I had to get out there and face the world. No one knew me anyway. I took a quick shower and went to the hotel's restaurant for breakfast, but one cautious look in the direction of the newspaper rack was all it took for me to want to crawl back to my room.

'Wedding of the century' was written in a bold dark font, only with 'wedding' crossed out and replaced with 'hoax'.

A broken marriage, tabloids with my name sprawled across them, a phone exploding with calls and messages, and whispers of speculations that I couldn't correct because I didn't want anyone to recognize me. Yay, happy birthday to me!

What was I thinking? Max had thought it would be romantic for us to get married on the eve of my birthday and have him as my first birthday present today. It was silly, now that it had come to this. It wasn't going to be long before the media discovered that and used it to their advantage, and the thought of Robinson Media sent chills down my spine.

Could he have broken up with me on our wedding day for an explosive headline? What were the odds?

"Isabella?" A woman called my name and I instinctively turned, moments before I realized she must have recognized me from the pictures. I looked around feigning ignorance and settled my gaze on her. "Did you say Isabella? Where is she?"

She gave me a blank stare to let me know she was not an idiot. "You."

I let my jaw slack in feigned shock. "I get that a lot and it's honestly flattering but I'm no pampered princess. I'm the pauper in this tale."

She didn't entirely believe me. "This place costs a dime a night. How could a pauper afford it?"

"My brother works here. It's called pulling strings." I winked and got to the counter to order my breakfast. "I'd like whatever today's specialty is."

"Your name?" The cashier asked, to my relief.

"Bella Clair." I deliberately said it loud enough for the woman behind me to hear, and when my identity was verified, I let out the breath I had been holding. This could only work for a while. It wouldn't be long before I was surrounded by reporters.

My phone has been ringing incessantly and I wanted nothing but to turn it off. I took it out and hesitated when I saw the name I had dreaded. Rhys. I contemplated turning my phone off regardless and gave up as soon as I remembered what my eldest brother was good at. He would locate me if he wanted to and drag me home if that was what he wanted.

So I reluctantly placed my coffee tray on the table closest to me and answered the call. "Hi."

"Where are you?" He went straight to the point as usual.

"Somewhere in the middle of bum fuck nowhere, crying my heart out because my wedding ended in a scandal. Where else would I be?" I yelled in annoyance.

The pause on the other end made me assume he was losing his patience and was going to bark orders for me to get back home. To my surprise, he sounded like he had some compassion. "We are worried about you. Are you okay?"

"I'm old enough to take care of myself, thanks." I hung up, merely seconds before Dexter called. Everyone thought I was lucky to have four elder brothers, but none of them knew how exhausting it was to have five men treating me like a fragile little girl.

"I'm alright. Tell Carson and Misael that too!" I yelled as soon as the call connected and hung up before he could say a word.

"That will not be necessary." A familiar voice made me jump and nearly spill my coffee.

"Heavens, Misa, you scared the crap out of me!" I yelled at my brother and lowered my voice to scold him. "What are you doing here?"

"Making you forget all about that scumbag. I never liked him anyway." He snorted and took a seat opposite me. "Want some ice cream?"

"Shouldn't you be somewhere having the time of your life with your girlfriend?" I asked as I rummaged through the bag he had brought for the ice cream he had mentioned.

"No woman is more important than my sister."

I smiled. "Where's the ice cream?"

"You will have lots of gelato in Italy." He revealed and slipped a plane ticket out of his pocket. "It departs in an hour. Are you ready?"

I stared at him blankly and he must have taken it as confusion since he felt the need to explain.

"Mom and dad had several hours' worth of a meeting last night and we all know what it's about. They want you and that scumbag to get back together. Don't worry, no such thing is ever going to happen as long as I'm alive. Oh, and I canceled your honeymoon. I'm not letting him and his skank enjoy what should have belonged to my sister."

I threw myself into his arms amid his rant. "Thank you." Among all my brothers, Misael understood me the most. He had my passport and a small luggage of necessities ready. As soon as I finished my breakfast, he drove me to the airport.

"Hey, tell Fabien I'm alright." I finally remembered my bodyguard who would go crazy with worry if he couldn't find me.

"He will be gone by the time you come back." He joked and laughed at my shocked expression. "Just kidding. Fabien knows you're leaving. I gave him time off so he doesn't have to deal with thousands of questions about where you are."

It finally made sense how he knew where to find me. Fabien must have told him. I hugged him one last time. "Thank you for not saying 'I told you'."

"Don't thank me yet. I was about to. How many times do I have to tell you, sis? That man doesn't love you. He is using you!" He mimicked Rhys and we both laughed. He wrapped his arms around me. "I hate Rhys but he was right. But who cares? You're okay. You have us."

"Yes." I lied. Ten years of my life had just gone down the drain. How could I be fine?