NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE

HOME SWEET HOME

Isabella signed the contract which had been duplicated into two copies by Angelo. She handed one copy over to her father's lawyer and gave the other copy back to Angelo.

After signing the contract Angelo told Isabella, "it is done. All that is left now is for us to sign the marriage papers and all your father's properties, everything he has lost, will be returned back to him."

Isabella went into the marriage court with Angelo and they both signed the marriage papers. "This is it" Angelo said after signing the documents. "We are now officially man and wife"

Angelo took out his phone and made a phone call after which he told Isabella that her father had gotten back everything he lost. Isabella found it difficult to believe that everything had been returned to her family so quickly.

"Let's go home" Angelo told Isabella. However, she said, "I need to confirm the information you just gave me right now and I need to go back to the hospital to check on my father and get my luggage".

"That will not be necessary" Angelo replied. "Leave it to me. Your duty now is to go home, make sure the house is in order and prepare dinner before I get back from work. I will go to the hospital and fetch whatever belongings you have left behind."

Isabella bid her father's lawyer goodbye and got into Angelo's car while he drove her to his house. On their way Isabella looked at Angelo's face. he wore a very serious expression on his face and she couldn't figure out what was going through his mind.

She thought about the advice her mum had given her before she left the hospital. Her mum had told her, "Isabella, Angelo is gravely mistaken about us. It is possible that someone has fed him lies or he has gathered the wrong information because he was only a boy back when that incident happened and he wasn't present.

One thing is certain, he has so much anger and hatred toward us. since you have insisted on accepting his marriage proposal for our sake, the best thing you can do right now is to soften his anger.

I know Angelo is going to torture you and that's probably the reason why he wants to get married to you. He knows that if you are suffering, it will be extremely painful for your father and I and that will be his way of getting revenge.

He is going to be really mean to you and I know that you have so much hatred for him but please, try to get past your hatred. Show him kindness and care and you will soften his anger and clear his misconception about us because, once upon a time, Angelo's mother and I were the very best of friends.

I know you have a very good heart and I know you're a very lovable person. Your father now has extreme hatred for Angelo and may try to fight him for your sake. Remember that only you can end this feud between us."

Isabella sighed as she knew that what her mum was asking of her was extremely weighty, but if that was the price she had to pay for her family to be in peace, she was willing to do it.

"We are here," Angelo said interrupting Isabella's thoughts. She promptly came down from the car and got into the house with Angelo however the sight that greeted her was extremely disturbing.

The house looked worse than a trashcan. It was really disgusting. There were dirts and faeces strewn all around the living room and the stench made her feel like throwing up. She couldn't imagine herself staying here for even a minute. She found it surprising because the house was really beautiful and classy on the outside.

"Home sweet home" Angelo said with a mischievous smile on his face. "So I'm going to head back to work now, make sure you clean the whole house and keep it in order. The kitchen is much worse than this so you are going to be really busy. Make sure you clean the kitchen as well and prepare dinner for us. On my way back from work, I will stop by the hospital and get your luggage for you."

"Don't you dare leave me here" Isabella warned as Angelo tried to lock her inside the house. She struggled with him but lost in the end because he was too strong for her. Angelo locked her inside, took the keys of the house and drove away in his car.

Isabella closed her nostrils with her fingers as she felt stupefied by the strong smell that emanated from the living room. Her first thought was to dial 911 but she didn't think she would be able to wait for them to arrive.

She looked around the house and noticed a dirty stool by the couch. she took the stool and quickly smashed it on the window, breaking it into pieces. When she jumped out through the window, she sustained a few cuts on her beautiful skin but was finally able to have a breath of fresh air.

As she sat outside the house, while trying to catch her breath, she puked all over the floor. What she had just witnessed was extremely traumatising for her. She thought of her next line of action and decided to go to the hospital, see her family and take a bath.

On her way out of the compound, she remembered what her mum had told her. She needed to clean the house if she wanted to promote peace but she couldn't bring herself to step foot inside that house ever again, even if it was later cleaned and renovated.

She knew there were going to be consequences since she had already broken the agreement in the contract. She stood for some time, unsure of what to do. After a while, she made up her mind and started walking away. She turned back, looked at the house one more time and screamed, "to hell with you Angelo."