TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 343

Three hundred and forty three

Isabella POV

Harrison agreed that we switch rooms the morning after the gala. With Iris’s help, we moved my things into his room and his into mine. I hadn’t left his room since. Everything I needed came through the door, carried by Iris or Harrison, because I couldn’t make myself walk down that hallway.

It wasn’t about whether Anita could actually hurt me. It was older than that. Some part of me had learned long ago that when someone wants to hurt you, the smartest thing to do is disappear somewhere they can’t find you.

That Monday, I didn’t drop Maverick at daycare or go to the office. Iris came by before her shift with enough food. to get us through the day. She gave me a look that said sorry without needing the word.

“What are you going to do if Cassidy doesn’t reach out today?”

“I’ll tell Wesley.”

I shrugged. At this point, it didn’t feel like there was much left to lose.

“The worst is already happening. I’ll tell him about the bond myself. Whatever happens, happens.”

I wished her a good day and locked the door behind her.

Maverick watched me turn the bolt, then frowned up at me.

“Why aren’t you going to work? Why can’t I go to daycare?”

“Because we’re staying in. Watching TV. Eating whatever you want.”

“Even ice cream?”

“Even ice cream.”

He gave me a look that said he wasn’t sure whether to trust something this good, and I laughed.

About two hours later, my phone rang. Grandma Cassidy’s name lit up the screen. My heart kicked so hard I had to step into the bathroom and shut the door before answering.

“Are you free? Can we see each other today?”

“Yes, of course. I’m at the lodge. I switched rooms, though. They won’t have it recorded at reception.”

“Oh.”

A pause.

“All right. I’m on my way.”

After the call, I couldn’t sit still until the knock finally came.

I let her in and locked the door behind her.

She frowned. “Are you hiding from Anita or someone else?”

I shrugged, not answering.

She spent a few minutes with Maverick first, and he lit up around her. Then she asked if we could talk outside. I led her to the veranda at the end of the hall.

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and and forty th

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We sat in silence. My stomach tightened at how careful she was being.

“I didn’t lie to you,” I said before she could start. “I can’t lie about something that big, or make up something as serious as a mate bond for fun. I was afraid and confused. That’s why I kept it to myself.”

I waited for her reaction, but she said nothing.

“Wesley already likes me enough to go against his family for me. Why would I ruin that by lying about a bond?”

She reached over and took my hand.

“I’m not accusing you of lying, dear. I’m old enough to know the difference between a lie and a feeling that needs weighing. I just need an assessment.”

The tension in my chest eased as I watched her.

“I need to understand what you’re actually experiencing,” she said. “What happens when you’re near him? What happens when he touches you? Has it ever weakened, even for a moment? And are you certain what you’re feeling is a mate bond, not something else wearing its shape?”

I answered every question as honestly as I could.

I knew she believed me. She didn’t doubt the feeling was real. She just needed to know whether it was truly a mate bond or something else entirely.

“We can’t tell Wesley yet. Not until the bond is confirmed,” she said when I finished.

“You just said you believed me.”

“I do. I need you to trust me on this too.” She was still holding my hand. “This is enormously serious, Isabella. And I need to take you somewhere.”

“I can’t explain it the way you’d want me to. It’s not something I can describe. It’s something you have to experience. Can you trust me?”

I managed a nod, though my mind was already spinning through every possibility of where this could lead.

“This evening,” she said, “once your friend is back to watch your son, I’ll send a car for you.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll be waiting when you arrive. That’s all I can say for now.”

A cautious part of me wondered if there was something I wasn’t seeing. But I’d lived with Cassidy and trusted her enough to leave Maverick in her care for three days.

“Okay,” I said.

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