Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl (Pearl and Richard)

Chapter 1332

Isabelle placed the food she was carrying on the floor. "But I..."

"No buts," James interrupted. "I told you from the start this was just pretend. Now that it's over, you need to leave."

"I've been with you for so long, James. Don't you feel anything for me?" Isabelle asked, her voice full of emotion.

Isabelle was taken aback by how indifferent he seemed. After spending six months together, day in and day out, she had developed feelings for him.

She moved closer, intending to wipe his forehead like she had done many times before, but he blocked her hand.

"Stay back. Things aren't the same as they were," he said sharply. What he meant was that she shouldn't do these things just to make herself feel better.

At that moment, Isabelle felt her heart shatter. She turned away, but noticed Esther watching her with a sympathetic gaze.

Isabelle thought Esther's sadness was just an act, and the pity in her eyes felt like daggers. Angrily, she pushed Esther. "This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, I would have a good life with James!"

Esther stumbled backward, hitting a table with a cry of pain. "Why did you push me? What did I do?"

Esther was confused. She hadn't known about any of this until recently. Why was Isabelle blaming her?

"Why are you doing this to me?" Isabelle demanded, tears starting to form as she looked over at James, who was lying in the bed.

"The deal was that you shouldn't fall for me, but you didn't stick to that," James said coldly.

Isabelle blinked back tears. He was right. She had promised not to fall for him, but controlling feelings wasn't that simple. She had fallen for him after spending so much time together.

Trying to rationalize her emotions, she said, "Okay, I'm sorry. I know what I need to do now. "Despite her feelings, she recognized the reality of the situation.

The person James truly loved had returned. Isabelle was just a stand-in, so she turned to Esther, bowed her head in apology, and left.

Esther sighed as Isabelle walked away sadly. "I don't understand why you'd want to toy with someone's feelings," she said to James.

James's frustration was visible. "I didn't play with her feelings. It was clear in our

agreement that she shouldn't develop feelings. It's not my fault."

James hated having to deal with relationship issues.

"You can't just control who you fall for. You knew she would probably fall for you," Esther said softly. "You have that charm that would make any woman fall for you."

That annoyed him, but he had made his position clear. "No, I never thought about that."

II