𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 | Isabela x Reader

Do You Wanna Know?

When you turn to scan your surroundings, your eyes meet Isabela's, her stare filled with warmth. It was as if she was stuck in a trance, unaware that her gaze was now reciprocated.

Your cheeks start to color pink, hoping it was because of the heat of the sun that peered at you through the window. You were seeing a side of Isabela's that could be compared to finding a diamond in the rough. A side of hers that was welcome to everyone in the room, despite your presence that was supposed to tick her off. It would be normal to feel flustered and surprised... right, that's it.

"Why...?" You whisper as you turn away and walk opposite from the crowd, now only noticing the girl that was secluded by the corner of the room, reading.

Your interest immediately gets piqued as you approach her slowly. You look down to find the book that your abuelita used to read to you to help you sleep when you were younger. "That book always gives a sense of comfort to its readers, doesn't it?" You coo, hoping not to scare her with your sudden appearance.

When she looks up, you find her eyes brimmed with tears. You take a sharp breath, already feeling discomfort at the mere sight of her damp eyes and cheeks. The little girl nods as she wipes it, feeling embarrassed.

You get seated next to her on the floor, helping her wipe the tears on her cheeks with a gentle stroke of your thumb. "How about I read another book to you? One to cheer you up." You say with a smile, the little girl nodding shyly once again.

Isabela watches you as you interact with her, feeling her icy exterior melt completely as she sees you soften up. You always hid your emotions so well, convincing people that you didn't care about anyone or anything aside from yourself.

But today had taught her that she was stereotyping you with everyone else's impression of you. Relating how the same people had stereotyped her as the golden child of the Madrigals, as someone perfect... she recognized the fact that she had been doing the exact same thing she hated from everyone else and directed it at you.

You may have mocked her for putting on such an act, but she now realized that it was because you hated when she had put a fake character in everyone's head. Isabela had practically asked for the stereotype of her, unlike you who hadn't wished for it in the first place. You merely wanted to live a quiet life.

You were nowhere near all the rumors about you. Sure, you got into fights quite frequently, but that was to defend others and assert what you thought was right. It was never about being dominant or just seeking it for fun.

Now she didn't know what she wanted to do. Her pride wouldn't let her apologize, but she didn't want to suddenly act like you were longtime friends. She would even definitely find it understandable if you truly hated her.

But a part of her felt like you didn't have it in you to truly hate a person with all your heart.

As you read to the girl, she starts inching closer slowly until she was leaning on your lap, getting more encaptured in the book. You fight a smile as you suddenly remember you did the exact same thing with your abuelita.

When it comes to a close, you hold her hand as you stand up, pulling her along and setting the book aside. "Come on, you should fill your tum with some food."

When you get closer to Isabela, she smiles at you, feeling your heart pace once again. You wanted to know why the fuck your heart found it necessary to beat so hard for the woman you absolutely despised.

When she leans down, she hands the food to the girl, letting her join the other kids as they finish up eating. "Who knew you could be such a softie?" She purrs at you with a playful smile.

Your heart once again thumps against your chest, thanking your lucky stars that Dolores wasn't amidst you and hear it. You snicker as you return the smile. "I could say the same about you princesa. Funny how you weren't as sweet to Mirabel though."

Silence suddenly engulfs the two of you as you watch her smile fade slowly. Isabela had expected a retort from you obviously, but she hadn't expected it to genuinely hurt.

There were no clapbacks from Isabela, leaving you confused. Seeing pain flash through her eyes struck guilt in your heart as you felt walls climbing up around her again. Not noticing when they went down in the first place.

You bite your lower lip as she turns away from you, returning her focus on the children. You swallow involuntarily as a lump in your throat forms. You wanted to apologize to her... for the first time in your life.

"Isabela I-"

The door slamming open cuts you off, her boyfriend's presence catching the attention of everyone in the room. You narrow your eyes as he enters unwelcomed.

The kids all suddenly run towards him, all of them fumbling in excitement. The realization hits you that it must be his job that you covered for today.

You clench your jaw as you watch them, Isabela's gaze empty as she watches as well. "Calm down." He says as he chuckles at their excitement.

He makes his way to Isabela, pulling her into a hug then grabbing her hand and planting a chaste kiss on the back of it. Your eyes don't leave the spot as he backs away and looks at her with admiration in his eyes.

Pain suddenly shoots in your chest, feeling your heart clench as Isabela wears a smile as she looks at him. "It's fake." You whisper to yourself as you try to reassure yourself.

But why did you need to reassure yourself in the first place? You were the one who upset her, not the other way around.

Watching the two of them interact reminded you of an old married couple. Isabela didn't dare look at you, already feeling you watching them. Something about your presence made her uncomfortable to even pretend to like Mariano.

Taking Mariano's arrival as a chance to get away, you head out the door slowly. Isabela watched as you left. She had hoped that you would have stayed since you seemed to enjoy yourself.

Sadness engulfs her as you left, letting you go. Even before she acknowledged that she liked spending time with you, she was already aware that she appreciated your presence more than Mariano's. Because unlike him, you knew her, she didn't feel the need to put on a show.

Feeling your heart suffocate as you run home, you start questioning yourself.  "Why?" You whisper as you start to cough, covering your mouth with your hand.

Maybe it was because of the running. Maybe it was because of the guilt you felt that made your heart hurt.  Maybe it was because you actually enjoyed today but didn't want to admit it. Maybe because you picked a fight with her that she didn't return. Maybe because you hurt her.

"Why does it hurt?" You ask yourself once again as you enter your home, kneeling in pain as you cough rapidly, leaning against the closed door.

When you separate your hand from your mouth to wipe the tears that filled your eyes, there you find a single yellow petal tainted with spots of red liquid.

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A/N: Hello! One of the tags on this book is hanahaki (not sure if y'all noticed).

It is a FICTIONAL disease where the victim of unrequited love begins to vomit or cough up the petals and flowers of a flowering plant growing in their lungs.

It could ONLY be healed when:
• your love is returned. (It cannot be platonic.)
• if you get surgery (which causes the feelings to go away as well).
• if you stop loving the said person.

That's why Julieta can't heal it. I thought it would be perfect for an Isabela fic... Because y'know... FLOWERS!! HAHAHA

The hanahaki trope is quite broad so really, I'm not spoiling much about what's going to happen. I'll leave that to your imagination ¯\_༼ᴼل͜ᴼ༽_/¯

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please vote <3 it motivates me a lot!