Chapter Three

The next few hours witnessed the ignoring of calls, and trying to find at least some sort of sanity with her current situation. She tried to keep busy in the quiet apartment, trying so desperately to find something that would capture her attention for longer than a nanosecond. But anything she was able to find to do was replaced with the vibration of her phone is he continued to call her, attempting to contact her. She had placed her phone on silent knowing that the ringing would only cause her anxiety levels to rise. As the ringing continued, she wondered whether she was being melodramatic, but she quickly snapped herself out of that mind frame knowing that it was what he wanted to her feel like. She often blamed herself for him hitting her, and after it had become a part of their marriage, she knew it was time to escape. As soon as he had done it the first time, she believed it was a one off thing and would never be repeated but when it did, she realised that it was their life now. No amount of apologies or presents thrown her way would ever erase the bruises that adorned her skin, and Isabelle knew she had to do something.

Leaving was always the option, but it was a lot harder than what she had first thought. There had to be a plan in place, somewhere to go, enough money to get her by for a while until she found a job and was able to afford the necessities that came with a child. It wasn't just her in this mess anymore, she had a little human growing in her stomach that needed to be protected. And so leaving was the only option.

Isabelle wondered what it would've been like if she had stayed. She had taken the opportunity to leave when he had left the house, just like what he did whenever his fists were thrown in her direction. He always called it 'reflection' but she knew it was a ploy to intoxicate himself with even more alcohol so the guilt that rose within him would be squashed and hidden until he became sober again, and the harsh reality hit him in the face. She had thrown anything she found into a suitcase and had taken the car keys, leaving him behind in the city she never wanted to live in. She drove through the night, never once stopping the vehicle until the vehicle came to a stop and red light flashed on the dashboard notifying her that she was out of gas. She thought about going back, taking it as a hint that she had made the wrong decision. But she had to go. He didn't finish the job, but she knew that when he returned home intoxicated and angrier, he would've ended her life that night. She knew that, and that petrified her.

Her luck seemed to pick up when another vehicle came to her aide, and allowed her to restart her journey. She thought about going back home, but she wasn't ready to face her parents. She thought about going to her friend's house but they were too close to him. Foggy had come to mind, and she had questioned it for a long time, until she realised she was driving towards New York. She left the vehicle outside of New York, leaving it in a motel parking lot, and took a cab all the way to Hell's Kitchen. It cost her an arm and a leg but she was covering up her tracks as best she could.

The phone rang again, and she glanced at the name flashing on the screen, as well as a photograph of them both together, much happier and beaming towards the camera. Where did everything go wrong, she asked herself.

She closed her eyes and lifted her head towards the ceiling, breathing in deeply and allowing her lungs to fill with air. She held it in for a moment, before exhaling slowly until the phone stopped vibrating and the screen became dark. She knew she needed to make a plan, and one that protected everyone she loved from getting hurt.

"I've done this for you, little one," she said, tenderly touching her bump. She was wearing baggy clothes to try and hide her ever growing stomach, it was difficult making sure she positioned herself in the right position so it didn't highlight the fact that she was hiding one of the biggest secrets of her life. "Everything I do from now will be for you."

Foggy listened outside the door as he heard Isabelle's voice vibrate through the air. Matt was listening in also, having caught all of what she said whereas Foggy only picked up on the last few words. Foggy turned towards Matt. Matt could sense that he was confused as his breathing changed slightly.

"Who's she talking to?" Foggy asked, to which Matt shrugged. "Is anyone in the apartment with her?"

Matt shook his head. "I can only sense her."

"Then who's she talking to?" Foggy asked. "Is she on the phone?"

"Maybe, I can't tell," Matt lied.

Foggy tried the door but found that it was locked by the chain. He knocked on the door. Matt sensed her heart rate increase as fear grasped at her heart at the knock. He heard her move towards the door and sensed as her breathing went back to normal, as her heartbeat did also. But it was when he felt her eyes upon him, having travelled from her brother and onto him through the spy hole, that her heart rate increased. He heard her take a deep breath in and exhale as she unlocked and opened the door.

"You remember Matt," Foggy said, closing the door behind his friend.

"Of course," Isabelle replied, her eyes trying to look anywhere but at him. "It's good to see you again, Matthew."

"You too," he replied, nodding in her direction.

"Who were you talking to?" Foggy asked, inquisitively.

"Huh?" Isabelle was caught off guard and she opened her mouth the answer but words seemed to fail her. She thought for a moment. "Oh, I was watching one of my favourite episodes of this show… I know the words off by heart, it's ridiculous."

Foggy stared at her for a moment, before smirking. "You were always doing that as a kid. I could never pay attention to do that."

"It's a skill," Matt added, smirking. She turned to look at him then and he felt her attention change towards him. It had been a long time since he was in her company, and under her gaze. He thought back to years ago when she would look at him and he would feel her eyes upon him, grazing his body as she took in every inch of him. Goosebumps would form on his skin as soon as her eyes burned his skin, the gentle shudder of his body as he responded in such a way to her observing at him. He felt the same sensation pass through him once more, as goosebumps scattered across his body.

The vibrating phone caused her gaze to disappear from him, where he was able to breathe deeply again. Foggy turned to look at Isabelle as the phone vibrated across the coffee table. She was staring at it, watching as it shuffled across the surface.

Matt picked up the fear rattling against her chest. It was horrible knowing something was affecting her so much and that she wasn't being open about it. He understood her reasons, and he could only assume from what Foggy had told him regarding what happened. The very fact that she hadn't told Foggy about her pregnancy was another factor into the reason as to why she was keeping things secret. Had he hurt her in a way that was unthinkable? What else had happened to make her leave everything behind other than the obvious?

The phone fell silent, and Isabelle excused herself.

As soon as the door to the bathroom closed, Matt turned to Foggy. "That's weird."

"Tell me about it," Foggy replied. "That's what she's been doing ever since she got here, and no matter how many times I ask if she's going to answer it, she either ignores me or tells me that it's not important."

"Do you still want me to try and find out?" Matt asked.

Foggy was quiet for a moment. "No… she's obviously scared enough. I don't want to add to that by having her meet Daredevil."

Matt nodded, as the bathroom door opened. Foggy excused himself and entered the bathroom leaving Isabelle and Matt alone. Isabelle moved towards the couch where she took a seat.

"It's a nice surprise to have you here," Matt broke the silence. "What made you come here?"

"Don't do that," Isabelle whispered. "I know that you can sense how I'm feeling. I know you, Matthew."

Matt nods at her words. "Are you in trouble?"

"Define trouble," Isabelle scoffed.

"Isabelle…" Matt warned. Isabelle glanced down at her hands and ran her tongue along her teeth.

As Isabelle opened her mouth to tell him, the bathroom door opened and Foggy re-entered the room. Matt winced knowing that he was getting somewhere with her.

"I better go," Matt said. "I've got a lot of work to do."

"Yeah okay, man," Foggy replied.

Isabelle watched as Matt nodded in her direction. "It was nice talking with you again, Isabelle."

Isabelle winced at the formality of the conversation before nodding. "You too," she said, copying what he had said before.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Foggy," Matt said. As Foggy saw Matt out, Isabelle breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the man who knew so much about her leave. She cursed herself for nearly telling him everything. There had always been something about him that made her want to break down the walls she had built around her and tell all her secrets to, like she had done many years ago. She had confided in him so much and he knew so much more about her than Foggy did.

As Foggy came back into the living room, Isabelle smiled. "Do you want to make our favourite dinner growing up?"

A smile crept across her brother's face as he nodded. "We have the ingredients in?"

"You do, I checked earlier," Isabelle giggled.

As the siblings made spaghetti and meatballs, Isabelle took a moment to watch her brother as he threw the spaghetti onto the wall. She laughed as she was able to forget about everything, and she was grateful to Foggy for allowing her that peace of mind even for a little while.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who favourited and followed this story since I uploaded yesterday, it means a lot to know that you guys are enjoying it! How are we liking Isabelle? What else do you think she's hiding? Please leave a review to let me know what you think as I really appreciate feedback, good or bad!