Chapter 166: Chapter 166 Overthinking
7:58 PM
When Jay got the news, he nearly choked on his coffee and ran straight into Leonardo’s office, still gripping his phone.
Bella had sent him a photo of the invitation.
"Bro!!" he shouted, eyes wide. "Did you see this?! Alexa’s getting married! Like—married, married. What kind of plot twist is this?!"
Leonardo didn’t react right away. He was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, flipping through business emails, his thumb scrolling with a calmness that made Jay even more agitated. But when Jay held out the phone, showing the wedding invitation right in front of his face, Leonardo’s eyes finally lifted and narrowed.
"Alexa and Archer Wyatt," he read aloud, his tone flat and unreadable.
Jay scratched his head, still stunned. "Wait... Archer Wyatt? Why does that name sound familiar?"
Leonardo’s jaw moved slightly as he thought. Then he said, "He’s a businessman. Just came back from abroad. Owns a bunch of tech subsidiaries."
"THAT Archer?" Jay gasped, dropping onto the armrest of the couch like the world had just flipped upside down. "Bro, Alexa was OBSESSED with you. Like, we-used-to-make-jokes-about-it obsessed. Why the hell is she suddenly marrying a guy like Archer?"
Leonardo didn’t answer immediately. His gaze shifted to his phone again—this time, not for work. A message had popped up in his private group chat: Drinks tonight? New bar downtown. Just us. Attached was a photo of three whiskey glasses already waiting on a polished table.
He stared at the screen for a second longer than usual. Then, without a word, he stood up and walked past Jay.
Jay blinked. "Wait, you’re going out?"
Leonardo, calm as ever, replied, "Going to the bar. Friends are waiting."
"You’re not gonna eat first?"
"I’m not hungry."
Jay watched the door close behind his brother, a quiet frown settling on his face.
***
When Jay came home alone, Bella frowned gently, trying to hide the way her stomach sank.
"Where’s Leo?" she asked, keeping her voice light, as if it didn’t matter. As if she hadn’t been thinking about him since the moment the sun dipped behind the trees.
"Oh Bella, I walk in and the first thing you ask is—’Where’s Leo?’" Jay teased with a mischievous grin, flopping onto the living room couch like a tired cat. "Hahaha, is it because he’s your dear husband???"
Bella’s cheeks warmed. Her eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head quickly, brushing her hair behind her ear to distract herself. "No... it’s not like that," she muttered, her voice soft.
Jay stretched his arms over his head and let out a long yawn. "I know, I know. Bro’s at a bar with his friends."
Her expression changed. Just slightly. But enough.
He stood and added casually, "I’m gonna freshen up and change. I feel sticky from running around all day." He didn’t notice the way her eyes followed him, or how her fingers curled into a small fist against her side.
A bar?
She sat down slowly, lowering herself into the couch where Jay had just been, her thoughts starting to race. Why did Leo go to a bar?
Was it because... Alexa is getting married?
Dinner felt lonely. It was just the two of them—Jay and Bella—sitting at the large table, surrounded by empty chairs and quiet. Jay was still cheerful, talking between bites, but Bella barely touched her food. Her fork pushed the rice around her plate in quiet patterns, her thoughts elsewhere. Lina and Alessandro had left earlier that evening for work-related matters, and even Aunt Clara hadn’t come out from the kitchen.
It felt... empty.
Later, Bella returned to her room and changed into her soft pink nightdress. The silky fabric didn’t comfort her the way it usually did. She hugged Snowball to her chest and sat at the edge of the bed, her feet dangling quietly over the edge. The moonlight poured in through her window, casting long silver shadows across her floor.
Is Leo sad because Alexa is getting married?
The question echoed in her mind louder than she expected. Her throat tightened. She didn’t want to ask it. She didn’t want to care but her heart didn’t listen.
She leaned back against her pillows, her eyes glued to the ceiling.
Bella sighed and closed her eyes. Her lashes were still damp from the earlier tears she hadn’t let fall. She thought about the way Leo looked earlier that day—expressionless, unreadable, distant. He hadn’t said anything after breakfast. He didn’t even look at her properly.
Was she invisible again?
She turned her head to the side, eyes landing on her plushies. Snowball, Berry, and Moonbeam sat quietly, their stitched faces smiling like they always did. But even they couldn’t comfort her tonight.
Her body folded in gently, knees drawn up, arms wrapped loosely around herself as she curled into a small ball.
She hated this side of herself—the one that waited, the one that hoped, the one that wanted him to look at her. She hated how fast her heart still beat when she heard his voice. She hated that she cared.
But she did.
Even if he didn’t know.
Even if he never would.
Her chest felt tight, like something inside was quietly breaking again, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
A few minutes later, she rolled to the other side and pulled the blanket up, burying her face into the pillow. But sleep didn’t come easily that night.
Not when the person you were starting to fall for... might still belong to someone else.
Every time she closed her eyes, her mind wandered to the same image—Leo, sitting in some dimly lit bar, maybe with a glass of something strong in his hand, lost in thought. Was he thinking of Alexa? Was he... heartbroken?
Bella’s brows furrowed. "Did he... realize he loves Alexa?" she whispered into the quiet, her voice barely audible. The thought made her chest ache in a weird, stinging way. Like when you drink cold water too fast and it hits your heart.
But then—
Her good angel popped into her thoughts like a soft chime.
"Bella, stop overthinking. You thought he loved Stella just days ago, remember? You always do this."
Her pout deepened. "Yeah... but this time it feels different..."
"You said that last time too."
Bella groaned softly and buried her face into her plushie. Her bad angel showed up, lazily tossing glitter and drama into her thoughts.
"Of course he’s sad," her bad angel said with a huff. "Maybe she’s his first love! Alexa is getting married and he didn’t even react when you smiled at him at breakfast! You were practically sparkling and he didn’t look at you once!"