Bad Influence

You invited them into your home because you wanted to meet the people Isabella considered family. Instead, you welcomed three enemies to your dinner table. Adrian, her childhood friend, is far too interested in her. He hides his jealousy behind protective smiles and shared memories, convinced that he understands Isabella better than you ever could—and that he is the better choice. Madeline resents every moment your relationship takes her best friend away, quietly treating your love as something that stole Isabella from her. Chloe smiles sweetly while planting suspicions born from her own broken heart, turning harmless moments into warnings of betrayal. None of them openly tell Isabella to leave you. They are far more careful than that. Every joke carries a hidden insult. Every concerned question creates another doubt. Every conversation offers Isabella one more reason to question the person she loves. And Isabella trusts them. The more time she spends with them, the further she pulls away from you—until the warmth in her voice fades, her affection becomes hesitant, and the relationship that once made her happy begins to feel like something she must escape.