Twisted Ties of Love

As time goes by, those painful wounds you thought would never heal start to fade away. But this isn't forgiveness, it's acceptance. No one can live in resentment forever, it's just too draining.

Izabella hadn't expected Brett to show up, let alone take a bullet for her.

Brett was rushed to the hospital, while Casey and Izabella were taken separately to be tested for potential viral infection.

Izabella's face was as pale as snow, her hands as cold as ice. Casey held her icy hand, "He'll be alright."

"I'm not worried about him." Izabella bowed her head, holding back the sting in her eyes.

Old folks often said that troublemakers linger for a thousand years, and Brett was a troublemaker of the first order. His fate had nothing to do with her.

But she didn't want Brett to die this way, because then she'd be forced to remember him. She wanted to forget him completely, as if he'd never existed.

"I hate him, I really hate him."

Casey pulled her into a hug, his voice hoarse but gentle, "I know, Bella. You don't have to force yourself to hate anyone. You can choose to let go. You haven't wronged anyone."

Brett lay on the operating table, an oxygen mask strapped to his face. His heartbeat monitor showed just how weak he was.

Brett hated hospitals, hated the smell of antiseptic. Even when in agonizing pain, he'd rather suffer at home than step foot in a hospital.

Now, he lay there, weak and helpless. His face was paler than ever, fragile as porcelain, as if he'd shatter at the slightest touch.

Time seemed to slow down. Izabella kept glancing at the clock on the wall, checking every minute or two.

Brett's condition was critical. Upon hearing the news, Liam and several shareholders from the company rushed over, as did Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey.

Casey and Izabella were quarantined, waiting for their test results. As for Brett, they could only get updates from the nurses.

Brett was still unconscious, his condition not improving. Twice in six hours, he'd been issued a critical condition notice, prompting continuous resuscitation.

At one point, he woke up briefly. He asked Liam to sign any necessary documents on his behalf, whether it was a critical condition notice or a death certificate. Moreover, if he survived, he didn't want Izabella to know about his lung cancer.

Why keep this from Izabella?

Because he was afraid she'd mock him.

Back when they were together, Izabella had tried to persuade him to quit smoking, warning him of its detrimental effects on health. He'd stubbornly ignored her, and now, karma had caught up with him. He was helpless, licking his wounds in the corner.

He'd hit her when she'd tried to warn him, so maybe he deserved lung cancer.

After Liam agreed to his request, Brett closed his eyes again. This time, he didn't wake up for a long time, requiring constant resuscitation.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

Lung cancer, a bullet in his lung, his body was taking one hit after another.

Six hours later, the blood test results came back. The blood taken from Casey showed the presence of an unknown virus. More tests were needed to identify it.

Izabella's blood, however, showed no abnormalities. Izabella reviewed the test results over and over again, the cold wind blowing in through the window felt like knives against her skin. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she gripped the test results tightly.

Casey had always been optimistic. Life was short, whether he spent it happy or sad. So why not choose to be happy every day?

Still, he had some regrets.

Despite the virus, Casey felt no discomfort. The experts were stilt studying it. It was said to be contagious, but no one knew how

harmful it was. So, he continued to

be quarantined, this time alone.

To Casey, Izabella being uninfected was a relief. Even though she'd said she didn't care and would stay with him no matter what, Casey wanted her to live a good life.

The world was beautiful, even without him. Maybe she could find someone better.

Casey stood by the window, comforting Izabella.

"Don't worry, I feel great right now. This virus is only serious according to Nathaniel. No one knows how harmful it actually is. It might be just like a common cold, and I'll be fine in

a few days."

When the Dempsey family arrived at the hospital and heard about Casey's virus, Bunny Dempsey felt a cold shock, her heart heavy.

Her son had been shot trying to save Izabella, but that was his choice. She couldn't blame anyone.

Casey didn't want his parents to harbor any resentment because of him. So, as soon as they arrived, he told them he'd recovered his memory.

"Dad, Mom," Casey leaned against the window, his breath fogging up the glass, "I remember everything."