Twisted Ties of Love

Brett hadn't yet had the chance to prove himself in his own way. Was he supposed to just throw in the towel now?

He couldn't bear it, he truly couldn't bear it.

His love for Izabella was so great, he found it hard to entrust her to anyone else.

Brett was not one to easily let his guard down. He wouldn't even let anyone near his back, let alone the love of his life.

Throughout his life, the only person who had stayed with him for the longest time was Liam. He hadn't managed to hold on to anyone else he wanted to keep in his life.

His parents died before his eyes, and Izabella had left him as well.

At times, Brett felt like a fish that had been reeled ashore, being toyed with by fate. The hook was lodged in its gills, and no matter how far it swam after being thrown back into the water, it always ended up back where it started.

Brett touched the burn on the left side of his chest that had been there for four or five years. The pain hadn't faded in the slightest. Although the wound had healed, it suddenly began to hurt again, as if a knife was piercing his heart.

Other than when he was ill, all the burning pain he felt was not real.

Brett knew this wasn't the life he wanted, but it was the one he had chosen.

When a person reached a certain level of loneliness, they had nothing to say. They can't even share their sadness with others. In the end, even their shadow will leave them, let alone the person they yearned for.

Brett didn't want to accept his fate, but he had no choice. Everything seemed meaningless in the face of death.

He wanted to do one last thing. Let's make a bet. If he won, he would consider it his last good deed for Izabella. If he lost, he would let go, completely let go.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Casey. Casey had saved his life once. But he didn't trust the Dempsey family, and he didn't believe that Casey could resist when push came to shove.

Brett slightly propped up his body and grabbed the phone on the cabinet, dialing a number.

"Do as I told you before. I want to see the results within three months."

Izabella had been by Casey's side all along, only relaxing momentarily when the IV bag was empty for the day.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

With her hand clutching Casey's, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the bed. The nurse, seeing her lying there, worried that her neck and waist would hurt, so she woke her up.

"Ms. Salotti, why don't you lie down for a bit? You don't have to keep an eye on him all the time. I'm afraid your body won't be able to take it."

The hospital provided temporary beds and blankets for those tending to patients. Izabella hadn't taken any, because she had no intention of lying down and sleeping deeply. Izabella shook her head, her voice hoarse. "I'm fine. I'll just take a short nap."

She had been through worse when she was under a lot of stress at work. She had even survived being burned alive. Compared to that, this was nothing.

Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded, the nurse decided to drop it. But fearing that Izabella might catch a cold, she brought her a blanket.

"Cover yourself with this. Don't catch a cold."

Izabella stood up to thank her, taking the blanket from the nurse's hands.

She didn't use the blanket, though. The hospital was air-conditioned and it wasn't cold. Besides, she was wearing Casey's jacket.

Resting her head against the back of the chair, Izabella eventually laid her head on the edge of the bed, her hand serving as a pillow.

She had barely closed her eyes when she felt a gentle touch on her head. Half-asleep, she opened her eyes to find Casey's hand caressing her head, soothing her inner turmoil.

Izabella lifted her head to meet Casey's soft gaze. His eyes, previously dull and gray, were now clear, revealing a myriad of stars within.

Seeing Casey wake up, Izabella didn't react as excitedly as she had imagined. She was calm, so calm that she could feel her own heartbeat.

When Casey was rushed into surgery, she had made herself ready for whatever might come. She had decided that if Casey woke up, she would be there. If he didn't, she would join him in sleep.

That Casey was able to wake up was not outside her expectations. Not only had Presley reassured her, but she also believed in her heart that Casey wouldn't want to leave her alone. "Are you thirsty?" Izabella asked.

Casey opened his mouth, his throat so dry he couldn't speak. He could only nod slightly.

Izabella quickly got up and fetched a glass of water. After testing its temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot, she carefully spooned it into Casey's mouth, watching his Adam's apple bob up and down as he slowly swallowed.

Izabella fed him slowly, careful not to make him choke.

Casey finished the entire glass of water, leaving it empty.

"Are you still thirsty?"

Casey shook his head, looking at the red veins in her eyes. He struggled to speak, "Why didn't you go to bed? Is your neck hurting? Are your feet cold?"

"Izabella replied, "I'm not hurting, and I'm not cold. But you can't risk your life like this again."

"What did I do?"

"Like this time, for example. You had just woken up from surgery and you ran all that way to find me."

"I had to. What if you were being bullied while I was gone?" Casey smiled. He had missed out on so much of Izabella's life. When he was still naive, he knew Brett was treating Izabella poorly but couldn't do anything about it.

Izabella had been bullied in the

corners he couldn't see. She was called a waste by her father, tricked into going to a casino by her brother and sold off, beaten by people,

humiliated by strangers. She

had

suffered from depression, lost two children, been tormented by Nathaniel, and ended up dying in a fire after losing both her legs.

The woman he had been guarding in

his heart for so many years had

been bullied time and time again.

Thinking about it hurt him deeply. He couldn't even imagine how the Izabella of his past life had managed to survive until she was 27

So in this life, when he found her, he vowed never to let anyone bully her again.

So when he found out that Izabella was facing the media alone, he fought through the pain to get up, calling her name over and over. No matter how far away she was, he had to find her and stand by her side. Perhaps love is like a canker sore in your mouth. You know it will hurt, but you can't help but poke it with your tongue. Life is sweet, but it can also be salty.

Casey didn't say all of this out loud, but Izabella understood. She took his hand and gently squeezed it. "We agreed that we would get married as soon as you recovered and were discharged from the hospitab We can't postpone it anymore.

"Do you regret leaving the entertainment industry?" Casey asked.

"Not at all. I wanted to leave long ago. I'm not suited for the entertainment industry. Fulfilling Bell's last wish is enough."

Repay those who had hurt Bell, clear her name, and let her be known to all across the country.

Bell had no idea what was going on online, but from her experience, it must be a chaotic mess.

On the 21st, Bell's movie swept all the awards, and she won the Best Actress. But the first thing she announced after receiving the award on stage was her retirement from the entertainment industry.

The industry was in uproar. Soon, the news of Casey's hospitalization leaked out. Then Casey appeared, dispelling the rumors, and announced that Bell was his fiancée.

Almost two years of scandal, now officially confirmed by the parties involved. In one day, with so many twists and turns, the intrigued spectators practically moved into the melon field, with no second-hand gossip.

Retribution was due for those who had wronged Izabella, her reputation needed cleansing and her name was to be known far and wide across the world.

Izabella was oblivious to the happenings on the internet, but given her past experiences, she was certain it was a tumultuous mess.