Can't Win Me Back (Isabella and Nathan)

She stared at Isabella with a probing look. "I heard from your Sis that you've made it big now, become the wife of a rich man?"

Isabella's heart reflexively tightened in her chest. Every nerve in her body seemed to throb in pain, and for a moment, it felt as though her blood had frozen, her vitality evaporating. "How did you get here?" she asked, her voice barely audible, trembling.

"You haven't come to see me in so long," her mother continued, her voice a mixture of complaint and sorrow. "Bella, I've been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I don't have long to live. Before I die, I just wanted to see you. I've called you so many times, but you never answered. I sent you messages, but you didn't reply. Have you forgotten me, now that you've become successful and don't want to acknowledge your good-for-nothing mother?" As she spoke, her mother began to sob uncontrollably.

Isabella stared coldly at the woman who had brought her nothing but misfortune. How dare she come here? When Isabella was so small, her mother had transferred all of her frustrations with Moore's Father onto her.

She had been abusive physically and emotionally. She had treated her as nothing more than an outlet for her anger, beating her and kicking her. She had forbidden her from going to school, forcing her to beg on the streets, and then taking away the money she earned. Just thinking about her mother brought on nightmares. It wasn't that she didn't want to recognize her mother, but she didn't want to acknowledge this cruel woman who was no better than a "human trafficker."

"I'm not a doctor. If you came to me, I can't help you," Isabella said coldly.

"Bella, I'm really going to die soon." Her mother suddenly reached out, grabbing Isabella's hand with a desperate look. "There are some things I want to say to you, just the two of us."

For a moment, Isabella's icy expression softened slightly. She thought to herself that, after all, they were blood relatives. When someone is about to die, they speak kindly. Perhaps she should show some grace and forgive her mother.

"Follow me," Isabella said, her voice flat.

She led her mother to a nearby bar, just outside her home.

"Let's talk here," Isabella said as she took a seat.

Her mother immediately burst into tears. "Bella, you were so young back then. You didn't understand much. Your father cheated on me and forced me to divorce him. I was just a housewife with no means of fighting back. I had to leave with you and start from scratch, facing a life of poverty. I was struggling, and I admit I took my frustrations out on you sometimes."

Isabella ran a hand through her hair, and when her fingers brushed a scar on her forehead, her warmth vanished, replaced by coldness.

"Mother, you weren't just bad-tempered," she said quietly, her voice growing colder with each word. "You beat me until my ribs were broken. You tortured me as if you were trying to destroy my life. You didn't just make my life miserable, you almost ended it."

Her mother became awkward and faltered, her words stuttering. "Bella, now everything is better. You're doing well in life, and that's all I care about. I'm at peace knowing that."

But Isabella could see right through the pretensions. Her mother was using emotion to manipulate her, making her feel guilty for her past grievances, and Isabella found it revolting.

Her patience ran thin. "If you don't have anything important to say, please leave."

She stood up as if to walk away.

Her mother became agitated and grabbed her arm. "Bella, your Sis came to see me. You know, when I divorced your father, I couldn't keep her. That's the greatest regret of my life. Bella, I haven't been a good mother. I'm really sorry about that." Isabella's entire body tensed. When her parents divorced, everyone fought for her Sis's custody, while she, a child, was left abandoned. The feeling of being discarded by her own parents had left a deep scar in her heart.

The sense of rejection from her own family had haunted her. And later, when she met Nathan, any bit of kindness he showed her made her hold onto him like a savior, eager to please him, trying to repay a kindness she'd never received. She looked her mother in the eyes, coldness in her gaze. "If you feel guilty toward her, you should go to her. Whatever you want to make up for, it has nothing to do with me. Why come to me?"

Her mother, eyes filled with emotion, finally revealed her true intentions. "Bella, your Sis is in poor health, and she likes Nathan. You should let her have him."

Isabella froze, shocked by the sudden request.

Isabella smiled, but her smile was filled with sadness and bitterness.

"Have I not given enough already? When I was a child, I wanted to be with my wealthy father, but she chose him first, so I stayed silent. Later, when her kidneys failed, I even gave her one of mine. And now... she wants my husband..." Her gaze turned ice-cold as she looked at her mother. "So, tell me, why must I give everything to her?"

"It's you who owe her, not me," Moore's mother replied, a trace of guilt flashing in her eyes. "She's always been pampered, and without Nathan, she wouldn't survive. Bella, you've suffered enough as a child. Without Nathan, you'd adapt to hardship... so please, just give him to your Sis."

Isabella stared at her mother, her voice trembling, her face as pale as paper. "I'm also your daughter. Why do you think only Victoria deserves happiness, while I must live in the mud for the rest of my life?"

"You're not just Victoria's mother. You're my mother too. How could you do this to me?"

She forced herself to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"You don't deserve to be my mother."

Moore's mother staggered back. "Why are you being so petty? Your Sis's health isn't good. It's only natural that I worry about her."

Isabella felt as though her throat was being ruthlessly constricted. She wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Her eyes burned with fury, and her face turned a terrifying red.

She closed her eyes in despair. She knew this was her old affliction flaring up again. The scars her family left on her weren't just psychological-they had also manifested as severe physical symptoms.

At this moment, she hated her mother, but more than that, she hated Nathan.

Nathan knew full well what would happen when she met her mother, yet he coldly watched as Victoria manipulated her.

How could this man be her husband? She must have been blind.

Suddenly, a hand gently landed on her shoulder, massaging it lightly. A warm, soothing voice whispered in her ear, "Sis, relax."

It felt like a spring rain on a parched desert. The suffocating pressure in her chest eased, and she slowly began to breathe again.

Moore's mother, however, paid no attention to her daughter's suffering. Instead, she scrutinized Theodore, his noble appearance catching her eye, her gaze filled with curiosity.

"Bella, who is this...?"

Isabella saw the greedy glint in her mother's eyes and rushed to explain, "He's just a friend."

But Moore's mother's eyes quickly moved from his elegant clothing to the luxurious watch on his wrist. Her gaze was now calculating. "Bella, when did you start hanging out with such a rich young man? Your friend seems to be doing quite well. Do you think you could borrow some money from him? I need a large sum for my medical expenses."

Isabella's face turned purple with fury.

Her mother had never taken on the responsibilities of a mother. Now, she was shamelessly exploiting her without boundaries.

This behavior of only seeking attention and affection when needed, but ignoring her when not, strikes her as utterly ridiculous.