Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Chapter 170 Far From Happy Ending

Bella glanced at the line of patients waiting outside and said impatiently, "If you've got something to say, make it quick. This is a place for treating patients. If you're not sick, your shouldn't be here." Simon lowered his head slightly. "Alice is gone. You're my only daughter now...

Bella froze, tempted to ask for details but stopped herself. "Oh? So, your daughter died, and now, you somehow think it's my responsibility?

Simon shook his head. "That's not what I mean, I just thought you should know. Her mother donated her kidney, but the transplant didn't go well. The kidney wasn't in great condition, and the rejection was severe... She couldn't pull through." Bella said nothing. In the end, it felt like he was still blaming her, wasn't he?

All because she hadn't agreed to donate her kidney back then. And now, he'd come to her after Alice's death. What good could possibly come of this?

Seeing her cold expression, Simon's eyes started to well up with tears. "I know I've let you and your mother down in so many ways. The only thing I want now is to make it up to you. I don't expect you to acknowledge me as your father... Just let me do something for you...

Bella frowned, her voice icy. "Repeating the same thing over and over doesn't make it any less meaningless. You have no right to mention my mother. If you're not here for treatment, leave. Can't you see all the people waiting behind you?"

Simon stood up, gave her one last, lingering look, and left a piece of paper with his phone number on it before walking out.

Time had clearly taken its toll on him. Losing his daughter had aged him, leaving him looking worn and defeated.

Watching him appear so pitiful in front of her felt like a blatant attempt to gain her sympathy.

And although Bella felt a slight pang of pity, she clenched her fist so tightly that her nails left marks on her skin. She stopped herself from softening.

Simon didn't deserve an ounce of her compassion. And yet, he still dared to show up, getting

in her way over and over.

Every time Bella closed her eyes, she was haunted by the image of Dorothy, skeletal and unrecognizable in her final days. Late realizations and half-hearted gestures of responsibility felt utterly pointless now.

She glanced briefly at the piece of paper Simon had left, then tossed it into the trash. She had blocked several of his numbers already. This was just another one she had no intention of keeping.

Chapter 170 For From Happy Ending

By lunchtime, she was too tired to go out, so she ordered some takeout instead.

As she started eating, she ran into lan, who sat down across from her. "Takeout again? If

you're going to eat, at least get something decent. All you have is vegetables. What are you, at rabbit?"

Bella replied casually, "Can't a girl go on a diet? By the way... did you see the news?"

lan's expression froze for a moment. "What news?"

Bella noticed his reaction and found it a bit strange. "The news about Amber getting married."

He relaxed almost instantly. "Oh, that... Yeah, I saw it. Not surprising. Do you have any thoughts about it?"

Bella shook her head. "Not really. If I said I felt sorry for her, you'd probably just think I'm being a hypocrite."

lan laughed. "Heh... Nothing to feel sorry about If she had stuck to their agreement and left Dominic alone after they broke up, none of this would've happened. You know Dominic almost died because of her. Saving him at the last minute, risking everything-that was the least she could do.

"Adults have to be accountable for their actions. Thinking about it that way, maybe you don't need to feel any sympathy for her at all." lan was good at "reframing" things, and he summed up the situation well. But in the end, was still a far cry from a happy ending. That afternoon, when Bella got home from work, she happened to walk by Dominic's room and overheard him on the phone. She wouldn't have paused, except she caught the name "Amber" and found herself stopping in her tracks, almost against her will.