Twisted Ties of Love

"Really?" Kaley asked cautiously.

It took Brett a while to let out a "yeah."

He then said, "I'll be staying in the hospital to look after Izabella these days. You can go back with Trista to pack your stuff and move out. When Izabella comes home, she probably won't be too keen on seeing you. Since Trista is your people, I trust that she will take care of you."

Brett's response destroyed the hope that had just risen in Kaley's heart, leaving her in utter disbelief. She wanted to say something but found herself unable to speak as she watched Brett walk away coldly. There were many answers that she didn't need to ask to know. Brett had promised to marry her and take care of her, but he had never said he loved her.

As for who Brett truly loved, perhaps even he didn't know.

It was the first time that Brett had lost his temper at Kaley, and it was for Izabella's sake.

Kaley wanted to ask what he saw her as, but she dared not utter a word. Some things, once they were spoken out loud, would only bring humiliation upon oneself.

Brett left the ward without looking back, his hand lightly touching the doorknob. With a seemingly effortless action, he closed the door with a loud bang.

The moment he stepped out, he seemed to hear the sound of a Kelay's crying coming from inside the room.

He ignored it and went straight to Izabella's room. Instead of opening the door directly, he knocked softly to see if it was convenient to enter.

It took a while for the nurse inside to open the door. She looked at him first with surprise, then with indifference, and finally lowered her head to not show her expression. "How is she?"

"Still sleeping."

"When will she wake up?" Brett asked bluntly.

"We are not sure. Whenever she's done sleeping." The nurse's reply was perfunctory. She glanced at the empty corridor outside and said, "If you have nothing better to do, just leave. She's fine with me taking care of her."

Though she didn't change her facial expression, her tone carried a hint of disdain. Brett didn't get angry. He just looked at Izabella lying in bed.

He couldn't see her face, only her hand exposed outside the blanket. Her slender, pale wrists were covered in wounds, the yellow ointment making the injuries look even more grotesque.

The previous scene replayed in his mind, including the doctor's harsh words.

It was he who had triggered Izabella, causing her to become like this. She didn't want to see him.

Feeling dejected, Brett sat down in a chair in the hallway. It was so quiet at the end of the hallway that loneliness had nowhere to hide.

He sighed and took out his cellphone to pass the time, sending a message to Liam to check the surveillance videos at Quiet Forest Estates.

It took Liam much longer than usual to reply. Brett had to wait for nearly ten minutes before he received a response.

With his head leaning against the cold wall, he closed his eyes as if to take a nap, but in reality, he was listening for any sound in Izabella's room.

It was eerily silent inside. Until late into the night, the distressing cries he feared didn't happen.

Instead, Kaley came out. She had been crying for a long time, her eyes swollen and looking exhausted. Trista stood by her side, holding her arm. Knowing that the two had a conflict, she didn't say anything bu silently supported Kaley.

Kaley was surprised to see Brett, and for a moment, she thought he was waiting for her. But when she realized that the closest room to him was Izabella's, not hers, she understood.

Disappointment was inevitable, but at this point, there was no extra emotion, not even anger.

When she reached Brett, she paused for a second, "Brett, I'm leaving now."

Brett glanced at her and simply responded with, "Hmm."

Such an indifferent reply felt as if he was talking to a stranger.