Twisted Ties of Love

Izabella curled up under the blanket, her eyes irritated by the pungent smell of medicine.

Brett didn't know what to say. After applying the medicine, he got up and went into the bathroom to get his pajamas.

As soon as the sound of water started in the bathroom, Izabella struggled to get up and grabbed some medicine from the drawer. She didn't bother to drink water and just swallowed the medicine dry. Brett finished washing quickly, in less than ten minutes. He went straight to the bed and hugged Izabella into his arms.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable to be embraced this forcefully, Izabella shifted a little and finally said impatiently, "Can't you sleep in another room?"

"Where should I sleep?"

Izabella looked exhausted. "There are so many rooms, if you can't find any, go sleep in Kaley's room. You slept pretty well there the night before, didn't you?" "When did I ever sleep in her room?"

Izabella's body stiffened slightly. Hadn't Brett slept with Kaley? Then, what was the meaning of the injuries on Kaley's neck she saw yesterday and what she said? Izabella didn't really believe Brett but also felt that he had no reason to lie to her.

Even if they didn't sleep together the night before, they'd known each other for so long and had done everything they should. There was essentially no difference. Izabella's expression turned cold rapidly, eventually choosing to remain silent.

"Kaley and I aren't as disgraceful as you think."

Izabella sneered, "What am I thinking, then?"

Instead of getting angry, Brett found her aggressiveness amusing.

"Jealous?"

Silence was a form of acquiescence. The longer Izabella stayed silent, the more Brett confirmed his guess.

Brett let out a soft laugh, holding Izabella tighter, and whispered intimately in her ear, "I've never had a relationship or shared a room with Kaley. Are you satisfied now?" How could it be possible that nothing had happened between Brett and Kaley after so many years of being close, even when they were acting so lovey-dovey in front of her? "What does it have to do with me whether you have had a relationship with her?" Izabella turned her face away and tried to escape the warmth of his breath. "Don't you feel touched at all?"

Izabella suddenly laughed, her charming beauty looking even more enchanting with her laughter. But her eyes in the dark seemed cold and sinister, as if carrying needles of poison. "Not touched. I have a good memory. I can't forget that all my injuries are caused by you just because you gave me some sweet talk."

His tenderness was a luxury to Izabella, something she had longed for but never received.

And now, she no longer needed it.

Brett never thought that, even with his low posture, Izabella would still be so ungrateful.

For the first time, he felt strange towards this Izabella in his arms, as if he had never known her.

Wasn't she the old Izabella who shamelessly chased after him and laughed every time she saw him? The Izabella who compromised and sought for his recognition?

Brett recalled a news report about Izabella when she was younger. In the video, she faced reporters' tricky and relentless questions with a tough attitude, cleverly deflecting them and not giving the cunning reporters any opportunity to exploit her.

In her actions, Izabella didn't seem like a 23-year-old at all, she was calm and collected, sometimes even cunning like a fox when it came to work and socializing.

That was the initial Izabella. Only, she had given all her softness to him alone, and he never cared, so he didn't even know when her attitude towards him had changed.

Brett couldn't bear to think about it. Even the mere thought made his heart ache terribly.

Suddenly, Brett reached out towards her face, but before his hand touched her, Izabella clenched her eyes shut, her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably, and her lips were shivering.

It was a subconscious reaction, seeing Brett's hand approaching her face, she thought he was going to hit her.

Pulling her face, Brett's heart ached even more. "You're like a timid rabbit, yet you keep saying things to provoke me. Do you think you're asking for a beating? Can't you learn your lesson after all your injuries?"

People are afraid of pain; they can't always remember. Izabella looked up, her eyes still cold. This side of Izabella made Brett feel powerless.

She was like a hedgehog, tough and unyielding, not minding being beaten or receiving sweet words. She had become indifferent to everything, like being immune to salt and oil.

The two remained in a standoff for a while, and finally, Brett covered her eyes and said, "Go to sleep."

Brett didn't want to say any more to her, fearing that it would upset her enough to make her injury bleed again.

"Since we're not divorced, you're still my wife."