Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 253

Izabella was sitting in the waiting area, spacing out as she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. For the first time, she felt alone and helpless. When someone called her name, Izabella went over to get her gastroscopy report. It looked pretty normal to her.

"If you don't understand, ask your doctor."

Izabella said "thanks" and went to her doctor with the gastroscopy report, asking him to help her check her stomach condition.

While waiting, she was unavoidably scared, fearing that she might have caught some incurable disease by accident.

The doctor looked through the report carefully, "All the indicators are fairly normal, but your stomach..." he paused for a moment. Izabella's heart immediately jumped, "What's wrong with my stomach?"

Her biggest concern was her stomach, as it hurt like hell every day.

"You have stomach ulcer, have you ever vomited blood? Apart from that, you have a history of gastrointestinal bleeding."

"I know," Izabella asked, "So apart from these, there are no other major problems, right?"

The doctor's expression became serious, "Well, these are not small issues. If you don't get them treated, they could develop into stomach cancer." Upon hearing the words "stomach cancer," Izabella's fingertips couldn't help but shrink. That strong sense of déjà vu was haunting her again.

"As for your brain, you've been diagnosed with neurasthenia. Don't be too nervous, just get some rest."

Izabella nodded, taking the medical report. The doctor saw her standing there, not leaving. After hesitating, he carefully asked, "Do you want me to prescribe some medicine for you?" Izabella came back to her senses, "No need, I have some at home." With more medication, she might as well not eat at all.

The doctor gave her some precautions and told her not to think too much before she left the room with her report.

Unbeknownst to her, the doctor wiped cold sweat from his face with a tissue after she left.

Izabella didn't go home right away. She sat in the hospital corridor, staring at the report in her hand while Janet's words kept replaying in her head. She felt extremely uneasy, and her stomach started to hurt again.

Izabella folded the report and put it in her bag. Looking up at the sign, her scattered gaze finally stopped at the 'Gynecology and Obstetrics' section. Her phone, which was in her bag, rang at that moment. She found the phone and quickly answered when she saw it was Brett calling.

"Hello?"

"Honey, I heard from Tiara that you went out without eating lunch?"

Izabella simply replied with a "yeah."

Brett asked again on the phone, "Where are you? Have you had breakfast yet?"

Since Izabella had already completed her medical checkup, she didn't plan to hide it from Brett. As soon as he asked, she told him, "I'm at the hospital."

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"Nothing, just doing a check-up."

Brett let out a sigh of relief, "If you're not feeling well, you can call our family doctor, Stevenson."

"I know."

"Have you eaten yet?"

Izabella immediately replied, "I'm going to eat right now."

She went to get breakfast after hanging up the call. There were quite a few early-morning restaurants around the hospital. Izabella chose a oatmeal place, ate half a bowl, then glanced at the hospital and checked her phone. It was only 10 AM. For some reason, she went back inside and registered at the Gynecology and Obstetrics department. And she decided to get an ovulation shot.

Ovulation shots had many side effects, such as abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, etc., but no major harm. They mainly increased the chances of pregnancy.

Izabella took a car back to the villa. As soon as she got home, she locked herself in the bathroom and vomited. She threw up all the porridge she'd eaten in the morning, thinking it was all her own fault. Izabella didn't understand why she was acting this way, as if her body was being driven by some force. She had taken an ovulation shot subconsciously and checked her head and stomach. All of this stemmed from the words of a seemingly insignificant woman, as if she was trying to prove something.

Izabella opened the second drawer of her bedside table, and fell into deep thought as she looked at the items inside. Brett had said that they couldn't have children because of him, but he always took contraceptive measures.

Although she found it strange, Izabella didn't ask any further, in case she unwittingly hurt his self-esteem.

Izabella borrowed a needle from Tiara, sensing that Brett was keeping something from her. Since he wouldn't tell her, she decided to find out the truth by herself, believing that she would eventually find the answer she wanted.

At four in the afternoon, Brett sent her a text message saying that he would be working late, and she didn't need to prepare dinner for him.

Izabella replied with a simple "OK."

With Brett not at home, Izabella had no mood to go out for a walk after dinner. After sitting on the couch for a while to digest her food, she went back to the bedroom to wash up.

She lay in bed waiting until she heard the sound of car engine coming from outside at 9 PM.

The room was soundproof, so as soon as the door was closed, no noise from downstairs could be heard.

Izabella opened the door and went downstairs. Brett had already entered the house. He was lying on the couch, his face looked exhausted, and his eyes were red.

"Why are you so busy lately?" Izabella walked over to see a half-smoked cigarette in his hand. As soon as Brett saw her coming, he immediately put out the cigarette and waved the smoke away.

"I'll be fine after this busy period. Wait until next week, and I'll take you out to relax. We can go wherever you want."

"You can make some plans." Izabella handed him a cup of warm water, "Have you eaten?"

Brett sat up straight, "I've eaten." After taking a few sips of water, he placed the cup on the coffee table.

He looked up at her and then patted his thigh, gesturing her to sit on his lap.

The living room was brightly lit, and Brett only wore a simple dress shirt. Usually, he would dress meticulously, buttoning his shirt all the way to the top and putting on a tie.

This sense of restraint had become a habit, as well as a way for him to maintain a constant state of alertness, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Now, however, his tie had disappeared, three buttons on his shirt had been undone, revealing his collarbone and faintly exposing his chest.

This more laid-back and casual Brett seemed more enticing and different from his usual serious and inhibited demeanor.

With practiced ease, Izabella hooked her arm around his neck and sat on his lap. Brett enjoyed her closeness, he often asked her to lean on him, sit on his lap and let him hold her.

Brett wrapped his arms around her slender waist and rested his chin on her neck, a natural and affectionate move. Izabella ran her fingers through his hair, and as she breathed with him, she could smell the faint scent of alcohol on him.

"You've been drinking?"

"Yep." Brett's voice was a bit husky, and he knew Izabella didn't like him drinking or smoking, but now she'd not only caught him smoking but could also smell the alcohol on him.

"Sorry, I had a drink." His voice was lazy and magnetic, flowing like an electric current into Izabella's ears.

"Didn't you say you were working late?" Izabella questioned.

"Yep, had to go schmoozing for some contracts." Climbing the business ladder in J City wasn't easy, with most of it dominated by Patrick and some under Nathaniel's control. Back in R City, people lined up to work with him, but now, every step took all his energy and he couldn't afford to slack off.

Izabella leaned on Brett's chest, feeling his heartbeat and the sound of his breathing. "How did the contract talks go?"

"It's all good."

"Is this what you've been busy with lately?"

"Yep, not done yet."

Feeling his exhaustion and weariness up close, she felt sorry for him and hated that she couldn't help.

"Did you get the medical report back?"

"Yep, it's in the bedroom."

"I'll take a look later."

Compared to his smell of smoke and alcohol, Izabella's scent was a gentle fragrance, something like gardenia.

He was addicted to her scent, holding her as they went upstairs to the bedroom.

Izabella showed him the report from the tests she'd done that day.

Brett skimmed it quickly, his face relaxing as he said, "No biggie. Apart from these two things, you didn't get checked for anything else?" "Nope, the doctor said I am fine, but I have to take my meds on time." Mention of taking meds caused Izabella to make a bitter face.

"Then listen to the doctor."

Izabella thought about the ovulation shot this morning, and as it was her fertile period, she didn't want to miss any chance to find the truth.

Once Brett went into the bathroom, she took off her clothes and wrapped herself in the blanket.

He had no idea what was on her mind, and when he came out, he saw Izabella lying down with her back to him, thinking she was tired and wanted to sleep. But then she suddenly rolled over into his arms, and as he instinctively put his hand under the blanket to hug her, his body went stiff.

"Bella?"

Izabella seemed a bit shy, half her face was buried in the blanket. She'd never been so forward before.

Seeing Brett's shock, she smiled, quickly stretched her neck and gave him a peck on the lips.

This was the first time Izabella saw Brett like this, his eyes filled with anticipation, neck veins bulging, and his brows tinted with a light shadow. As he breathed, his lovely eyelashes trembled.

She lay sweaty and exhausted in Brett's arms, unwilling to let go even though she could barely breathe from the heat.

That night, she had a vivid nightmare - the worst she'd ever experienced. She dreamt she was alone in a clinic, receiving stacks of medical reports, and the doctor told her clearly, "You're dying." The papers read in bold letters - terminal stomach cancer.

Upon waking up, her face was damp with tears, and her heart ached as if pierced by a sharp blade.

For a moment, she felt her strength drained from her body, leaving her weak and anxious. Her head began to ache, and she felt an urge to jump out the window, thinking she might see the man from her dream

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