Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 37

Tears streamed down Izabella's face as she lifted her head, her once radiant eyes now filled with despair. Brett seemed to peer into her eyes, seeing the darkness that had consumed her heart. Despite the pain in her stomach, Izabella had grown accustomed to it. Through tear-streaked eyes, she spoke, "Brett, my family is gone. I have repaid my obligation to you..."

"Repaid?" Brett coldly interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. His narrowed eyes emitted a chilling glare. "Izabella, the debt you owe me can never be repaid. Do not deceive yourself by placing blame on me for your father's death. Your father is gone, but your brother is still alive. If you don't want him to suffer the same fate, it would be wise to control your thoughts. You know well what I am capable of."

Since Izabella had already concluded that he was extremely cruel, he might as well show her his cruelty. Otherwise, he really wouldn't be doing justice to her words.

Brett stood in front of her. He was tall, his back against the light, and his face was particularly gloomy.

"Are you using Lucas to threaten me?"

"It's not a threat, I do anything based on my mood. If you make me happy, I'll let him off. If I'm not happy, his death will be worse than your father's."

Saying this, Brett laughed. Like a bloodthirsty demon, he slowly approached Izabella and coaxed, "Izabella, you can let go and stop caring. What's the difference between the remaining relatives and enemies now? Have they ever taken care of you until now? I can be sure that if it were you who were in danger, they would definitely not waste their time on you."

Izabella was a fool, barely taking care of herself yet worrying about others. Who would care for her if not herself? If she can't break these ties, then she deserves to be his tool.

Izabella clenched her fists, her fingertips digging into her palms. She was trying to contain the rage in her chest. She, a woman, couldn't fight or outtalk Brett.

Brett indeed saw things more clearly and spoke truthfully, but could she really ignore it?

Every time she thought about ignoring it, the words Alan had said before his death kept replaying in her mind, buzzing in her ears.

She was dying and wouldn't live more than two years. In exchange, Lucas could have decades. Looking at it from this perspective, it was worth it.

Brett carefully observed every subtle change in Izabella's demeanor. Her silence confirmed that she had reached a decision.

The words he had just spoken were genuine advice, meant to guide her. Ultimately, it was her own hesitations and uncertainties that she needed to confront. She had no one else to blame.

In this lifetime, Izabella would never be able to escape from Brett's side. Even if she attempted to fly away, she would remain tethered to him by an invisible string, akin to a kite. That string resided firmly in Brett's hands, and with a gentle tug, she would inevitably return to his side.

Brett brought the cup he held to Izabella's lips. Observing her obediently open her mouth to drink, he smiled with a sense of gratification. "Izabella, as long as you behave, everything will be fine." His patience had its limits, and he couldn't bear her constant talk of divorce.

Izabella closed her eyes.

Suddenly, with a bang, the bedroom door was pushed open. The person hadn't entered yet, but the voice came first.

"Izabella."

Brett stood by the bed, completely shielding Izabella. "She's already asleep."

Presley spoke straight to the point: "I want to take Izabella back to my house." Brett was too dangerous, and Izabella would eventually be tortured into misery. He couldn't stand by and do nothing. Brett found it amusing and sneered, "Dr. Felton, haven't you forgotten that Izabella is my wife? What right do you have to take her away?"

"Brett, do you deserve to say these words? Izabella will divorce you!"

Such a firm attitude suggested that Izabella had spoken a lot to Presley about wanting to divorce him. The thought of Izabella being intimate with another man in places he couldn't see made Brett burn with rage.

"Is that so?" Brett chuckled, "But she just said she won't divorce me, she will listen to me obediently, and be my wife."

Brett was good at concealing his emotions, his heart full of rage but his face calm, revealing none of the vile thoughts in his heart.

Presley immediately retorted, "Impossible, Brett, haven't you hurt Izabella enough? How could she possibly want to stay with you?"

Brett's voice dripped with scorn. "Perhaps she enjoys pain," he sneered.

Presley's body tensed up. He had always known Brett treated Izabella harshly, but he never expected Brett to openly insult her in his presence.

Unable to contain his anger, Presley erupted, "You bastard!" He raised his fist, intending to charge at Brett.

Brett's gaze turned frigid as he swiftly evaded Presley's punch. Seizing Presley's collar with one hand, he forcefully flung him to the ground. Presley groaned in pain upon impact, attempting to fight back, but he was quickly overpowered by Brett, who delivered a punch to his face.

Presley couldn't beat Brett. He was just a doctor, while Brett was a former kickboxing champion. Sometimes talent was indeed troublesome.

Presley felt dizzy from the beating. He tasted blood in his mouth, and though he was severely bruised and the wounds were painful, he didn't abandon the idea of taking Izabella away.

"Could you guys fight elsewhere?" Izabella was the first to break the silence.

Brett's hand still grasped Presley's throat, his raised fist hanging in mid-air. Hearing Izabella's weak voice, he turned to look at Izabella, his expression a blend of amusement and mockery. "Why? Are you sympathizing with him?"

Brett's expression was indifferent, and it was impossible to tell whether he was angry or not, but the words he said were as harsh as always.

"Izabella, come back with me, you will die if this goes on!" Presley, being held down, couldn't help but roar.

Brett's grip on Presley's throat tightened, and as he watched Presley's face turn red, he let out a sinister laugh. "Even if I 'play' her to death, it's not your place to comment. Izabella is my wife, and all you can d is watch!"

His words were not only directed at Presley but also intended for Izabella to hear. He wanted her to comprehend that even in death, she could not escape his control.

"Brett, you monster... Ah!"

Presley's scream filled the room, the sound of agony echoing through the air. In a shocking display of brutality, Brett effortlessly snapped one of Presley's hands with a single hand.

The turn of events left everyone stunned. Izabella sat on the bed, frozen in place, her heart seemingly seized by an invisible force, rendering her unable to breathe. Presley, a skilled surgeon whose hands had saved countless lives, now suffered a twisted and broken hand because of her, courtesy of Brett's ruthless actions. Izabella suddenly felt very cold, not only her body, but her whole heart seemed to have a crack, letting in a chilly wind.

Brett had misunderstood her relationship with Presley. The more she cared about Presley now, the angrier Brett would get. So, she could not show any concern.

Izabella clung to the bedsheet tightly, her voice trembled as she tried to maintain calm, "Brett, let Presley go, let me explain things to him."

She looked down at Presley, who was lying on the ground in pain, and feigned indifference. "Presley, I won't divorce Brett. I love him, even if it means being cheap. Don't try to persuade me anymore and don't bring up divorce again, it's affecting my relationship with him."

"Izabella, do you know what you're saying? Did Brett threaten you?" Presley couldn't believe it.

"No one is threatening me, I just want to stay by his side. Please leave and stop meddling in my life." She didn't want to see Presley get hurt for her anymore. She only had two years to live anyway. If Brett wanted to torment her, so be it.

"If you had said this earlier, wouldn't things have been resolved?" Brett was satisfied with what Izabella had said. He chuckled, leaned closer to Presley, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Izabella isn't someone you can covet."

He released Presley and stood up, kicking him forcefully into a corner.

"Presley..." Izabella hadn't expected Brett to hurt Presley even after she'd said what he wanted to hear.

Her voice gradually faded in the face of Brett's murderous expression.

Brett came to Izabella's bedside, looked at the IV fluid that was almost empty, grasped her cold, trembling hand, and was about to pull out the needle when Izabella recoiled as if she had been electrocuted. The needle skewed, causing blood to ooze out and stain it.

Brett's expression grew stern as he tightly grasped her attempting to evade wrist. Swiftly, he removed the dislodged needle, causing a surge of blood to gush forth from the vein, an alarming sight. Nonchalantly he retrieved a piece of paper and pressed it against the wound, applying pressure until the bleeding subsided before releasing his grip.

Observing the swollen bump on her hand, Brett remarked, "We should switch hospitals."

Having heard this, he proceeded to lift Izabella in his arms.

What more could Izabella say? Any resistance she showed was perceived by Brett as disobedience. She pressed her lips together, controlled her breathing, and endured the tumultuous emotions welling up within her chest.

Presley was in too much pain to stand up, he could only watch as Brett took Izabella away.

As soon as they left the hospital, Brett's face immediately sank, even the fake smile on his face disappeared: "You're not allowed to see Presley alone in the future. As for those men who have ulterior motives towards you, you should stay away from them. If I find out that you have an illicit relationship with him, it won't be as simple as breaking one of his hands."

"Brett, can you not be so disgusting!" He suspected her and Presley of having an affair, why didn't he think about his own thing with Kaley?

Brett was so angry that he laughed, Izabella probably didn't know the way Presley looked at her, that focused look was definitely not something a normal friend should have.

"Once you get better, I'll let you experience what real disgust is!"

Izabella felt his deep malice, her body stiffened in Brett's arms, she changed the subject "Where's my dad?"

"Do you want to see him?"

"I want to choose my dad's grave myself."

"Alright." As long as Izabella obeyed him, he would do anything she asked.

Brett took Izabella to another clinic, the doctor saw Izabella's condition and asked, "Do you want to do a full body check?"

Brett felt it was a hassle. "No need, we've already done it at the Light of Hope Hospital. She's having gastric bleeding, just prescribe the medicine accordingly."

The Light of Hope Hospital held a prominent reputation in R City, so Izabella's transfer there indicated that her condition wasn't severe. The doctor didn't give it much thought and prepared a ward for her as instructed by Brett, prescribing stomach medicine to address her symptoms.

Choosing a grave adjacent to her mother's, Izabella felt a deep connection to Alan's affection for his mother, as he cherished her greatly throughout his life.

Due to the urgency, Alan's funeral was not delayed, and he was swiftly laid to rest. Given Izabella's weakened state, she didn't immediately rush to visit the gravesite. It wasn't until she regained enough strength to stand and walk that she requested Brett to accompany her to the cemetery.

While other regions were transitioning into summer, R City experienced lingering cold weather, with intermittent light rain in recent days.

They had thought the weather would clear up today, but unexpectedly, it started to rain again halfway through their journey. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, the wind was constantly howling outside, the raindrops hitting the car made a loud noise as if they were about to shatter the glass.

By the time they reached the cemetery, the rain had slightly decreased. The driver got out of the car first, holding an umbrella, he came to the back seat, opened the car door and held the umbrella over Brett.

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