Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 79

"Do you wanna go?" Brett asked.

"Yeah." Izabella widened her eyes, and looked at Brett seriously. She didn't say anything sweet, but her eyes had already begun to plead.

Being stared at like this, no man could stand it. Brett put down his phone and said, "You behave and take your medicine these days, then I'll let you go."

"Are you for real this time?" Izabella was scared to be fooled by Brett, so she always asked for confirmation.

Brett poked her on the forehead and said, "Seriously, I won't trick you this time."

Izabella didn't know what Brett was thinking. One moment he wouldn't let her go out, and the next moment he agreed to it. She was nervous and felt that Brett's unpredictable temperament unsettling. "It's late, let's go to sleep."

Brett got into bed and turned off the lights, his arm habitually wrapped around Izabella. He agreed to let Izabella go to the orphanage not out of pity, but because he thought she could get more used to kids now, making it less difficult for her to get pregnant later.

In a blink of an eye, two days passed, and the stuffed toys Izabella bought online for the orphanage had arrived. The dean signed the delivery and called her to express his gratitude and reminded her of the banquet time on Wednesday.

"Alright, I'll be there... I know the address..."

After hanging up the phone, Izabella got up and drank the medicine on her bedside table. It was so bitter that she couldn't get rid of the bitterness even after rinsing her mouth.

Although it was hard to drink, it did work. Her lower abdomen didn't hurt anymore, and she felt warmer at night than usual.

"Ms. Salotti, I've cleared the bowl, and lunch will be ready soon. Do you want to eat downstairs or have it sent up?"

"Send it up like usual."

She had been staying at home these two days and hadn't gone out. Kaley hadn't come looking for her either, and the two of them didn't see each other more than three times a day.

After Trista left the bedroom, Izabella found a book from the bookshelf and sat on the balcony looking at the small courtyard beneath her. Trista, who had just gone downstairs, was chatting and laughing with Kaley.

Izabella squinted her eyes. Although Trista had been acting by the rules these days and hadn't done anything suspicious, Izabella still felt something was off.

In fact, it could be seen from the way she addressed her. Trista called her "Ms. Salotti" as soon as she entered the door, while Dr. James respectfully called her "Mrs. Windham" the first time they met two days ago.

Izabella quickly sorted out her thoughts and came to the conclusion that it was Kaley's plot.

Izabella closed the book and waited for half an hour before Trista brought lunch.

The next morning, after breakfast, Izabella drove to Happy Nest Orphanage. Although the orphanage wasn't large, it was well-decorated and well-supplied due to her support over the years.

The dean knew that Izabella would come today, so he arranged for the kids to decorate the orphanage early. It was an ordinary day, but it was decorated like Christmas.

Izabella parked the car at the entrance and followed the dean inside. As they walked, he enthusiastically introduced the place and took her to the hall to see the neatly lined-up children.

The children ranged from the age of two or three to fifteen years old. When they saw her, they shouted "Izabella" in unison.

Izabella felt sad in her heart. How could the parents of so many lovely children throw them away?

Not all children were lively. Some were just abandoned and sent to the orphanage and stood timidly in the corner.

Izabella wasn't very experienced in interacting with children and didn't know what to do. She followed the dean's lead.

"The children are grateful for the toys you sent them, and they also have gifts for you," the dean said.

He clapped his hands and said to the children, "Come on, my darlings, give Izabella the gifts you've prepared."

The group of children quickly brought out the gifts they had prepared in their rooms. They still lined up neatly and shyly presented the gifts to Izabella.

"Happy 24th birthday, Izabella."

Izabella froze in her seat. She thought that the dean invited her to the orphanage every year on May 21st was just a coincidence, but it turned out they remembered her birthday. Izabella's eyes filled with tears.

She reached out to accept the gift and gently touched the little girl's head, saying, "Thank you."

In total, she received 50 gifts, all handmade by the children. Among them, there were folded stars, origami cranes, drawings, stickers, and bracelets. The thought behind these gifts was more valuable than any gift she had ever received and made her happier.

Later, the dean brought out the birthday cake. Izabella, who had stomach cancer, couldn't drink milk or eat cream, so she only had a little before handing it to the kids.

"I'm going to the restroom for a bit. You guys go ahead and eat. Don't worry about me," Izabella told the dean who was cutting the cake.

The dean handed a slice of cake to a child and turned to Izabella, "Wait a moment, Ms. Salotti. I'll take you there."

"No need. I can go by myself." She grabbed her bag from the chair and left the hall.

Deep down, Izabella was a lonely person, and she was used to her solitude. When she was in a crowded place, she felt that even the air was thin. She couldn't fit in and just wanted to find a quiet corner to stay.

This was the first time someone celebrated her birthday with her, with so many people at present. Though she was touched, she still felt uneasy.

Using the restroom was just an excuse. She wandered around the orphanage and found a wisteria-covered area. The branches and leaves on the-tree shaded the place.

As Izabella approached, she noticed someone sitting on a wooden chair nearby.

Just as she was about to leave, the man suddenly stood up and looked at her.

Izabella froze for a moment, not because of anything other than the man's remarkable appearance, as handsome as Brett.

The guy looked about 27 or 28 years old, tall and slender, wearing slightly faded jeans and a white t-shirt. He was hands me with delicate features, a clean and firm chin, and a pair of eyes that were attractive part - clean, clear, like an innocent child, impossible to look away from.

Izabella had never met such a refined and neat man before, and her face suddenly flushed with shyness. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was here. I didn't mean to disturb you."

She turned to leave, but the man behind her stopped her. "You're not disturbing me. You can come and sit with me."

So Izabella found herself suddenly stopped by a stranger who even invited her to sit down with him.

She carefully looked at the man, feeling like there was something familiar about him. Maybe it was because he was naturally attractive, and people couldn't help but want to get closer.

Neither of them spoke, and the surrounding area was quiet, but it wasn't awkward---the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Izabella sat at the other end of the wooden bench, feeling the breeze on her cheeks, listening to the cicadas. She glanced at the man from the corner of her eye, becoming more and more daring as her glances turned to stares.

The man had his head lowered, his eyelashes were long and thick, his brown eyes were slightly upturned, creating a natural, smiling expression.

Seemingly feeling her heated gaze, the man turned his head to meet Izabella's eyes.

Caught staring, Izabella was embarrassed, unsure where to look.

The man grinned, revealing two slightly protruding teeth, his smiledazzling like sunshine, so radiant, and warm that people couldn't help but want to get closer. Suddenly, Izabella had a strong sense of unease. The man's smile was nice, but there was an innocence to it, like a child, even a bit foolish.

"Are you a volunteer here? Why are you here alone? Aren't you going to eat?" she asked.

The man shook his head. "I have some food. Do you want some?"

With that, he opened a plastic bag and took out a few cookies. He handed half of them to Izabella. "Here, eat."

Having no previous interaction, Izabella certainly wouldn't accept his food. "I'm not hungry, you can have it."

The man frowned in displeasure, gripping Izabella's wrist tightly and forcing the cookies into her hand.

Izabella was startled but fortunately, the man didn't hold her for too long. She looked at the slightly crushed cookies in her hand, unsure whether to laugh or be angry.

As she looked back, the man withdrew his hands and his bright eyes curved into a smile, revealing an innocent, child-like expression.

Izabella couldn't shake her nagging feeling. "You..."

The man waited for her to speak, his gaze deep and pupils black, seeming very obedient.

"Actually, I just had some cake inside. There's still a lot inside if you want to go and eat," Izabella said, gripping the cookies.

The man shook his head and asked a strange question, "Have you ever had cookies before?"

Izabella shook her head. "No."

"Then have mine. Eat them," the man insisted, giving her all of his cookies.

Izabella nodded her head and couldn't help but laugh out loud. This was the first time someone had been so insistent on her eating a cookie.

A warm feeling slowly rose in her heart, spreading through her veins, even warming her usually cold fingertips.

It was the first time a person had given her all their cookies when discovering she had never eaten them before.

Just as Izabella was about to take a bite, a voice called out to her from a distance.

"Ms. Salotti, why are you here and not inside?"

She looked at the approaching director and explained, "I couldn't resist the beautiful scenery."

"You could have asked us to accompany you. Today is your birthday, after all." When the director noticed the man sitting next to Izabella, she asked, "Ryker Dempsey, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you all morning. It's time to eat."

The man didn't answer.

However, Izabella reacted with curiosity, asking, "His name is Ryker? Is he a volunteer here?"

"No, Ryker was sent here fifteen years ago when he was just a child. He..." The director pointed to her head, "had a head injury when he arrived, so he's a bit slow, not very smart. He's been living in the orphanage ever since."

In a nicer way, he had limited mental capacity.

"Does he not remember anything?"

most

"If he could remember, he wouldn't still be here. For more than a decade, we have tried getting the police to help find out about his background, but he's like a blank slate, nothing ever comes up." The director walked over and gently patted Ryker's shoulder, speaking softly. "Come on, let's go back."

Ryker obediently followed, stopping after a few steps to wait for Izabella. "I gave you the cookies. You have to eat them."

Izabella glanced at him and then at the cookies in her hand. "Okay."

The director in the front turned back and looked at them, surprised. "He actually gave you cookies?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, it's just that this kid never shares his food with anyone." The director exaggerated gleefully, "Even a single piece of bread is usually off limits. It's quite surprising that he would give you all of his snacks that he's been hiding for days. He must really like you."

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