Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 74

After taking her medicine, Izabella dozed off, and she didn't even wake up when Brett lifted her blanket.

Izabella's thin and delicate figure had become even thinner after running around for more than half a month. When she took off her clothes, her protruding ribs were visible. Brett sat down and pinched Izabella's face, "Time to get up and eat."

Izabella rubbed her body uncomfortably and unwillingly opened her sleepy eyes. Her complexion was not good, and she pulled the blanket saying, "I don't feel well; I don't want to eat." Brett forcefully dragged her out of bed, "You've got a stomach problem and still don't want to eat? Do you want to turn it into stomach cancer?"

Izabella felt a sudden sting in her heart at his casual remark. If only Brett had shown her this kind of care back then, she might not have let her stomach problem turn into stomach cancer. Izabella suddenly smiled and obediently got up and followed Brett downstairs.

When they reached downstairs, dinner was already served with a variety of dishes. Kaley was sitting in her usual place, smiling gracefully and looking very much like the lady of the house.

The chairs were casually arranged, and Brett didn't pay much attention to it. But Izabella could see Kaley's obvious intention to replace her.

"Trista, bring another set of tableware," Kaley instructed Trista before turning apologetically to Izabella. "I thought you weren't eating dinner tonight."

"I wasn't planning on getting dinner since I'm not feeling well, but Brett specially came up to call me down, so I came here." To Kaley, her words sounded like showing off.

Izabella's lips curled into a sweet, obviously malicious smile. She simply enjoyed seeing others feeling uncomfortable. Kaley had been living there for a while and still liked to provoke her, even though she never had the upper hand. She kept walking on thin ice.

Izabella glanced at the dishes on the table. Kaley's cooking skills were good, and she seemed to have prepared the dishes according to Brett's preferences.

As Izabella sat down, she stared at the grilled fish in front of her and sniffed its aroma. Suddenly, her stomach churned with nausea, and she felt like vomiting.

Pushing her chair away, Izabella rushed to the bathroom and started throwing up. She had run so fast that she left the door open, and her retching sounds could be heard clearly outside. Kaley, who was sitting at the table and serving herself some soup, turned disgusted with anger. She wanted to drag Izabella out of the bathroom.

Since Kaley and Izabella were at odds, it was inevitable that she'd have some biased thoughts. She assumed that Izabella was intentionally trying to disgust her with the food.

After a few minutes, Izabella came out of the bathroom, propping herself against the wall. Her face was pale, and her body was shaky, as if she had contracted some horrible disease. "What's wrong with you?" Brett asked impatiently. He had already lost his appetite, and his desire to eat was further diminished by Izabella's vomiting. "Are you doing this on purpose?" Izabella had no energy to argue and weakly said, "My stomach isn't feeling well; I don't want to eat."

"Why don't you let Brett take you to the hospital?"

"No need. It happens. I'll just take some medicine and drink some hot water. You guys eat." After retching violently, tears couldn't stop streaming down her face. Her pitiful appearance made her seem rather endearing.

Brett's gaze remained on Izabella's face. He was staring at her, while Kaley was staring at him.

What Brett didn't know was that despite his claims of indifference, his eyes were full of concern for Izabella, which was palpable.

What is a third wheel? The unloved one in a relationship is the real third wheel.

Before this, Kaley confidently defended herself, saying that Brett loved her. But now, her passionate words were stuck in her throat.

Watching Izabella go upstairs, Brett turned to Trista and said, "You go watch her, and if it's serious, call the doctor."

"Okay, I'll go check on Ms. Salotti right away," Trista followed Izabella.

Brett put another piece of fish into Kaley's plate. "Let's eat, and don't worry about her."

Kaley stared at the fish in her bowl. In the past, Brett would carefully pick out the bones before putting it in her bowl.

Izabella felt a bit better after drinking some lemonade. She lay in bed, touching her abdomen. This bout of stomach cancer was different from the previous ones.

She used to experience pain so severe that she'd vomit blood, but now she felt nauseous and wanted to vomit every time she saw greasy and fishy food.

Coupled with her recent lack of energy and fatigue, Izabella wondered if she had contracted hepatitis B in addition to her stomach cancer.

Her already unhealthy body would be further burdened.

Izabella clenched her lips. Could she hold on for another year, long enough for Brett to fall in love with her?

She had to think positively. Her symptoms might resemble hepatitis B, but they weren't definite proof. Moreover, if she did have the disease, she might transmit it to Brett, and both of them wouldn't survive. It would be a bargain for her to step down and take Brett with her since she didn't have long to live.