Izabella returned to Quiet Forest Estates, planning to clean up the rooms in the next two days and sell the house as soon as possible.
While cleaning up, Izabella found their hidden wedding photo in the storeroom, covered in dust.
Throughout their marriage, she and Brett didn't even have a decent wedding photo. The one she found was taken by a journalist on their wedding day and printed in the newspaper. She had spent a lot of money buying this photo, framed it and wanted to hang it on their bedroom wall.
Barely two days after hanging it, Brett came home, saw the photo, got angry, ripped it off the wall and smashed it on the floor.
Izabella cleaned up the broken glass, reframed the photo and placed it back in the storeroom. Whenever she had free time, she would go in to take a look. To Brett, this photo was a disgrace, but to Izabella, it was a dream she had been cherishing for 16 years—a wild fantasy.
With each stroke of her hand, removing the dust from the photo, Izabella's eyes reflected a mixture of bitter irony and profound desolation. How foolish she had been to wear such a genuine smile in that captured moment.
In a surge of frustration, Izabella flung the photo into the trash, discarding the remnants of a past that now felt like a cruel mockery.
After hours of arduous work, Izabella's body glistened with sweat. She couldn't afford to fall ill at this moment, so she swiftly changed into fresh clothes and glanced at the clock—it was nearly noon.
Battling the agony caused by her stomach cancer, she felt no hunger, only a relentless burning sensation in her gut. With determination, Izabella rose from her seat and proceeded to prepare some bacon in the kitchen.
Just as she finished cooking, the doorbell rang, interrupting her solitary routine. Izabella approached the door and, upon opening it, was greeted by the sight of Brett standing before her.
She hadn't seen him for three days as he was busy with Kaley, while she was busy emptying their house to pay off debts.
As soon as Brett stepped inside, he smelled the scent of food and noticed Izabella still wearing her apron.
He couldn't help but wonder if she knew he was coming and had prepared a meal for him.
He had never seen her in an apron like a housewife before, as she usually appeared glamorous in front of him.
"What are you doing here?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Twisted Ties of Love