Twisted Ties of Love novel Chapter 404

Questions flooded Nathaniel's mind, popping up like delicate soap bubbles. Images of memories reflected on their surfaces filled up his brain in the blink of an eye.

He couldn't fathom why Brett suddenly became interested in an emotional stunt.

He couldn't grasp why she was such a close relationship with Casey.

He was puzzled by her petting the same cat that Izabella once held.

He was baffled by the drastic change in a person who was so significant that they seemed like a completely different person.

He didn't understand why she would say, "Bell of the past is gone. Now I am Izabella."

As these questions started unravelling, there was only one explanation.

This "Izabella" was the same Izabella who perished in the fire three years ago.

This absurd thought sent a cold sweat down Nathaniel's back, and a chill ran through him as a breeze blew by.

Aside from "resurrecting from the dead," Nathaniel could find no other explanation.

More so, Izabella had made it clear from the start she was no longer Bell.

He couldn't describe his feelings. They were a mix of emptiness and suppression.

The Izabella he had been longing for was the one who died in the fire, unlike Bell, who was weak, delicate, and cried easily. Izabella lived boldly, confidently, and proudly. Only such a person would stir his desire to conquer her.

Izabella, Bell, the images of these two people took turns appearing in his mind. For the first time, he was confused and lost, not knowing what he wanted. His chest ached as if scratched by cat claws.

He clutched his violently beating heart. If Izabella was back, where did Bell go?

Would she never return? Would there be no one to cook and clean for him, no one to massage his head when he had a headache, no one to tell lame jokes to cheer him up when he was upset, and no one whose eyes were filled with his presence?

His hand involuntarily covered his face, the warmth from his palm offering some comfort.

Nathaniel tilted his head back, resting it on the back of the chair.

He didn't even understand why he was crying. The sudden wave of sadness was overpowering, almost breaking through his facade of toughness.

Suddenly, everything became quiet. When it's too quiet, one can't help but start thinking, and eventually, it all became clear.

He had always treated "Bell" as a substitute, but in the end, he was played. He was the one who drove her away, yet he couldn't stop thinking about her.

In reality, he didn't want Bell to leave him.

Initially, he might have been intrigued by Izabella, training Bell, who looked like Izabella as a stand-in to satisfy his curiosity and provoke Brett.

For Bell, his intentions were always purely "utilitarian".

When he handed Bell over to Brett, it wasn't because he was tired of her. Instead, he was becoming more and more attached to this stand-in, scared that he'd be the one to fall the hardest.

Growing up with Patrick Windham, the older man always told him emotions would be a weakness.

Only when one's heart was free from concerns can one become strong. Women often became obstacles in a man's life.

He didn't think highly of Patrick, but he had to admit there was truth in his words. Didn't Izabella become Brett's obstacle?

He had seen Brett in so much pain that he vomited blood. These past three years, Brett might have seemed successful on the surface, but he was actually exhausted. He never vowed to walk down Brett's path and become like him.

So when he realized he was starting to depend on Bell, he gave up that dependence without hesitation. It took him a long time to forget those emotions.

But when he saw Bell's face again, all his efforts were in vain.

He couldn't stand Brett getting close to her and didn't like her being too close with others.

He decided to stop treating her as a stand-in and let her stay by his side, like before.

Life was unpredictable. The person he had given up on had changed and could no longer return.

Nathaniel prided himself on his good memory. He could remember who lent him how much money when he was a kid. But how could he forget what Bell said when she left?

"Nathaniel, once I leave, I'll never come back."

It turned out what's lost can never be retrieved.

Nathaniel wasn't superstitious. He didn't believe that after death, one could come back to life in another person's body. He would rather believe that the country girl had fallen ill, suffering from severe mental illness that caused her personality change.

Izabella had been sneezing all morning. Her eyes turned redder from staying up all night. Tears blurred her vision. She rubbed her swollen and aching eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, a cup of hot water was in front of her.

"You definitely won't rest." Casey placed a cold pill next to the cup, "Take this to prevent your cold from getting worse."

"I don't have a cold." Izabella's voice was hoarse.

"You've been sneezing non-stop, and insisting you don't have a cold. This pill won't harm your body, and it's flu season. It's better to be safe."

Izabella couldn't argue with him. She held the cup with both hands. The water was just the right temperature. Izabella didn't like bitter medicine. She would rather rely on her body's resistance to fight a mild cold. She would only take medication when the cold got serious enough to affect her sleep.

Izabella wasn't a drama queen. Everyone had their weaknesses, she was afraid of bitterness and pain but could endure.

For someone who despised bitter taste, she had been taking unpleasant anti-cancer drugs for three years.

For someone who feared pain, she chose to burn herself in a fire.

For Izabella, the two hours in the fire were nothing compared to the seven years she spent with Brett.

Even the toughest guy can break under enough pressure.

But bitterness, if she had enough of it, she really can get used to it. A small white pill wasn't bitter. Izabella swallowed it with just a sip of water.