Twisted Ties of Love novel Chapter 534

Izabella meticulously cleaned her bedroom, running her hands over every inch, smoothing out the sheets with a practiced touch.

She had moved the pot with Niki's sunflowers to the living room balcony. As she approached, she gently brushed her fingers over the withered leaves. Sunflowers wither without the winter sun, but after pruning, they'd rise again next year, turning their blossoms towards the light.

Touching the brittle foliage, she whispered a silent plea, "Niki, look after him for me, will you?"

Though she had taken everything she needed, Izabella couldn't shake the feeling that she had left something behind. Standing on the curb, she hailed a cab.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Quiet Forest Estates.

As the cab drove through the city, Izabella felt stifled by the stuffy air inside, suffocating enough to make her gasp for breath.

She cracked the window open, letting in the chilly breeze.

"Miss, the air conditioning is on. Aren't you cold with the window open like that?" the driver called back.

"Not at all. I get a bit carsick," she admitted.

The driver, upon hearing that she was feeling carsick, didn't stop her anymore. Cold was a minor issue; the concern was more about someone feeling sick and potentially vomiting in the car, as cleaning up afterward would be more troublesome.

Outside, the cityscape flashed by. The cold wind stung her eyes, but Izabella forced them open, hoping the breeze would dry her tears. But the more she tried to control them, the more they fell, unchecked. She looked down at the ring on her finger, inscribed inside with the words 'Love you as before.'

A beautiful sentiment in any language, but to Izabella, it was a promise of enduring love, one she had never regretted despite everything.

Her tears fell freely now, and she leaned her forehead against the window, sobbing silently, accompanied only by the sound of her labored breathing and the occasional convulsive shudder.

The driver thought it was just the wind at first, but a glance in the rearview mirror told him otherwise – the woman in the back was crying her eyes out.

Drivers often had little to do to pass the time, so they tended to chat with passengers whenever they could.

"Miss, what's wrong? Why the waterworks?" he asked.

Izabella wiped away her tears and murmured, "It's nothing."

"Don't bottle it up; it's not good for you. You can talk to me; I won't tell anyone," he assured her.

She sniffed, remembering how, after being diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, she had taken a cab from the hospital and found solace in a driver's kind words. He had told her that everything would pass, that a new day would begin with the sunrise.

But what if you couldn't wait for tomorrow's sun?

"Sir, are you married?" she asked suddenly.

"Married with two kids," he replied with a smile that spread across his face at the mere mention of his family. "I work hard driving this cab to give them a better life. As long as they're happy, I'm happy."

"I have a question for you," Izabella said, her voice so soft it was nearly swept away by the wind. "If one day you became a burden to your family, if your presence brought them unavoidable harm, what would you do?"

The driver took a sharp breath, half-jokingly replying, "Feels like you're cursing me with all this talk of accidents and troubles. We drivers are superstitious about those words, you know."

"I'm sorry," Izabella quickly apologized.

The man, good-natured as he was, didn't hold it against her. At a red light, he braked and said, "If I ever become a burden, I'd find a way to disappear quietly." He chuckled softly after his remark.