Twisted Ties of Love

Izabella had an uncanny knack for tolerating pain, to the point where most people overlooked the fact that she was actually terrified of it.

There were countless times when Izabella suffered in silence. Was it that she had an exceptional tolerance for pain? No, it was because she was at the brink of breaking.

The extent of Brett's cruelty could be measured by the fact that he could drive someone to the point of fighting back, even if it meant sullying their reputation in the process.

A person who was proficient at enduring pain often expressed disappointment in silence.

Izabella had mastered the art of concealing her emotions, but that didn't mean she was emotionless.

At present, Izabella had zero affection left for Brett. Any residual resentment she had, which had faded over time, had come rushing back, making her feel repulsed once again.

She had foolishly believed that Brett had changed, but he was still the same old inconsistent, unreliable, and fickle person he had always been. These traits were deeply ingrained in him. Glancing at her phone, Izabella felt a pang of regret over the wasted call charges.

Nevertheless, she couldn't resist retorting, "Brett, manners are a good thing to have. I hope you acquire some."

In her past life, Brett must have been an octopus, not just content with two-timing, but also prone to spreading his tentacles wider.

"Manners? I really don't have any. After all, my parents died young, and there was no one to teach me."

"Is that your excuse for hurting people? Others should pay for your indecent behavior?"

Izabella could imagine Brett's nonchalant expression, a devil-may-care grin playing on his lips, his eyes deep and unreadable. She clenched her fist, suppressing her fury. "Let's meet," suggested Brett.

Izabella took a deep breath, "Brett, can we stop this endless game? Don't you just want to see me repeat my past mistakes, see me once again become a caged bird, abandoned by others? But not this time, Casey hasn't given up on me. Even the passport we used to register our marriage was given by his mom. We've come this far, what else do you need to prove?"

The phone fell silent. After waiting for a response that never came, Izabella glanced at her phone, realizing that the call was still connected; it was just that Brett had remained silent.

Izabella continued, "I've been dead once, Brett. Even a good horse doesn't graze on past pastures. Do you think I would return to rummage in the garbage?"

"We would be better together." Brett began.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Izabella was amused by his audacity. She wondered how thick-skinned he must be to utter such words.

"Better?" Izabella retorted, "Your idea of 'better' is to destroy my life and treat me like an animal for bearing children? Or to continue to hypnotize me into becoming a naive fool for your amusement?" "Brett, do you remember the day we got our marriage certificate? You said it yourself that you would never fall in love with me. You tossed the marriage certificate into a muddy ditch by the roadside, randomly bought a three-dollar ring from a street vendor and tossed it at me. We had no emotional or material bond. It was so cheap; it's irreplaceable."

Izabella's voice was eerily calm. She paused, hearing Brett's breathing accelerate on the other end of the line, but he still didn't respond.

Izabella asked calmly, "Brett, do you like me or are you just used to me? In the three years after my death, did you suddenly realize how comfortable I made your life?"

Finally, Brett couldn't hold back, he retorted, "I love you, Izabella. As much as you love Casey, that's how much I love you. You don't want to give up Casey, so how can you expect me to give you up?"

"Go to hell with your 'love'! Brett, take a moment to think, is that really love? Count on your fingers how many times you've physically abused me? How many times have you slapped me? Casey has never laid a finger on me; even when he misunderstood me and thought I had deceived him, he chose to suffer himself rather than harm me. That's the difference between him and you!"

Only Brett could push Izabella to the point of cursing.

After taking a deep breath, she spoke again, her voice hoarse from the pain in her chest and throat, "Even now, you still haven't woken up. Whether I'm dead or alive, you never care." The line went silent again.

As if talking to herself, Izabella said mockingly, "Brett, you were once the person I loved so much that I'd run into a wall for. In consideration of the fact that I once loved you so much, cooked for you for over 1300 days, and even drew blood for your loved ones more than 50 times, can you please let go?"

Over the many years she had known Brett, including their five years of marriage, she had loved and then hated him. It wasn't that she had no feelings left, even a stray dog being fed for few times would have feelings for the feeder.

However, after what happened to the Salotti family, she truly despised him. After all, a person couldn't be a fool forever.

Brett's labored coughing was heard over the phone.

After hearing Izabella's words, Brett had to catch his breath. His chest was in excruciating pain, as though his lungs were about to rupture, and all it would take was a tug to rip out bloody chunks of flesh. "Izabella, if I told you I was dying, would you come to be with me?"

"Send a bunch of flowers to your funeral? You're so full of yourself; is it because my past has boosted the egoism in you?"

Brett was dying? Considering that eight out of ten words from his mouth were lies, she didn't take his claim seriously. After all, even if he was truly dying, so what?

As it turned out, what went around, came around. Izabella found Brett's words familiar because she had said something similar to him in the past.

But how did Brett react back then? He accused her of being mentally ill, and locked her up in a room for four days without food. She had to drink tap water to quench her thirst and chew on toilet paper to satiate her hunger.

Brett's knuckles were white from

for

clenching, his eyes dull, "If you want me to spare the Dempsey family, then come meet me. You've been following Casey around; you should know their situation well. They're hanging by a thread, teetering on the edge of collapse. It doesn't even need a push from me to fall. And there are plenty of people who would like to see them in ruins. To be honest, bankruptcy is a small issue, but you know how dirty this business world can be. Framing and setting people up are common practices. So, take a guess, has there been any contraband in the Dempsey family's recent shipments? Some things can land you in jail, or

worse, in front of a firing squad."

A chill ran down Izabella's spine. She picked up her glass of ice water from the table, taking a couple of sips to maintain her composure.

She analyzed Brett's words one by one. He was fully capable of framing and setting people up. No one knew Brett better than she did, but in business, Brett never made a losing deal.

But this time, he was willing to take a loss to bring down the Dempsey family. The apparent losses could potentially jeopardize the entire Windham family fortune.

If Nathaniel hadn't passed away and he hadn't taken over the Windham family's assets, he might be the one facing bankruptcy right now.

Such recklessness was unlike Brett's

usual style. Plus, even if he acquired

the Dempsey family's assets after

their bankruptcy, it would still be

mess

nd he wouldn't make any

profit. Wouldn't the other

shareholders of the Windham family have something to say about this?

So, why exactly was Brett doing this?

"Are you really ready to burn bridges?" Izabella asked.

Brett responded, "It's just a common business strategy."

'Such a common strategy,' Izabella thought bitterly. After a moment of silence, she retorted sarcastically, "I'm married now. What's the point of meeting you?"

"Marriage doesn't mean you can't get a divorce. We've been divorced before, haven't we?"

"If I meet you, will you spare the Dempsey family? And what about the contraband you mentioned? Will you take it back?" Izabella inquired.

Brett responded with a simple "Uh-huh".

"You're quite something, aren't you? Managing to get your hands on contraband. You don't mind sullying your hands to frame others?"

"Who at the top doesn't have dirty hands? Izabella, you should know that better than anyone."

Izabella almost applauded him, "True enough. After all, the Salotti Group in R City disappeared due to your such 'strategies'. So, using the same tactic against the Dempsey Group is nothing new." Brett responded, "Money makes the world go round."

Izabella had been speaking with a cold smile all along, but this time, she burst out laughing, her mirth evident.

"Why are you laughing?" Brett's voice was raspy.

Izabella stopped laughing, pausing before saying, "I've been recording this."