Isabella arrived at the hospital later. She pretended to be calm, but she was still thinking about what had just happened.
“Are you Mike’s family?” A police officer at the door asked her.
“Yes, I’m his niece.”
“Mike’s condition isn’t good right now. He has terminal stomach cancer and has been in the hospital for quite some time. He didn’t let us tell his family about it before. We’re telling you right now because…” The man paused and shifted the topic, “Well, go in and see him. He seems to have something to say to you.”
In a daze, Isabella walked to the corridor where the windows were open, and a cold breeze blew in. Anna tapped Isabella on the shoulder to bring her back to her senses. “Go see him, dear. I’ll wait for you here,” Anna said.
Isabella nodded and tried not to cry.
That hospital was shabby, and the ward smelled slightly musty. Isabella stood in the doorway, her gaze fixed on the man in the bed. He was breathing heavily with his mouth open, his unfocused gaze fixed on the lights on the ceiling.
The people on the island used to call him “Fat Mike” because he was indeed overweight. However, at the moment, he was much thinner than before, with thin cheeks, dry and cracked lips, and dull eyes.
Isabella couldn’t hold back her tears after seeing Mike and sobbed in the doorway, her hands covering her face.
When Mike heard the sound, he moved his body, turned his head toward Isabella at the ward’s door, and asked, “You’re here, huh?”
Even though he was weak, he still smiled at her. And Isabella noticed that his voice was no longer as loud as it once was. “I’m here,” she said, biting her lip and then relaxing slightly.
Mike was her uncle no matter what, and she used to think they could go their entire lives without seeing each other. But she was very heartbreaking at the time because he was the last family member she had in the world.
“Come here, Tracy,” he waved and gestured to the chair beside his bed, looking tired after doing so. Isabella sat beside him and noticed that his eyes had lost their radiance once more.
“I had a dream about your mother, Tracy. For the past few days, I’ve been seeing her in my dreams. In my dreams, she blamed me for bringing her to that hellhole. She said that she had already made one mistake in her life and did not intend to make another. If I saw her in heaven, she wouldn’t even talk to me,” Mike then laughed to himself.
Isabella didn’t quite understand what he meant because her mother died when she was very young. Mike rarely told her anything about her, so Isabella had little memory of her mother. Then she uttered, trying to comfort Mike, “It wasn’t entirely your fault.”
“No, I did many wrong things. I locked her in her room and told her she couldn’t see that man. I even took her to the hospital.” Mike coughed violently and felt pain in his organs throughout his body, forcing him to close his eyes tightly.
“Okay, you need to stop talking. You need some rest,” Isabella said. She was at a loss for words and poured him half a glass of water from a kettle.
Mike’s stomach hurt, so he didn’t take the glass, and the water spilled onto the floor.
“I also took her to the hospital and told her she needed to have an abortion. She begged me so hard and even cried her eyes out in the operating room. I was devastated, so I agreed to let her keep the baby. You were over six months old at the time,” Mike continued.
Isabella was wiping water with tissue at the time, then froze, thinking for a moment before asking calmly, “Why?”
“Because she was still in college. She was the only college student in our family back then, and I didn’t want her to ruin her future because of a child. However, I later learned that I was wrong. You’re a wonderful child, and everyone adores you.”
Isabella sat straight up in her chair, disappointed. It was the first time she had heard anyone talk about her parents, but there was clearly one person missing from her life. And it was her biological father.
Isabella hesitated for a minute, uncertain of what to say.
“I never get the chance to see your biological father and don’t know who he is. But I think you have the right to know about this. I’ve been thinking whether or not to tell you about it for several days. Then, I kept dreaming about your mother. She wanted you to know about this because she loved him, I suppose,” Mike said in a hoarse and low voice.
Isabella could no longer think clearly. She appeared helpless as she rubbed her head.
Mike seemed to have exhausted himself. “Open the second drawer,” he said while pointing to the cabinet next to him, although he seemed weak.
Isabella saw that there was a blue velvet box when she opened it. The velvet’s pattern had faded slightly, making it appear worn.
“That’s your mother’s most cherished treasure, yet she never wore it after you were born. Take it with you, Tracy.”
Isabella attentively listened to Mike’s words before reaching out and taking it. Inside the box, she discovered a golden necklace upon opening it. The necklace was delicate and lovely and had a sun-shaped pendant with an engraved cheerful face. It was classy and beautiful.
After leaving the hospital, Isabella remained silent the entire way. The atmosphere seemed serious. Her phone screen suddenly lit up, showing that she had a text message. She was not in the mood to talk to anyone, so she turned her head to stare out of the window.
“Mike’s your uncle no matter what, so don’t blame him. I think you should probably call Jasper and tell him the news yourself,” Sitting next to her, Anna persuaded Isabella.
“Okay,” Isabella said softly as if she didn’t want to continue their conversation. She carefully touched the necklace around her neck and had an urge to cry.
Once she realized this, Anna stopped talking. Anna observed Isabella’s expression the entire way and thought that she appeared melancholy.
“Do you have something on your mind?” Anna couldn’t help but ask.
Isabella smiled and said, “Nothing, I’m just exhausted. There has been a lot going on in school recently.”
Upon returning to her dormitory, Isabella immediately fell asleep on her bed. Several hours later, she opened her eyes to discover that she was surrounded by darkness. She turned on her phone and started browsing through IG. After getting bored with that, she dialed a number.
Isabella had a lot of things to talk to Jasper. In fact, the things that bothered her and made her feel sweet were all related to him. She wanted to speak with him because she had much to say about him.
The phone rang for a long time. Lily watched Jasper’s phone screen with indifference before answering, “Hello?”
Hearing Lily’s voice, Isabella hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Even though she only heard one word, she still recognized Lily’s voice. Isabella immediately felt regret and broke out in a sweat. She thought, What the hell?! Why did you answer Jasper’s phone, Lily?
“Hello, are you Isabella?” Lily’s tone was composed as if she were qualified to receive all of Jasper’s calls and speak on his behalf.
“Yes. I need to speak to Jasper,” Isabella replied in a cold tone.
“He’s in the shower now. You can talk to me, and I’ll pass it on to him for you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Isabella said before abruptly hanging up. Her heart was pounding like a drum.
Seconds later, her screen went dark and blended into the darkness. Isabella sat up in bed, feeling unexpectedly calm.
She saw that it was 9:15 in the morning and then laughed, mocking herself. Then she did the math and realized it was noon in the United States. Jasper hardly ever showered in the middle of the day, so Isabella guessed he probably had sex with Lily.
The screen, which had just gone dark, suddenly lit again. Isabella read Sean’s message before finally responding, “Where are you?”
At the time, Lilly was in a fancy restaurant in downtown New York. She was sitting by the window, watching a little boy feeding pigeons in the square. She smiled like she had won this battle.
Before Jasper returned from the restroom, she had deleted the call log from his phone and put it where it had just been. She acted as though nothing had happened.
As he sat down, Jasper looked at his watch and said, “It’s two o’clock, and I need to attend a meeting at three. What exactly did you want to say to me?”
When Lily realized that he was impatient, she felt upset. Once again, his phone on the desk rang just as she was about to speak. Lily was startled, and her heart immediately began to race.
Jasper frowned and didn’t realize that Lily’s mood got better slightly when she saw the caller ID.
“Hello? Anna, what’s the matter?” Jasper asked over the phone.
“Did Isabella call you?”
“No.”
Anna was leaning on the second floor’s balcony at the time, with the wind making her voice sound somewhat unnatural. She felt even more anxious after hearing Jasper’s response.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.