Can't Win Me Back (Isabella and Nathan)

Nathan stood at the door for a long time, his expression dark and sour.

In the end, he could only sullenly take Victoria and return to China. **The Capital.**

After shaking off the fatigue of travel, Nathan returned home. But instead of heading to the grand Hill family villa, he went to the smallest, least notable property he owned a modest apartment that served as his and Isabella's marital home.

The apartment was only 89 square meters. For an average person, owning property in such a prime location would be considered a decent asset. But for Nathan, heir to the Hill family fortune worth billions, with countless villas and properties, using such a place as a marital home underscored his disregard for Isabella.

Back then, Nathan had subconsciously thought: for a girl who was abandoned by her parents and survived by scavenging trash, providing her with this kind of life was already a gift.

She used to be so content.

But when had she started wanting to escape the dream he had fabricated for her?

Nathan sat by the window, smoking a cigarette.

Scenes from the past flooded his mind.

"Honey, today is our wedding anniversary. Will you come home early, please?"

Isabella always treaded carefully around him, gauging his mood.

"I don't have time today," he replied curtly.

"Is it because of work?" she asked, her voice trembling, trying hard to mask her disappointment.

"No. I'm spending time with your Sis."

"Just today, please. Spend it with me," she pleaded, clinging stubbornly to his wrist.

He shook her off. "Celebrate on your own."

That night, he returned home in the early hours of the morning. Seeing leftover food in the trash, he merely frowned slightly.

After that day, she never cooked for him again. When he came home hungry on occasion, she would ask the maid to prepare his meals. Then there was another time, shortly after she got her driver's license, when he had asked her to deliver documents to a client.

She got into a rear-end collision on the road, and the car broke down halfway.

Crying, she called him. "Honey, I was in a car accident."

His first thought was that the documents wouldn't reach the client on time. He scolded her harshly: "Isabella, can't you do anything right?" Her voice cracked as she sobbed. "You didn't even ask if I'm hurt."

"Good riddance if you're dead," he snapped angrily.

Isabella begged him. "Can you...?"

Before she could finish, Victoria's voice interrupted. "Nathan, I'm thirsty."

"Coming, Victoria," Nathan replied tenderly.

Then, without hesitation, he hung up on Isabella. "Clean up your own mess," he said coldly before ending the call.

Thinking back on this now, a faint sense of guilt swept over Nathan like a feather brushing his heart.

At that time, Isabella had been in her early twenties, inexperienced and likely overwhelmed by such incidents.

As her husband, he should have been her pillar of support.

Was that why she was so independent now? Why she had the courage to leave him?

Nathan shook his head. *That's not it.*

Isabella had always regarded him as her savior, treating him with reverence and gratitude. She had been content with the scraps of kindness he gave her. Her transformation only occurred after she was hypnotized...

It was Ezekiel who changed her.

Nathan picked up his phone and made a call.

When the line connected, his assistant's voice came through.

"Mr. Hill, how may I assist you?"

"Find someone for me. His name is Ezekiel. Bring him to me at any cost."

Nathan's voice was cold and menacing.

"Yes, Mr. Hill."

**A few days later.**

The assistant brought Ezekiel to Nathan's residence.

"So, the Crown Prince wants to see me?" Ezekiel smirked, his tone casual and irreverent.

Nathan's eyes darkened. "Ezekiel, I underestimated you."

"Do you still remember my wife, Isabella?"

Ezekiel nodded. "Vividly."

Nathan clenched his teeth. "Good."

"Ezekiel, I need to know-what exactly did you do to my wife? Why is it that after meeting you, she's become a completely different person?"

His accusatory tone, layered with the authority of someone in power, instantly thickened the tension in the room.

Ezekiel chuckled nonchalantly. "Crown Prince, you've seen the contract between me and your esteemed wife. I simply fulfilled its terms-helping her forget her past with you." "So, if my guess is correct, your wife likely no longer loves you."

Nathan's expression turned vicious. "I want you to restore her memories."

Ezekiel shrugged. "If I restore her memories, it would mean breaching my contract with her. That would subject me to a huge penalty."

"I'll pay it," Nathan said.

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow. "The penalty is set at a 10,000-to-1 ratio. That means breaching it will cost me a hundred million. Are you sure, Crown Prince?" Nathan swallowed hard. "You..."

He changed tactics. "I promise Isabella won't pursue you for breaching the contract. How about that?"

Ezekiel shook his head. "You're not the client; you can't make decisions on her behalf. Unless she personally tells me she's willing to nullify the contract."

"Ezekiel..." Nathan's voice rose in anger. "Do you know the consequences of opposing me?"

Ezekiel faltered slightly. "Crown Prince, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you. But I'm a businessman-integrity is everything."

Nathan's tone turned icy. "Ezekiel, it seems you don't plan on leaving this room today."

The threat was unmistakable.

Hearing this, the assistant shifted to block the door, cutting off Ezekiel's exit.

Ezekiel feigned alarm. "Crown Prince, are you planning to imprison me?"

Nathan's expression was resolute and merciless.

Ezekiel sighed, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

"Crown Prince, when I hypnotized your esteemed wife, I actually discovered a shocking secret... One I think you'd find very interesting."

"What secret?"

Ezekiel paused, carefully choosing his words. "Let's put it this way: your wife is both herself and not herself."

Nathan frowned in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Ezekiel replied, "Crown Prince, do you believe in reincarnation?"

Nathan narrowed his hawk-like eyes. "Past lives?"

Ezekiel continued, "If you're willing to undergo hypnosis, I believe you'll understand why your wife has changed so drastically. But I must warn you-hypnosis can lead to life-altering revelations. You'll need to be mentally prepared." Nathan scoffed at the absurdity. "Nonsense."

Ezekiel shook his head helplessly. "If you don't trust me, then there's nothing more I can do."

In the end, Nathan refused to undergo hypnosis, forcing him to abandon his interrogation.

**Two years later.**

Victoria's career thrived. As a student of the renowned teacher Jasmine, though she only met her mentor a few times a year and mostly received remote guidance, it was enough for Victoria to boast about.

In the capital's fashion circle, she had made a name for herself. With the support of both the Hill and the Moore families, she established her own company and solidified her place in the industry.