Can't Win Me Back (Isabella and Nathan)

Chapter 5

Isabella looked at Victoria and replied readily, "If you want him, then take him."

She said it as if he were a display item on a shelf, available for anyone to claim.

Victoria's face lit up with joy, and she immediately hugged Nathan tightly.

But her happiness was short-lived.

She quickly realized that Nathan stood stiffly in her embrace, as if he had turned into stone.

Puzzled, she looked up at him and saw that his eyes were fixed on Isabella with an expression so chilling it made her shiver.

"Isabella, you must be delirious from your fever. Do you even know what you're saying?"

The Isabella of the past loved him to a suffocating degree. She had given up her cherished career to care for him, endured bitter herbal remedies daily in hopes of bearing his child, and sacrificed her self-respect entirely for his love. She was even nicknamed the "bootlicker wife" by people in the capital.

But now, this same Isabella was speaking of him as though he were an unwanted object to be discarded.

"My fever is gone, and my mind is perfectly clear. I know exactly what I'm saying," Isabella replied nonchalantly. Nathan eyed her, his tone uncertain. "No regrets?"

Isabella glanced at the matching couple's rings on his and Victoria's fingers and smirked. "Mr. Hill, the matching ring on your left hand is identical to Victoria's. Since she's the one you love, why would you think I'd want you? My standards for a partner may not be high, but loyalty is a non-negotiable baseline. I'll find someone who loves me wholeheartedly and live a steady, happy life. Why should I waste my time on someone like you-unfaithful and unreliable? A man like you, a textbook example of a scumbag-what's there to miss? Once I recover, I'll divorce you."

Nathan looked down at his ring, a flicker of guilt flashing through his eyes.

"You're misunderstanding. Victoria and I just happened to buy the same ring. This isn't a couple's ring," he explained, pulling it off and slipping it into his pocket.

Victoria's face turned pale as she stared at Nathan in disbelief, tears pooling in her eyes. Hurt and overwhelmed, she ran out of the room sobbing.

Nathan watched her retreating figure, his expression dark and unreadable. His fists clenched tightly as he turned back to Isabella. "Isabella, I can't leave you now, you're not in good health. But if you still insist on divorce after you've recovered, I'll grant it." He left abruptly, hurrying after Victoria.

Isabella stared at her IV drip, no longer pretending to be strong. Her frail body wouldn't allow her to.

But once she left the hospital, she vowed to end things with this man for good. She didn't need a man who couldn't stay loyal.

---

The next morning, Isabella was half-asleep when she overheard nurses whispering outside.

"The patient in the room next door tried to jump off the roof last night. The crown prince stayed up there with her all night, pleading with her until she came down."

"I don't understand him. That woman is sickly and far from an ideal match, yet he treats her like a treasure. He even went through so much trouble to find her Sis for the kidney transplant. And now that she has a new lease on life, she doesn't appreciate his efforts."

"If you ask me, he's blind and foolish, deserving of whatever misery he gets. The real victim here is the one in this room. After being drained of all her value by those two 'star-crossed lovers,' her Sis got what she wanted and now wants to steal her husband, too. This poor woman is about to be left with nothing, and she doesn't even seem to fight back."

Isabella's toes curled in anger, gripping the edge of the bed tightly. Her bloodshot eyes glistened with suppressed tears.

After the nurse replaced her IV drip, she finally drifted back to sleep, only to be awakened at noon by hunger.

Her stomach growled loudly. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and now she felt like she could eat a horse.

Grabbing her phone, she ordered takeout: chicken and mushroom stew, bird's nest soup with abalone, and plain porridge with steamed buns.

Not long after she placed the order, Nathan unexpectedly showed up.

His eyes were red, a mix of exhaustion and something Isabella couldn't quite decipher-guilt?

"Isabella, I want to send you abroad."

Isabella blinked in shock.

"Your presence greatly affects your Sis's mood. She needs to stay happy for the sake of her health. So, I think it's best if you leave the country for a while. Once she's stable, I'll bring you back. What do you think?" Isabella stared at him in disbelief, the nurses' earlier conversation replaying in her mind.

Furious, she grabbed the nebulizer from her bedside table and hurled it at him. He dodged it just in time.

"Nathan Hill, you're disgusting. If you love Victoria so much, divorce me and be with her!"

Nathan picked up the nebulizer and set it aside before pulling her into his arms.

"Isabella, I know you're upset. Just this once-give me some time. Once you return, I promise I'll cut ties with her and focus on us."

Isabella felt a surge of nausea and pushed him away, vomiting all over him.

Glaring at him, she shouted, "You make me sick! Get out! I never want to see you again!"

But Nathan only held her tighter, sighing. "Isabella, you're jealous, aren't you? I know you love me. But Victoria is your Sis; you wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?"

Isabella was too upset to form coherent words. "Go... just go... I don't want to see you..."

Eventually, Nathan let her go. "Isabella, believe me, I won't abandon you. Think of it as a vacation. I'll bring you back in three months at most."

"Leave!" she screamed, her voice hoarse.

Reluctantly, Nathan left the room.

Exhausted, Isabella collapsed back onto the bed, drained as if she had just fought a losing battle.

---

Outside, Nathan asked the doctor, "Why is she vomiting so much? Is something wrong?"

The doctor replied, "Mrs. Hill has a cold and has been under a lot of emotional stress lately, which could be straining her digestive system. Vomiting isn't unusual. Make sure she eats regular meals and gets plenty of rest." Only then did Nathan realize he had forgotten to bring her breakfast. Guilt weighed on him.

Determined to make amends, he hurried to get her some food, but as he approached her room, he ran into the delivery person carrying an extravagant meal.

He watched as the delivery person walked straight into Isabella's room.