Bella’s heart sank deeper as she watched him leave. She staggered and collapsed onto the bed, her hands trembling as tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision.
Theodore’s indifference, coldness, and sight of him walking away with Gina tore at her soul like a wound that refused to heal.
"You don’t care about me anymore," Bella whispered, her voice shaking with heartbreak. "You have changed. You are not the man I fell in love with."
Outside the ward...
Gina limped along, leaning heavily on Theodore. "It hurts," she whined, her hand gripping his arm tighter. "Can you carry me?"
Theodore’s jaw clenched in irritation, his body stiffening at her touch. Every fiber of his being wanted to push her away, to get as far from her as possible. But he held himself back, swallowing his discomfort. He had to do this, no matter how much he hated this.
"Gina, you should stay away from Bella." Despite his attempts to stay calm, his cold tone betrayed the storm brewing inside him.
Gina, sensing his displeasure, paused and glanced up at him with wide, questioning eyes. "Do you believe what she said?" she asked, searching his face for a hint of doubt.
Theodore had never doubted Bella for a second. He knew in his heart that Bella was telling the truth, but he couldn’t say it out loud.
"No," he muttered, his heart twisting painfully. "A woman who cheated on me doesn’t deserve my trust." He forced out those words, his eyes betraying nothing. "I’m just worried about you, Gina. I don’t want you to get hurt. Promise me you’ll stay away from her."
His response pleased Gina. Theodore’s care, his concern—it was what she had longed for all this time. She smiled to herself, giddy with triumph. She wouldn’t let anyone, especially Bella, take him away from her.
"Okay, I won’t meet her again." She tilted her head up at him, eyes gleaming. "But you have to promise me one thing too—you’ll divorce her. Soon."
Theodore’s expression remained unreadable as he answered, "I promise."
He guided her out of the hospital. Inside, his heart raged. This was just another step in his plan.
Bridget was returning to the ward, a small bag of medications in hand, when the sight of Theodore and Gina stopped her dead in her tracks. Her heart clenched, her stomach twisting in disgust.
"Theodore Reid, you scumbag," she muttered under her breath, her blood boiling in rage. "You are still married to Bella, but you can’t stay away from your mistress."
Bridget’s grip tightened around the medication bag, her knuckles turning white. "I’ll never let you near Bella again. Not after this."
Bridget stormed into the ward, intending to tell Bella everything she had just witnessed. But her steps faltered as she saw Bella sobbing.
"Bella!" She put the medication bag on the table and hurried over to her. "Why are you crying? What happened?"
Bella wrapped her arms around Bridget’s waist, her sobs growing louder. "Theodore has changed," she choked out between the sobs. "He doesn’t care about me now. He has moved on so quickly."
Bridget frowned as she suspected Theodore and Gina had come to meet Bella while she was away. "Did he come to see you?"
Bella gave a sharp nod, wiping at her eyes. "Gina came first and said awful things. I don’t care what she thinks of me. I don’t care how she treats me." Her voice cracked, pain rippling through each word. "But it hurts when Theodore ignores me. When he takes her side. He didn’t even ask if I was okay... all his attention was on Gina."
Bridget’s heart sank as she recalled the image of Theodore, cradling Gina as they left the hospital together. The scene played over in her mind, fueling her anger.
"He doesn’t love me anymore," Bella cried.
Bridget, fighting back her own anger, sat down beside her and cupped Bella’s face, brushing away the stray strands of hair clinging to her damp cheeks. "Bella, listen to me," she said softly. "He doesn’t deserve your love. That bitch Gina is perfect for a scumbag like him."
She gently wiped the tears from Bella’s face. "You’re still young, Bella. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Instead of wasting your energy and your heart on someone like him, you should focus on yourself – on your career."
Bridget clasped her shoulders firmly, trying to lift Bella’s spirit. "Didn’t you always want to be a fashion designer? You’ve dreamed of it for so long. Now is the time to work hard and make it happen."
Bella kept weeping; her heart shattered beyond repair. She couldn’t see beyond the pain, the overwhelming ache that consumed her every thought. Life felt like an empty shell, devoid of meaning. Pursuing dreams and focusing on her career—it all seemed trivial.
Theodore had been her everything, her anchor, her future. Without him, nothing felt real or worthwhile.
"I don’t know," Bella whimpered through her tears. "It hurts so much. I don’t know how I can survive without him."
"I know it’s painful, Bella," Bridget soothed, gently stroking Bella’s hair. "But you can’t let this destroy you. You’ve got to keep strong. You have to show him what he is missing. You’ve got to prove to yourself that you’re capable of achieving greater success and happiness in life without him."
Bella’s cries only grew louder, her grief like a wave crashing over her again and again. Bridget pulled her into a tight embrace, letting her weep, knowing there were no words to fix this right now. All she could do was be there, holding her close, her own eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Don’t let my mother find out," she croaked. "She’ll be so sad."
Bella knew her mother would be devastated to know that Theodore had abandoned her for another woman. She resolved to focus on her career and earn a name in the field of fashion design.
"Okay, she won’t know anything about this," Bridget promised. "But you can’t keep this from her forever."
"I’ll tell her when I’m ready," Bella whispered. "I just... not right now. Help me get out of here, Bridget. I don’t want to be in this place anymore."
"I’ll talk to the doctor and see about getting you discharged. Don’t keep crying, okay? I’ll be back soon."
As soon as Bridget left the ward, fresh tears welled up in Bella’s eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After dropping Gina home, Theodore hurried to the office. The call he had received while he was at the hospital was from Tristan, telling him that Willow had been waiting for him. He drove speedily and arrived at the office in no time.
He hurried into his cabin and found his sister standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out in a daze.
"Willow! When did you arrive?" he asked, walking over to her. "How is your work going on there? Did you resolve transfer issues?"
"I did," Willow replied, her tone detached, her focus still on the view outside. "The city looks different from up here. Peaceful, almost beautiful. I never get to see this from my place. Your office... it’s in a prime location. I like it."
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she turned to face him, though there was a distant look in her eyes. "I want my new office to be in a beautiful, quiet place like this where I can sit for hours and work on my designs."
Theodore chuckled and walked up to his worktable, pulling a sleek folder from one of the drawers and handing it to her.
"What is it?" Willow took the folder and opened it with curiosity.
"I bought you an office building," Theodore said casually as if it were no big deal. He nodded toward the folder in her hands. "The documents are all there. It’s in a prime location. You should go check it out when you have time."
He leaned back into his chair with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. "And that’s not all. I also bought you a house nearby. It’s part of the newly constructed residential complex at Heritage Avenue." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"What?" she exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise.
She had seen the advertisements for the Heritage Avenue complex plastered all over the city. It was being developed by the prestigious Waltons’ construction company, and its name had been buzzing in real estate circles.
The fact that Theodore had secured her a place in such a sought-after location left her momentarily speechless.
Willow stood there, processing his words, her heart filled with gratitude. But the memory of the passionate night she had spent with Philip Walton made her blush. But she quickly pushed the memory aside, focusing back on the present.
"You really bought me a house in a luxurious residential complex!" she murmured, her lips stretching into a surprised smile.
"I know you’ve been wanting a proper space to work," Theodore added, smiling at her astonished reaction. "And I thought a home nearby would make things easier for you."
"When did you do that?"
"Several days ago," he replied, shrugging as if it was nothing serious. "I wanted to tell you, but you left so suddenly. Are you happy?"
"Yes!" Willow’s voice brimmed with delight, her excitement palpable. But just as the joy settled in, her smile faltered. A heaviness crept into her expression, and the euphoria of the moment faded into concern as the reason for her visit resurfaced in her mind.
"But this happiness feels incomplete without Bella." She turned serious, her mood clouding over. "What’s going on between you two, Theo? Why are these rumors spreading all over? You and Gina. Seriously?" She scowled at him, confusion and disbelief mingling on her face. "You hated Gina. How could she suddenly be with you?"
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