Twisted Ties of Love

Casey knew Izabella was barefoot, so without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her all the way to the car. Despite being sick and unsteady on his feet, his arms were strong and secure around her, just like when they were kids and he used to give her piggyback rides home.

Once they reached the car, the driver set off, and Casey, still cradling Izabella, drifted into a deep sleep.

Izabella was initially startled by this.

Bunny, sitting in the front, put a finger to her lips, signaling to Izabella not to disturb his rest.

Only when Izabella heard Casey's steady breathing did she finally relax.

The light in the car was dim, and Izabella turned to look at Casey's pale face. She reached out, her fingers grazing his cold, gaunt jawline.

Afraid to disturb his slumber, Izabella found a comfortable position and hugged him close, ensuring he wouldn't wake up with a stiff neck. The ride smoothed out as they hit the open road, and Bunny glanced back at the two of them nestled together.

"Casey hasn't had a good night's sleep in ages," Bunny whispered. After Izabella disappeared, Casey was desperate to find her, running himself ragged. He had to handle everything personally, especially after the virus hit him hard, requiring a full blood transfusion. His health never fully recovered. Then the Dempsey family faced a crisis. He was the one to take the reins, working overtime, often forgetting to eat due to his erratic schedule, which ultimately led to acute gastritis and a trip to the ER.

Even with an IV in his arm, he thought of escaping, which left Bunny no choice but to confine him at home, forcibly medicating him, and resorting to sedatives and injections when he resisted rest. "It should have been sooner. It's my fault for keeping Casey locked up at home."

Bunny had gone to meet Brett, offering the entire Dempsey estate in exchange for Izabella. Brett didn't agree immediately, asking for a week to return Izabella safely after Christmas Eve. If they didn't trust him, they were welcome to pick her up themselves.

Bunny didn't fully trust Brett but feared contradicting him and provoking a change of heart. In the end, they agreed that Brett would provide the details for the pickup when the time came.

Bunny knew in advance that they could bring Izabella home today, but Casey was in the dark.

He didn't trust Bunny or believe that Brett would let Izabella go so easily. His insistence on finding her himself led to him being tied up in the bedroom.

Those days of confinement weren't physically painful-he was well-fed and didn't struggle much. However, the thought of Izabella facing unknown dangers, the possibility of losing her, was excruciating. It felt like being stabbed with invisible needles all over, an agony he wished he could pull out with his teeth.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Only then did Casey realize the profound fear and torment Izabella's absence brought him, a feeling akin to a fate worse than death.

Throughout the journey, Bunny quietly shared many things with Izabella.

Izabella's heart ached, feeling hollow and suffocated. With each of Bunny's words, it felt like stones piling up in her heart. Izabella thought life was too long, but now she knew that a lifetime with Casey, no matter how long, would feel too short.

In three months, so much had changed. The Dempsey family, once rocked by a financial crisis, was no longer the same. Beck had fallen ill and was now confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk without assistance.

Wendy, who used to buzz around Izabella with a sweet voice, had lost her innocent smile. She closed her online shop and started learning how to manage the company to alleviate the family's burden. Bunny seemed unchanged, her usual tenderness intact, but the wrinkles on her face had deepened, her hair showing strands of white.

The Dempsey Group was back in business, with rising capital and stocks.

But the losses and expended energy could never truly be recovered.

Brett was the root of their troubles, and it was impossible not to hold a grudge. After all, no one is a saint, and to be bitten out of the blue was infuriating.

Bunny held back because Brett was her own nephew, her flesh and blood in this world.

She felt responsible for his turn to extremes, knowing that a bit of support and love from the Windham family might have made a difference.

But Bunny and Brett could never return to the past, but Bunny hoped that Brett would move on, as Izabella had wished when she left.

Arriving at Spring Bay, the car came to a gentle stop. Izabella stepped out, feeling uneasy about facing the Dempsey family, not sure what to say. But before she could speak, Wendy rushed over and enveloped her in a hug.

"Izabella, you look so beautiful today. Were you okay these past days? Did he hurt you? You feel thinner," Wendy said in her way, comforting Izabella and dispelling her unease.

Izabella looked helplessly at Beck in his wheelchair, who had braved the cold night to welcome her home.

Catching her gaze, Beck smiled gently. "You've lost weight. We'll have your mom cook up some hot stew to fatten you up."

With just one look from Izabella, Beck understood what she meant. "It's good to see you back safe and sound. It's chilly out there; you and Casey should head in and get some rest." "Yeah, head on back," Bunny chimed in.

Casey was still sprawled in the car.

Izabella planned to let the driver

carry him inside to his room. But as soon as she touched him, he snapped awake, as if by an instinct. His first instinct was to call out for "Izabella," and only after his eyes found her did he let out a sigh of relief.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Casey asked as he stepped out of the car, taking Izabella's hand in his.

"You looked so peaceful sleeping; I didn't have the heart to."

"Next time, make sure you wake me," he insisted, holding her hand tightly, his gaze intense and fraught with emotion He wanted to say so much to Izabella, but it was as if his throat was stuffed with cotton-no words came out, and his lips had lost their usual color, turning a shade of pale purple.

He didn't say a word, but Izabella understood what was on his mind. He was worried, scared that she might disappear again without a goodbye.

The family didn't escort each other home. They all headed back to their own houses, even though they lived in the same city, under the same sky, enduring the same winter. Despite being only twenty or thirty kilometers apart, it somehow felt warmer here.

Once home, Izabella slipped out of her wedding dress without a second glance and made a call, arranging for someone to deliver the dress back to Brett first thing in the morning.

Noticing Casey's pallor, Izabella grew concerned and thought about calling a doctor or at least getting him some medicine before urging him to bed.

"Don't worry about me," Casey reassured her. "I've been like this for a few days, but now that you're back, I'll feel better."

Even under the weather, Casey remembered how Izabella dreaded the cold, how her feet would become icy and numb each winter.

Bearing the chill, Izabella watched as Casey squatted before her with a basin of warm water, ready to wash her feet.

"I can just rinse them off myself," she protested lightly.

"On such a cold day, you've walked

barefoot for so long. Aren't you worried about frostbite or scraping your feet on stones?" he said, gently lowering her feet into the warm water, cajoling her like a child "You're grown up and still can't take

care of yourself. How can trust you to be on your own?"

Her feet were frigid, the toes reddened from the cold. In the car, Casey had slipped socks onto her feet, but once they were cold, it was hard to get them warm again. Even with the heater on during the drive, there was no relief.

Izabella was used to it, though, and didn't feel too cold. As soon as the car stopped, she hopped right out.

As Casey massaged the soles of her feet, he said, "Tell me if it hurts."

His hands were gentle, patiently kneading the pressure points.

Izabella watched Casey quietly, feeling as if they had been apart for an eternity and yet as if they had never been apart at all.

This illusion stemmed from the several life-and-death separations they had experienced.

Unable to help herself, Izabella asked, "Casey, did you ever think I might not come back this time?"

His hands stiffened in the water for a moment before he murmured softly, "When the roadside flowers bloom, you may take your time returning."

"When the roadside flowers bloom, you may take your time returning" - it was as if he was saying, whether you can come back or not, I'll wait for you, always wait for you.