Chapter 7

Kason stared at the doctor, speechless. "Appendectomy? But... isn't she pregnant?"

The doctor didn't even bother to answer. She just shook her head in disgust and walked away.

He heard a soft moan from inside the room. Isabela.

He quickly arranged for her transfer to a surgical ward.

A wave of relief, so strong it almost buckled his knees, washed over him. He felt like a man who had narrowly escaped a fatal crash.

At least she hadn't suffered because of his mistake.

Isabela was treated for acute appendicitis. The surgery was successful.

Kason sat by her bedside, watching her sleep, a silent, conflicted guardian.

Her phone, lying on the nightstand, started to ring.

He picked it up. It was her Aunt May.

"Isabela, honey, I just wanted to check in. Are you all set for your trip? Is Friday still the day?"

Isabela stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She saw Kason holding her phone, and a look of pure terror crossed her face.

"Trip?" Kason asked casually into the phone, his eyes fixed on Isabela. "What trip?"

"Oh!" Aunt May sounded flustered. "Just a little getaway. A shopping trip she was planning."

Isabela quickly took the cue. "Yes, a shopping trip," she said, her voice weak but clear. "I just wanted to get away for a bit."

Kason didn't seem to notice anything was amiss.

He ended the call and turned to her, his expression softening slightly. "You need to take better care of yourself." The words were almost kind, but they felt like a mockery.

Her departure date was just days away.

Kason, in a surprising turn, asked her to attend a charity auction with him.

His tone was gentle, a stark contrast to his recent cruelty. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

He was giving her a choice. Isabela was so used to his commands that she felt a strange sense of whiplash.

She was almost surprised by the feeling of hope that flickered within her.

"What do you want me to wear?" she asked, automatically falling into old habits.

He reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. The touch was light, tentative.

They both froze, the air crackling with an awkward tension.

Isabela quickly stood up and went to her closet.

She deliberately ignored the expensive jewelry Kason had bought her over the years.

Instead, she chose a simple pearl necklace and matching earrings. They were her own, bought with money from a scholarship she had won.

The set held memories. Kason had been there when she bought it, teasing her about her "grown-up" taste. They had laughed together that day.

Those memories were useless now.

Before the auction, Kason was busy on the phone, soothing an upset Dalia who was complaining about being left out.

He didn't even notice what Isabela had chosen to wear and donate.

The auction hall was grand, filled with the city's elite.

Kason' s face darkened when the first item was presented on stage.

It was a jade necklace.

He remembered buying it for her. He had seen her admiring it in a magazine and had gotten it for her, claiming he' d gotten it for free as a gift from a business partner. It was a lie, he' d bought it because he thought she' d been hurt by Dalia' s return and wanted to make her happy.

He had cherished the necklace almost as much as she had.

And now she was donating it. Giving it away.

Isabela noticed his strange expression. "Are you alright?"

He turned to her, his voice a low growl. "Why this necklace, Isabela?"