Twisted Ties of Love (Izabella Salotti and Brett) novel Chapter 571

Bella turned around, squinting towards the hospital's end. She rubbed her belly and murmured, "Maybe it was just a trick of the light…"

"What did you think you saw?" Casey strolled up just in time to catch her talking to herself.

"Nothing." Bella snapped back to reality, noticing Casey had parked the SUV just a short distance away. "Let's head home; mom texted asking when I'll be back."

Casey extended an arm for support, his eyes scanning the surroundings with more concern than she seemed to feel.

"I can walk on my own, you know."

"Better safe than sorry," he replied.

Other expectant mothers, bellies rounding with life, had companions by their side. Bella, her midsection discreetly hidden beneath her loose trench coat, didn't stand out as one of them.

But that made it all the more important to be careful, to avoid any accidental bumps.

Once in the car, Casey buckled Bella's seat belt for her.

"What are you in the mood for lunch? I'll whip something up."

"Could I have some spicy buffalo wings?" she asked, hopeful.

Casey quickly checked online to make sure they were okay for her to eat in moderation. "I'll let the chef know to pick up some wings on the way back. Spicy lunch it is."

Bella nodded with a smile, anticipating the treat. It had been ages since she'd indulged in anything spicy, her daily fare more bland than not, and she felt thinner for it. She rubbed her cheeks, contemplating her slight weight loss.

Casey caught the gesture, a smile tugging at his lips as he drove them smoothly away from the hospital.

Neither of them noticed the figure watching from the hospital corridor, eyes following them until they were out of sight.

Does one ever know when their time will come? Brett wasn't sure about others, but he was painfully aware of his own dwindling timeline. Like a candle reaching its end, he felt his flame flickering, ready to extinguish without the slightest puff.

Diagnosed with advanced lung cancer four years ago, the doctors had given him a grim forecast: with treatment, he might have four or five years. He was on borrowed time now.

On nights when the pain seemed too great, he'd focus on the sunrise he hoped to see the next morning. It was these small hopes that carried him through.

Chemotherapy was agony, the medications bitter, and the bloody coughs excruciating. Insomnia plagued him as he experienced the terror of his hair falling out in clumps.

How had Bella endured her own silent battle with stomach cancer without breathing a word to anyone?

Now wheelchair-bound, Brett's body had betrayed him, and Liam had to wheel him in for his checkups.

While Liam stepped away to collect some paperwork, Brett caught a glimpse of a familiar figure emerging from the elevator.

At first, he thought his eyes deceived him. But after a long, breath-held stare, he confirmed it was her. Bella was here, in the flesh, not just a figure on his computer screen like on her wedding day to Casey, radiant in red.

The last time he'd seen her, she'd been walking confidently towards him, also in red, her eyes holding nothing but him. Now, she was walking towards a different life with Casey.

Why was Bella at the hospital? Was she sick?

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