Chapter 188 My Wife
"Alex, please, tell me!" Isabella pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation. "I'd rather die on the operating table than endure this torturous wait! My love for you is boundless, you are my everything, and without you, I cannot exist. I can't bear this suspense any longer, let me die, don't operate on me!"
"Isabella, hold onto hope, you're going to recover," Alexander responded, his voice laced with palpable concern for her.
"This life has become unbearable, Alex. If it's to continue in this manner, I'd prefer death. Allow me to depart from this world - a life without the opportunity to be your wife is devoid of meaning!"
Isabella's desperation was evident as she thrashed about on her hospital bed, her breaths becoming increasingly shallow and erratic.
"I will marry you!" Alexander proclaimed, his words resounding with determination. "As long as you emerge safely from that operating room, you’ll become Mrs. Mitchell!"
"Really?" Isabella's eyes widened in disbelief, a spark of hope flickering within them. "You’re truly going to marry me? I don't have to endure this wait any longer?"
"There'll be no more waiting, Isabella. Don't surrender, my wife would never capitulate so easily, right?"
His gaze was filled with boundless tenderness, as if it was solely reserved for Isabella.
Tears of joy streamed down Isabella's cheeks. "Alex, I won't surrender. As long as you marry me, I'll have something to live for. You've made a promise, you can’t retract it now, or I won’t be able to continue."
"I won’t renege on my promise. Allow the doctors to take you to the operating room, okay? I’ll remain right here, I won’t leave, and you’ll see me as soon as you regain consciousness."
His gaze was firmer than ever.
Isabella nodded, and their tightly interlaced hands slowly disengaged. The medical team wheeled Isabella towards the operating room.
Alexander accompanied Isabella every step of the way, watching as the doors to the operating room closed. He retreated a few steps, leaned against the wall, exhaled a heavy sigh, and hung his head in a state of profound despair.
Ava, standing at a distance, observed the entire scene, feeling as if her very soul had been siphoned away, leaving her mind vacant and her body unsteady.
The echo of Alexander's promises to Isabella reverberated in her mind.
'As long as you emerge safely from that operating room, you will be Mrs. Mitchell.
'My wife would never yield so easily, right?'
Ava's face was a blank canvas, devoid of any expression, but inside, she was laughing hysterically.
'So, if Isabella is to be Alexander's wife, where does that leave me?'
'I am his legally wedded wife!'
'Alexander, you never once treated me as your wife. In your heart, there was only ever space for Isabella!'
'I'm not your wife. I'm a mockery, a pawn to be positioned between you and Isabella, a temporary solution for the Mitchell family. You and Isabella... you can continue to love each other as you always have.'
'I'm merely a chess piece to be manipulated and discarded when convenient.'
'I understand now, I truly do.'
'Isabella is your universe, your one and only. She's the one for whom you'd sacrifice everything, even your supposed wife and child.'
With a heavy heart, Ava turned away, her departure marked by solitude.
She stood at the hospital entrance, the rain pouring down relentlessly, cars parked haphazardly all around. Suddenly, Ava couldn't discern which vehicle was hers. She stood there, soaked to the bone in the icy rain, her pale face devoid of any color, not knowing how much time had passed.
Her vision began to blur.
With a dull thud, she collapsed onto the wet pavement and lost consciousness.
