Chapter 34 The Truth About the Marriage
After her divorce from Alexander, Isabella clearly benefited. Now she came to say she felt guilty and wanted to hear the first wife's explanation. It was laughable.
"Mrs. Mitchell—oh, I should call you Ava. You won't be Mrs. Mitchell for long," Isabella said, her tone less polite.
"Call me whatever you want," Ava replied, indifferent to how others addressed her.
Suddenly, Isabella clutched her chest, struggling to breathe.
"What's wrong?" Ava frowned.
"Don't you know? Isn't this all part of your plan?" Isabella's eyes flashed with intense hatred.
"Explain yourself. What did I plan? Don't accuse me without reason. I haven't done anything," Ava said, confused.
"Fine, I'll tell you. My lungs are half gone, and I have heart disease," Isabella said through gritted teeth, her tone agitated.
"What?" Ava was shocked. "What happened?"
"Ava, your parents were just regular employees. But because of an accident years ago, they shut down the system in time and became so-called heroes. As their daughter, you got Scarlett's favor! Since then, you've had all the resources. Scarlett even saw you as Alexander's future wife long before you were married. She was domineering, not allowing Alexander to be with other women. But then he met me! He suppressed his feelings, and we could only watch each other from afar because of you!"
Ava clenched her fists. "Are you saying I tore you two apart? You left for another country. You left Alexander."
"Yes, I left. But did you ever wonder why? Or were you just happy to marry him, not caring what happened?"
"Why did you leave? If you loved Alexander so much, why didn't you stay?" Ava demanded.
"Because I was dying!" Isabella's eyes reddened. "I had a severe illness and needed a double lung transplant. Alexander found a donor, but do you know what Scarlett did?"
"What did she do?" Ava asked.
"She used her power to block the donor from reaching the hospital. My surgery was halted. I was on the operating table, waiting for the lungs. If I hadn't gotten the transplant, I would have died!"
"Impossible! Grandma wouldn't do that. I don't believe it!" Ava's eyes were red, and she shook her head desperately.
"Believe it or not, ask Alexander or Scarlett herself if she did it!"
"Go on, keep making things up!" Ava couldn't believe it. Scarlett had raised her, nurtured her, and cared for her. She couldn't accept Isabella's words.
Isabella sneered and continued, "I was on the brink of death. Alexander confronted Scarlett, and she forced him to cut ties with me and marry you immediately. There wasn't time to find another donor. To save my life, Alexander had to agree."
"Because of Scarlett's interference, I missed the best time. When the lungs were finally transplanted, one was already damaged. I ended up with one lung and heart problems." she further explained, "After the surgery, Alexander secretly sent me abroad to recover. So, I didn't leave him willingly; he sent me away to heal. But my health never fully recovered. I take medication daily and frequently visit the hospital. I can't live like a normal person anymore."
Ava stared at Isabella in disbelief, like a deer caught in the headlights. "This can't be true. No!"
Whether Isabella's words were true or not, they shook Ava to her core. Everything she had trusted and believed in was now in question. Could Scarlett, so kind and loving, have done something so cruel? Did Alexander marry her out of necessity? Did he hate her for it?
Before their marriage, Alexander had told her he couldn't give her love and that their marriage would end when Isabella returned. He must have hated her then, maybe even blamed her for Isabella's situation.
Indeed, he never gave her any affection—not even a little.
