Chapter 343 Forgiveness
Quentin let out a heavy sigh and said, "When she woke up, she was all about seeing Isabella. She got super emotional, and before I could do anything, she fell off the bed."
Just hearing that made Isabella's heart race. That hospital bed was crazy high; even someone in perfect health would get hurt falling off, let alone Esme with all her injuries! No wonder her wounds opened up again!
Quentin shot her a look and went on, "Honestly, it's kinda my fault too. I told her that Isabella had saved her life before, and this time she saved Isabella, so they were even. After that, she just lost it."
Isabella pressed her lips together, staying quiet.
Quentin added, "I just didn't want to give her too much hope, you know? Didn't want her to get let down later. Didn't think it would turn out like this."
Right then, a nurse came over. "Esme's family, she's about to come out. Please head to the debridement room entrance to meet her."
"Got it," Quentin replied, turning to leave but then paused and asked Isabella, "You wanna come with me?"
This time, Isabella didn't even think twice. She nodded. "Yeah, I'll go with you."
Isabella was the type to overthink everything, but only when she hadn't made peace with it yet. The fact that she rushed to the hospital after seeing that video showed she had already let go of most of her grudges.
Outside the debridement room.
Isabella and the others waited for like two minutes before Esme was wheeled out.
Esme was awake, but she looked like a ghost—pale face, sweaty hair sticking to her cheeks and scalp. She was a mess, nothing like the always elegant and beautiful Esme Isabella remembered.
"Bella." Esme's eyes lit up when she saw Isabella. She tried to reach out but couldn't because Isabella was too far away.
Isabella hesitated for a sec, then stepped forward and gently took Esme's hand.
Esme looked stunned, like she couldn't believe it, and tears started welling up in her eyes.
Back in the hospital room, Quentin and Seb made up some excuses to leave, giving Esme and Isabella some alone time.
Isabella gently rubbed her fingers.
"Bella," Esme called out, "Have you forgiven me?"
Isabella glanced at Esme and quickly looked away. Seeing Esme like this made her heart ache. She was quiet for a moment before softly saying, "Talking about forgiveness doesn’t matter anymore."
Esme sighed, "Bella, I'm sorry. I had no other choice back then, which is why I left you and Nina behind and disappeared."
"Let's not talk about the past." Isabella bit her lip. "I never thought I'd see you again in my lifetime. Please don't harm yourself anymore."
Esme's eyes filled with tears. "Bella, I'm so happy, really so happy."
Esme was so overjoyed that she couldn't hold back her tears any longer and cried.
Seeing Esme like this made Isabella feel terrible too. She grabbed a couple of tissues and wiped Esme's tears. "Please don't cry. I'm a sucker for other people's tears."
"Alright, alright, it's my bad. I won't cry. Bella, you don't be sad either." Esme grabbed the tissues, quickly wiped her tears, and forced a smile to cheer Isabella up.
Esme had been stuck in the hospital for over a week, and during that time, Isabella visited almost every day, making their bond grow stronger.
When Nina found out about this, she was quiet for a long time.
"Nina, are you mad?" Isabella asked, a bit nervous.
"I'm not mad," Nina replied, "I'm happy for you that there's someone else to care for you."
Isabella said, "Thanks."
Nina was super busy, so they only chatted for a few minutes before hanging up.
Isabella came back to the hospital room with some warm water and found an extra person there.
A young girl in a white dress was hugging Esme. "Mom, what happened to you? How did you get hurt? I was so scared when Quentin told me!"
Esme gently patted the girl's back, trying to calm her down. "I'm fine; don't cry."
When she looked up and saw Isabella standing at the door, Esme's movements stiffened, and she seemed a bit lost.
Esme worried that seeing her being so gentle with Elodie would make Isabella feel bad. Esme paused and patted Elodie's shoulder. "Elodie, you're pressing on me."
Elodie quickly stood up. "Mom, are you alright? Did I hurt you somewhere?"
When Elodie turned and saw Isabella, she immediately frowned. She got up from the bed and pointed at the door. "What are you doing here? Get out! You're not welcome here!"
"Elodie," Esme tugged at Elodie's hand. "Don't talk to Bella like that. She's your sister."
"What did you say?" Elodie's eyes widened in shock, her gaze darting between Esme and Isabella. "Is she the one..."
Esme nodded solemnly. "Yes, it's her."
"How could it be her?" Elodie looked disgusted.
Esme softly said, "Elodie, she is your sister."
The next second, Elodie shook off Esme's hand, her face full of anger. "I will never regard her as my sister. Not everyone earns that title. I only have one sister! She's just a nobody, a bastard child."
Esme suddenly sat up from the bed and slapped Elodie across the face.
Elodie's face turned to the side from the slap. She held her burning cheek and looked at Esme in disbelief, her eyes quickly filling with tears, but she still looked defiant.
Seeing this, Esme's expression softened. "Elodie, I didn't mean to."
Before Esme could explain, Elodie turned and ran out of the room.
Esme sighed softly.
Isabella walked over and handed Esme the warm water. "Here, drink this."
"Okay." Esme forced a smile.
Isabella sat down beside her. "You don't have to make her do anything. For me, I just want to acknowledge you as my mother. The rest of the Black family has nothing to do with me."
Esme took her hand, guilt filling her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't raise Elodie well. I'll talk to her and make her apologize to you."
Isabella lowered her eyes, smiling. "It's nothing."
But deep down, Isabella still felt a bit upset. She couldn't help but think that Esme was still more partial to Elodie.
