Chapter 154

It was like someone had put it there on purpose, making sure she wouldn't miss it.

Isabella walked over and picked up the bag of blood plasma.

The plasma was more than half empty, with just a little bit left sloshing around.

Isabella squeezed it casually and found the same clots as downstairs.

So Matthew wasn't coughing up blood; it was this bag of blood plasma?

She had been set up.

Isabella took the half-empty bag and headed to the hospital.

She pushed open the door to the hospital room. Matthew was sitting alone on the bed. His face wasn't as pale as before, but he still looked sickly.

Seeing Isabella, he smiled. "Bella, you're here."

Isabella closed the door and walked over slowly. "You knew I'd come."

Matthew didn't answer her question but said, "Sit."

He took an orange from the bedside table and started peeling it slowly.

Isabella looked at him and asked directly, "You weren't vomiting blood. It was this bag of blood plasma, right?"

Matthew didn't even lift his head. "Yes."

Isabella asked, "You did it on purpose?"

Matthew admitted. "Yes."

Isabella asked, "Why?"

Matthew's fingers paused. After peeling the orange, he started to remove the pith from the segments.

His tone was very calm. "If I said it was to gain your sympathy, would you believe me?"

Isabella said, "No."

Matthew gave a bitter smile. "I knew you wouldn't."

"If it was to gain my sympathy, then you've already achieved your goal. But you deliberately let the blood plasma fall to the ground, making me suspicious, and then led me to your bedroom. You even put the blood plasma in such a conspicuous spot. You wanted me to find it and come to the hospital. Now that I'm here, what do you want?" Isabella asked.

Matthew gave a wry smile. "Bella, you're really smart."

He handed over the cleaned orange segment. "I remember you love oranges but hate the pith. I've cleaned it for you; now you can eat it."

Isabella felt a blockage in her chest. She reached out and knocked the orange segment away. "Matthew, what exactly do you want? Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and Sebastian?"

Matthew looked at the orange on the ground, his heart aching. "Drive a wedge, Bella, do you think Sebastian really loves you?"

Isabella was stunned. She had never thought about it. Or rather, she had never placed the word love between her and Sebastian.

Isabella had always been self-aware. She didn't think that after just a few months of entanglement with Sebastian, there would be any deep feelings.

Isabella always felt that Sebastian's kindness to her was based on sex. She was very clear about this. However, now that Matthew had exposed it, she still felt a bit embarrassed and awkward.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Matthew's voice softened. "Bella, I did all this to tell you to stay away from Sebastian. The reason he chose you is because he hates me and my mom."

"No way!" Isabella instinctively retorted.

However, after retorting, she felt a lack of confidence.

She had seen the tension between Sebastian and the Landon family. Although she didn't know the specifics, every time the Landon family was mentioned, a strange hostility would appear in Sebastian's gentle eyes.

Sebastian seemed to hate the Landon family.

Matthew didn't rush to argue but spoke calmly, "Ever since his mom got sick, Sebastian's relationship with Dad went downhill. After she passed away, it got even worse. Then my mom married Dad, I was born, and things really blew up. Since I can remember, he's always ignored us. He went to boarding school and rarely came home. Until that time, on my tenth birthday, he came back. I brought him a cake, and he pushed me away. Later, everyone who ate the cake got food poisoning and ended up in the hospital. He was the only one who didn't eat it."

Isabella was shocked but still instinctively defended Sebastian. "You think Mr. Landon poisoned the cake? He couldn't have done that."

Matthew looked at her, pursed his lips, and said, "It's not a suspicion. Dad checked the surveillance afterward, and Sebastian admitted it. He did poison the cake. Dad was so angry he slapped him, and Sebastian even tried to hit Dad. It was chaos. Dad wanted to call the police, but Mom smoothed things over. After that, he moved out of the Landon family."

Matthew added, "Bella, you say he wouldn't do such a thing because you haven't seen his ruthless side."

Ruthless side.

Isabella's mind flashed back to the morning when Matthew collapsed, spitting blood, and Sebastian said expressionlessly, "Then let him die."

Was that Sebastian's ruthless side?

"Bella, I've known him since we were kids and lived under the same roof. I can't say I know him very well, but I've seen more of him than you have. I did all this to tell you that Sebastian is a ruthless person. His gentleness is just an act. He abandoned Vanessa without hesitation for you. Have you seriously thought about why? Isabella, he chose you to get back at me!"

Isabella suddenly opened her eyes, breathing heavily, her forehead covered in sweat.

It was a dream! She had left Matthew a few hours ago, but his words were still in her mind, lingering.

"Bella?" Nina walked over, leaning down to look at her. "Had a nightmare?"

Isabella nodded and reached out to hold Nina's hand.

Nina sat down beside her, her hand soothingly rubbing Isabella's back. "What kind of nightmare scared you like this?"

Thinking about the content of the dream, Isabella didn't want to say much, so she brushed it off. "Nothing."

Nina looked at her face and sighed. "I know you've always been someone who can't hide things in your heart. Are you overthinking because of my situation?"

Isabella pressed her lips together and finally asked, "Nina, are you really Lisa?"

Isabella didn't have the courage to ask this question before, even avoiding it.

However, what had to be faced, had to be faced. Besides, she wanted to know the truth.

Nina hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I am."

Seeing Nina's expression, she didn't feel any joy, but rather some resistance.

Isabella asked, "Did you always know you were Lisa?"

Nina gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "It's been so long; how could I remember my name? I only remember the day I was abandoned."

"Abandoned?" Isabella's eyelashes trembled. "Wasn't it that you got separated?"

Nina lowered her eyes, the smile on her lips turning mocking. "Separated was just her excuse. She didn't want me and just left me behind!"