Chapter 236

They found a room and had Marvin examine Leo. Marvin said that the injuries were minor. As for the wounds on Leo's face and hands, they had been tended to as well.

When Leo opened his eyes, Isabella was standing by the bed, looking at him.

After a couple of seconds, Leo suddenly sat up and tried to grab Isabella, but she reacted faster and dodged his grasp.

"Bella." Leo frowned, his expression pained. He raised his hand to touch the wound on his face, recalling the events of the previous night, and his frown deepened.

Isabella stood at a distance, watching him. "Why did you self-harm?"

It took Leo a long moment to lower his hand. "I have claustrophobia."

Isabella was skeptical of his words.

Seeing her expression, Leo gave a self-mocking smile. "When I was a kid, Kevin used to lock me in a dark room. There was no light at all. Even the windows were nailed shut. Bella, have you ever experienced that kind of despair?"

Leo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Being alone in that darkness, you can't see anything, but it feels like countless eyes are watching you. There's no sound, but it feels like many people are chattering noisily, yet you can't make out a single word. Bella, I was so scared."

Isabella was silent for a few seconds and then said, "But last night, they just locked you in a room. There were doors, windows, and light. It wasn't a claustrophobic space."

In short, even if Leo really had claustrophobia, it wouldn't have been triggered by the situation last night.

Leo was stunned. Then he laughed helplessly. "Bella, you're too smart. It's really hard to gain your sympathy."

Isabella was a bit speechless. "It's not that I'm smart; it's that your lie is too clumsy."

Leo lay back down on the bed, his gaze calmly fixed on Isabella's face."You were with Sebastian last night. You were together all night."

Isabella didn't respond.

Leo laughed again. "Looks like we won't be getting married."

"I never intended to marry you from the beginning. You should know that." Isabella said.

"But I was serious," Leo said softly, then gave a bitter smile. "Isabella, why does God always treat me this way? Why is it that the things I desperately strive for always remain out of my reach?"

Leo's gaze was direct, but Isabella's heart remained unmoved.

"Do you want to know the answer?" Isabella asked.

Leo nodded lightly.

"Because they harbor evil intentions," Isabella said as she walked over to the window, pulling back the curtains to let in the light from outside. "Nina told me that. When I was a kid, I stole something, and Nina found out. She smacked my palms with a ruler until they were swollen. That's when she told me that people who harbor evil intentions can never stand tall. Even if they manage to get something through dirty means, they're bound to face backlash sooner or later. So whatever you think you've gained is just temporary; in the end, it won't really belong to you."

Leo laughed softly. "That story is kind of funny."

Isabella looked at him.

After he had laughed enough, Isabella spoke, "Leo, cooperate with me."

Leo remained silent.

Isabella walked to the foot of the bed, looking directly into his eyes. "Help me get evidence of Charles' crimes. When I find Sweetie, I won't hold you accountable for what you've done before."

Leo's eyes wavered. "You want me to bring down Charles, help you find Sweetie, and then watch you reunite with your family? Isabella, why do you think I would help you?"

Isabella said, "Because of how I feel about you.

"The first time I met you, I knew you weren't a bad person."

Leo froze. He lowered his eyes and was at a loss for words.

Isabella's voice softened. "Leo, although I don't know what you've been through in the Anderson family, I believe you still have conscience. If you're willing to help me..."

"Don't even think about it." Leo suddenly interrupted Isabella, "Isabella, I won't help you!"

Isabella wanted to say something, but he interrupted her again, "Everything I have now was given by Charles. Although sometimes I find his methods despicable, I'm on his side now. If he is overthrown, my good days will be over too. So, Isabella, I won't help you!"

The wedding was canceled.

Although the gossip about Isabella and Sebastian was kept under wraps, the paparazzi managed to capture and leak images of Leo at his door. Now, news about Leo and Emily's pre-marital affair was everywhere.

Sebastian had people scouring the entire city for Sweetie, and Zaire and Richard were putting in every effort to help, but there were no leads.

Isabella's sleep quality deteriorated rapidly; Sweetie had become her constant torment. She would often wake up in the middle of the night, hearing Sweetie's cries in her ears, only to sit huddled with her knees drawn to her chest until dawn.

Within a week, Isabella fell ill.

After a brief fainting spell, Isabella woke up to see Marvin drawing several vials of blood from her. Sebastian stood nearby, gripping his cane tightly, his expression anxious. "How is she?"

Marvin was about to speak when he noticed Isabella had woken up. "You two talk. I'll go run some tests."

With that, he left.

Sebastian stumbled clumsily towards the bedside, touched Isabella's fingers, and immediately held them tightly. "Bella?"

Sebastian adapted quickly. Although he had only been blind for a little over a month, he no longer stumbled around. Isabella's heart ached as she responded, "Yes."

"How do you feel now? Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?" Sebastian was full of tension, frustrated that he couldn't see Isabella's current state.

"I'm fine," Isabella reassured him, "I just feel a bit uncomfortable from sleeping too long. I want to sit up."

"I'll help you." Sebastian fumbled to help Isabella sit up and placed a pillow behind her back. But as he withdrew his hand, he accidentally knocked over a water cup on the bedside table.

The water spilled everywhere. In his panic, Sebastian lunged for it, but his sudden movement sent the glass crashing to the floor instead.

The sound of breaking porcelain echoed in the bedroom.

Sebastian froze, his expression dejected.

"It's okay, " Isabella quickly comforted him.

Sebastian bent down to clean up the mess, but his fingers grazed the sharp edge of the broken glass, cutting a deep gash into his skin. Blood began to pour out.

"Sebastian!" Isabella, forgetting about herself, grabbed his arm and used several tissues to stop the bleeding.

But the tissues couldn't stop the blood, and they quickly became soaked with bright red.

Sebastian remained silent.

The atmosphere in the room thickened with an unspoken tension. The only sound was the rustle of Isabella's frantic tissue pulling.

Her gaze fell on the blood-soaked tissues, and all the emotions she had been holding back finally erupted.