Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 296

"President Windham, your wife, she..." Katie choked back her sobs, trying to continue, but she couldn't make any sound. Her open mouth trembled, and even her breathing was filled with choking sounds. "What happened to her?" Brett asked cautiously, like touching a cracked mirror, as if it would shatter and fall apart at the slightest pressure.

"The villa caught fire, and she was burned to death inside... The first-floor bedroom collapsed, and she was trapped under the debris."

Brett's eyes lost focus, and he staggered out, feeling the cold wind blowing. He almost froze to death at that moment.

He looked up at the sky, with snowflakes falling on the corners of his eyes, which finally turned into hot tears running down his cheeks. His face looked ghastly like a devil, eyes bloodshot, and expression frozen.

Izabella was dead? No way.

He had mistreated her before, made her a vegetable, had her jumped from buildings, crashed cars, he had signed numerous critical condition forms for her, but she hadn't died. He had seen himself that her stomach cancer could be cured in a few months, how could Izabella die?

She must be angry, mad at him for getting engaged to Kaley, so she had worked with Katie to trick him.

The day before yesterday, she had said she wouldn't leave and would always stay by his side, so... how could she just abandon him?

The surroundings were crowded and noisy, but there was a moment when Brett thought he had gone deaf, unable to hear anything.

He found himself in an empty world, surrounded by darkness, desperately trying to find Izabella's silhouette, but he couldn't find it.

Brett tried to make a sound, scream, but his neck was choked by an invisible hand. The cold wind blew past his ears, and he stumbled forward for a moment, everything in front of him turned gray.

"Is Izabella having a tantrum at home? Give her the phone, so I can calm her down. Does she like the dessert here? I'll go buy it right away..." Brett finished in one breath, seeing no reaction on the phone, he choked up and cautiously asked, "Does she not want to answer the phone? That's okay... tell her I'll be back soon, and ask her to wait for me..."

Katie covered her mouth, looking at the fire that dyed half of the sky, and sobbed, "President Windham, she can't wait for you anymore..."

Listening to Katie's words, a feeling of desolation slowly seeped from the bottom of Brett's heart.

"She can't even move her legs, how can she not wait for me?"

Katie choked on her words, "It's because she can't move her legs that she was trapped in the bedroom. The fire burst in, and she couldn't escape..." Katie's words were like a heavy blow to his heart. He clutched his chest, and the intense sense of suffocation was driving him crazy.

"President Windham... you better come back and see for yourself."

The call ended, and Brett stood there dumbfounded, his eyes empty and lifeless, like an old machine, losing its reaction speed. Suddenly, he rushed out like a madman in the bone-chilling wind, his face frozen numb.

"President Windham, where are you going?"

"Mr. Windham?"

"What's the hurry? Is there an emergency?"

"The original engagement scene turned into a farce, with the fiancée cheating and a fire breaking out somewhere. What an unlucky day."

Brett's bloodshot eyes frightened many people. He rushed to his car, not caring about anything else. All he wanted was to go back and see Izabella.

He wouldn't believe the video, wouldn't believe Nathaniel, and certainly wouldn't believe Katie. Izabella must be waiting for him safely at home, holding their cat.

Brett's face was exhausted as he drove at breakneck speed, running red lights, and even rear-ending others. It took him two hours to get back to the villa, where every minute and every second was filled with struggle. He hoped everything that happened today was just a nightmare, that Izabella would still be by his side when he woke up.

Brett's lips lost color from fear, his teeth clenched, his jaw tight, like a patient with a terminal illness.

The villa's first floor had become a ruin, the surroundings chaotic, with caution tape cordoning off the area. Several fire trucks parked nearby with their emergency lights flashing, a red umbrella covered a small part of the sky amidst the heavy snow.

Yet, in Brett's eyes, all he could see was the first-floor bedroom. That room where Izabella had always stayed after breaking both her legs. He had decorated it according to her preferences - warm colors, sunflowers on the wall, full of vitality.

Now it had become a scene of disaster, with thick smoke billowing into the sky, merging with the foggy sky, as if it would collapse any moment.

Brett staggered out of the car, holding onto the door, his eyes stinging from the wind, forcing them open as his face was as cold as ice. As he touched it, he discovered that it wasn't ice, but tears flowing from his eyes.

It wasn't until this moment that Brett continued deceiving himself. Izabella must be fine; she's a good person. She would definitely be safe; maybe she had already come out, and there was no one in the debris. She was so strong, proud, and loved beauty and cleanliness. How could she tolerate being burned to death in a fire? That would be so painful...

Brett racked his brain for hopes of Izabella's survival, but none of them had hope. Izabella's hopes for survival were all destroyed by him.

She had no children, no family, and no lover... Since the first time he met her, Brett thought she was like a thorny rose. But after spending more time together, she seemed more like a cactus, covered with thorns and full of life.

But now, the cactus had lost all its thorns, soaked in the water of despair, its roots rotting away. The once strong cactus softened, becoming mushy with just a slight pinch...

...even the strongest life will eventually meet its end.

After getting out of the car, Brett's feet seemed to grow roots into the ground, unable to move a step.

The firefighters were cleaning up the scene, doing their best to dig Izabella out from the debris.

It was when he saw the charred, tattered, unrecognizable wheelchair thrown out of the debris that, in an instant, Brett felt as if his heart was ripped out alive.

A voice in his mind screamed for Izabella!

The atmosphere at the scene was tense and bustling with noise, while firefighters wearing protective gear handled the debris very carefully.

"Why is there a cat in here? Get out, this ain't a playground for you."

"This little kitty is covered in blood. It must've been injured during the blast. It's probably a pet from one of the families here."

A bloody cat cautiously crawled out from a corner that wasn't really noticeable. It's usually not afraid of people, but now it's all fluffed up, acting all defensive around these strangers.

The cat dodged the grasp of a few people trying to catch it and then bolted towards a pile of debris that had been excavated by the firefighters earlier. Its front paws were badly injured, but it didn't seem to feel any pain as it dug through the rubble while letting out heart-wrenching cries.

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