Chapter 174 Abrupt Decline of the Mind
Isabella's heart twisted with regret. If she could live her life over, she would never have fallen for William. She would only want Beatrice back.
"There now, I don't know what you've been through, but seeing you cry like this breaks my heart too."
The gate swung open. Donny appeared, moving fast. Thalia had called him, and he had driven straight here. The moment he stepped inside and saw Isabella sitting on the bench, pale as death, his stomach sank. He crossed the yard in quick strides.
"Isabella, what happened?"
He had asked Thalia, but she had not been able to explain. He had not had time to press her. He had just come. Now, seeing Isabella like this, he knew it was bad.
He took a breath and asked, "Have you been taking your medication these past two days?"
Isabella had forgotten. It was not deliberate.
Every morning she woke up, she told herself to remember. But her memory was slippery. Things she had just thought of would vanish a moment later.
Donny sighed softly. "You cannot skip your meds. I brought some. Take them now."
John had warned him about this. Patients like Isabella often forgot their medication—not on purpose, but because their subconscious simply bypassed it. They needed someone watching over them.
So Donny had asked John to prepare an extra supply, in case something like this happened.
Isabella stared at the pills in his hand. Her gaze hardened.
She did not want to take anything right now.
Donny frowned and handed the pills to Hermione, his tone steady. "Hermione, she listens to you. Please."
Hermione's face creased with worry. "Isabella's sick? What's going on?"
Donny gave her a look. Not now. First, get Isabella to take the medication. Stabilize her.
Hermione saw the gravity in his expression. Her unease deepened. She took the pills and placed them gently in front of Isabella.
"Isabella, do you remember when you were little and would not take your medicine? You would run to my house and hide. Your grandmother would be at home crying."
Isabella's eyes flickered. Hermione continued softly, "Your grandmother is watching over you from heaven. She was always so afraid when you got sick. If she saw you refusing medicine now, how worried she would be."
The words struck the softest part of Isabella's heart. The thing she feared most was worrying Anneliese Harper.
Hermione placed the pill in her palm, her voice gentle but firm. "Take the medicine so you can get better. You need your strength to rebuild the cottage. If something happens to you, who will look after it?"
At the mention of Anneliese, Isabella's tears spilled over again, rolling down onto her hand. She opened her mouth. Hermione placed the pill on her tongue and handed her the water. Isabella swallowed, her throat constricting with bitterness, sobs trapped in her chest.
Her shoulders shook. Her whole body trembled.
"When Grandma died, I was not there…" she whispered, her voice breaking. Anneliese's death was another wound, deep and raw. "I did not take care of her. I did not protect the cottage. I cannot do anything right…"
And she had lost her beloved sister. She was beyond forgiveness.
Hermione wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her back. "Sweetheart, it is not your fault. Anneliese passed peacefully. The cottage is being rebuilt. She can see the new house from heaven. You have done enough."
Isabella leaned into Hermione's embrace. The familiar scent reminded her of Anneliese. She could not stop crying.
Hermione did not try to stop her. She just held her, letting her cry it out. Some things buried inside needed to be released through tears.
"Good girl. Cry. Let it out."
Isabella cried until her voice went hoarse. Until her body went limp. Her consciousness began to blur. She kept seeing Anneliese's smiling face, hearing her call her name.
But beside those smiles, William's cold expression appeared. Juniper's mocking laugh. The images tangled together, making her head throb.
Donny stood nearby, watching her, his eyes full of pain. There was nothing he could do. He waited silently until she cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep in Hermione's arms. Then he spoke to Hermione in a low voice.
He still did not know what Isabella had been through. Why her condition had deteriorated so suddenly.
Thalia would know. He stepped out of the yard and called her.
Thalia saw the incoming call and answered heavily, exhaustion in her voice. "Did you find Isabella?"
"She is at Hermione's. Thalia, what happened? She ran back here completely out of control."
Thalia sighed, as if the words were hard to say. "I do not know how to explain… Someone recorded a video. You should just watch it."
"A video?" Donny frowned. He had noticed something strange. Isabella was not a public figure, but every incident involving her ended up online. Someone was deliberately promoting them. The comment sections were filled with curses and abuse.
Someone was smearing her on purpose.
Who was behind this sustained campaign against her? Donny resolved to find out.
"I will watch it now."
Thalia let out a long breath. "Donny, what you told me before, I understand now. If no one saves Isabella, she might… Anyway, if you need my help, I am with you all the way."
She could not even bear to recall what she had witnessed. As an observer, she had nearly broken down. She could not imagine what it had been like for Isabella.
Donny heard the weight in her voice. It confirmed how serious this was.
"Thank you. I will be in touch."
He hung up. His heart sank like a stone. He did not have the courage to watch the video. But he had to.
When he opened the news on his phone, he was shocked to see Isabella's incident trending.
He clicked on the first video. On screen, Isabella attacked Juniper in a rage, her hands locked around Juniper's throat, refusing to let go.
That was strange. Isabella's condition should not make her attack people unprovoked. And Juniper was her cousin. She had never used such force.
But the look in Isabella's eyes as she stared at Juniper burned with unmistakable hatred. And that loss of control in Juniper's presence—there had to be a reason.
He remembered Isabella being sent to Blackthorn Compound for punishment. That had also been because of Juniper.
What role was this woman playing between them?
Did Isabella's illness have something to do with her?
Donny clicked on another video. On screen, Isabella knelt on the floor like an animal driven to utter humiliation. At the end, she was forced to lower her head, about to press her lips to the tip of Juniper's shoe.
In that moment, Donny's eyes blazed with rage.