After receiving four bottles of saline, Isabella's fever subsided. However, the doctor said that she had a bacterial infection and inflammation in her body. Despite the temporary decline in fever, she still needed to stay in the hospital for two more days and receive two days of anti-inflammatory treatment.
In the evening, Nina Wilson, Isabella's sister, hurriedly pushed open the door. "Isabella, are you okay?"
When Isabella saw Nina, she wanted to cry. "I'm fine, sis."
"How did you get so seriously ill?" Nina looked at Isabella in concern.
The two of them had lost their parents at a young age. Nina, who was seven years older than Isabella, had been taking care of her for many years. They had a deep bond.
Isabella didn't want Nina to worry, so she held back her tears and said, "I might have caught a cold and gotten a fever last night. It's okay, I'm much better now."
Nina relaxed a little when she saw that Isabella seemed to be in good spirits. She turned to Vanessa, who was standing by the bed. "And you are?"
"Hello, I'm Vanessa, Isabella's colleague." Vanessa politely extended her hand and shook hands with Nina.
"Oh, were you the one who took Isabella to the hospital?"
"No," Vanessa shook her head. "Our boss brought Isabella to the hospital. I just stayed with her for a day."
"Thank you. Isabella is gentle, and she’s lucky to have a good colleague like you."
"You're too kind." Vanessa glanced at the time and speculated that Sebastian probably wouldn't come here, so she picked up her bag from the sofa. "Since you are here, please take care of Isabella. I'll head back."
Nina saw Vanessa out. When she came back, she asked Isabella, "That colleague of yours seems nice. Is she a new friend?"
Isabella shook her head, "We don't really talk to each other at work."
Vanessa was usually friendly, but she was closest to Laura in the department. Isabella was not fond of talking and only focused on her work in the company without socializing. She actually found it strange that Vanessa had been particularly enthusiastic toward her today.
"Well, she's really nice to stay with you here for a day."
"Yeah."
Isabella thought that she would have to find an opportunity to repay Vanessa. She doesn't like owing favors to other people.
Nina said the hospital was too noisy and it would be better to go back and rest at home. Isabella didn't find it noisy, but she felt a bit scared without Nina by her side, so she agreed.
As they walked out of the hospital, a gust of cool wind blew. Isabella felt a weight on her shoulders. Nina had draped her coat over her. Even though Nina was dressed lightly, she only cared about protecting Isabella. Isabella pursed her lips and quickened her pace to hail a taxi.
In the car, Isabella's brother-in-law, Charlie Wilson, called and said he had a dinner engagement in the evening and wouldn't be back until late, so they didn't have to wait for him to have dinner. Nina gave a few reminders, but Charlie impatiently responded with a couple of perfunctory sentences and hung up the phone.
Isabella held Nina's hand and said, "I want to have your cooking for dinner, Sis."
Nina smiled and replied, "Alright, I'll cook for you when we get home."
"Okay."
When they arrived home, Nina took Isabella into the bedroom, placed a pillow behind her back, poured her a cup of hot water, and anxiously touched her forehead. "You rest on this pillow, I'll go cook. It will be ready soon. If you need anything, just call me."
Isabella obediently nodded and said, "Okay."
Nina put on an apron and went to the kitchen to cook.
When Isabella heard the sounds coming from the kitchen, she lifted the blanket and got off the bed, quietly entering Nina's bedroom. She opened Nina's bedside table and easily found the abortion pills inside. She quickly glanced at the instructions on the pill box, plucked out two pills, and swallowed them.
After dinner, Isabella took a bath. As she stood in front of the mirror, her clothes discarded, she looked at the marks on her body and recalled the wild night before, still feeling a lingering fear.
Isabella didn't sleep soundly that night, probably because she had overslept during the day, or perhaps because she still felt unwell. In a dazed state, she heard arguing outside. She rubbed her forehead and got up, opening the bedroom door slightly.
The living room light was on, and a man's tie and socks were scattered on the floor. Charlie was lying on the couch, reeking of alcohol.
Nina was tidying up while saying, "I told you to drink less. If you keep drinking like this, you'll have a hangover again tomorrow..."
"You're so annoying. Do you think I want to drink like this? I'm only doing it for you, for this family, for your sister. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so exhausted."
Nina was annoyed and said, "Don't talk about Isabella."
"Why not?" Charlie's voice raised. "She spends my money. Why can't I talk about her? You spoil her too much!"
"Isabella has found a job. She's been paying for her own expenses since her freshman year. What do you mean she spends your money?" Nina defended Isabella.
Charlie pointed at her. "Fine! Then tell her to move out tomorrow. I can't stand seeing her!"
"Isabella is my sister, she’s my only family. She hasn't even graduated from college and she’s only just found a job. You can’t kick her out."
Charlie looked very angry. "This is my house, I bought it with my money, and I'm the one paying the mortgage every month. I have the final say. If I tell her to get lost, she has to get lost!"
"You..." Nina cried out of anger.
Charlie fell asleep, completely drunk.
After a while, Nina wiped away her tears and went to wake Charlie. "Go take a shower and go back to your room to sleep."
Isabella quietly closed the door and lay back on the bed, but she couldn't fall asleep for the rest of the night.
The next morning, she woke up early and made breakfast. She left an envelope and a note for Nina, then took her suitcase with her out of Nina's house.
Nina had married Charlie because of Isabella. Nina had always said that they had suffered a lot since they were women, and having a man at home would prevent anyone from picking on them. Nina didn't have much education and couldn't earn a lot of money from her small business. Nina’s dream was to own a house and settle down.
Charlie had an ordinary college degree and now worked for a publicly listed company. At first, he was a decent man, but he had become increasingly restless due to mounting pressure. He would come home drunk and start arguing with Nina.
Because of Isabella, Nina had to suppress her own emotions and compromise during every fight she had with Charlie.
Isabella knew that Nina still loved Charlie. There was love between them. She didn't want to be a burden to them. Moving out was also a way for them to have a better life.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor.
When the door opened, Isabella saw the person standing at the door. It was someone she didn't want to see.