Chapter 70

Chapter 70

At this point, Nora suddenly gasped heavily, then her hand slowly dropped down.

By the time Isabella realized what was happening, Nora had fallen unconscious again, and the monitoring equipment beside her began blaring sharp, piercing alarms.

The next second, doctors and nurses rushed in together to examine Nora.

Isabella stood there in a daze, tears still wet on her cheeks, her heart aching unbearably.

Nora had been awake for less than half an hour, but in that short time, every single thing she said was about Isabella.

Since Nora had told her what to do, she would of course follow Nora's words. Otherwise, the next time Nora woke up, she would only worry about her more.

"Ms. Taylor, your mother's vital signs are fine. She's just fallen unconscious again. As for when she'll wake up next, we can't say for sure. We'll do another head scan for your mother in a bit. As you know, there's a blood clot in her brain. Only when that clot clears up will she be able to fully wake up."

The doctor informed Isabella of the examination results, then had the nurses wheel Nora to the CT room, and asked Isabella to go pay the fees.

Isabella didn't dare delay for a moment. After paying, she waited right outside the CT room.

She waited for over an hour before the doctor finally came out.

"Ms. Taylor, just as I suspected, the blood clot in your mother's brain hasn't cleared up. In fact, it's gradually getting bigger. We need to operate as soon as possible to remove it. Otherwise, once the clot spreads beyond control, your mother will die from a massive brain hemorrhage."

What!

Isabella felt like she'd been struck by lightning, completely frozen in place.

Nora had just woken up moments ago, and now she was being told that she might die from a massive brain hemorrhage?

How could she possibly accept this?

A flash of urgency crossed Isabella's eyes.

"Doctor, what are the chances of a successful surgery? And how much will it cost?"

She did have quite a bit of money in her bank account, but she was worried the surgery costs would be high, and with the care costs afterward, it might still be tight.

But what she cared about more, of course, was the chance of surgical success.

The doctor looked at her deeply and shook his head helplessly.

"The success rate is less than 12%. As for the surgery costs, you don't need to worry—the hospital's foundation will cover everything."

In that moment, Isabella felt all the strength drain from her body.

Her back pressed heavily against the cold wall, a bone-chilling cold spreading up her spine.

Less than 12% success rate—this was basically a death sentence for Nora.

Isabella bit her lip and unconsciously clenched her fists. Even as her nails dug deep into her palms, drawing blood, she didn't notice.

Her tears broke free again, sliding down her pale cheeks and hitting the floor, spreading into small wet spots.

Finally, she slid down the wall powerlessly, burying her face in her knees, her shoulders shaking violently beyond her control.

Muffled sobs echoed through the empty hallway, but received not even a whisper of response.

She couldn't imagine life without Nora.

Nora's final words still rang in her ears—Nora had told her to take care of herself, not to suffer, to live happily. But now she couldn't even protect Nora's safety. She was so useless.

Isabella didn't know how long she sat in the hallway until a nurse came to remind her that she could wait in the hospital room. Only then did she numbly stand up.

Her legs had gone numb from sitting so long. Each step felt like walking on cotton, unsteady and weak.

When she reached the hospital room door, Isabella stared hard at the tightly closed door, as if by looking at it like this, she could wait for news of Nora waking up safely.

Meanwhile, at a high-end private club on the other side of the city, the atmosphere was completely different.

Amelia sat on a soft leather sofa, her fingertips gently stirring the coffee cup in front of her, unable to hide the anticipation and excitement in her eyes.

She had specifically asked Stanley to reach out and invite William over. For this meeting, she had spent a long time getting ready, putting on the white dress William had once casually mentioned liking, applying light, natural makeup, and styling her hair perfectly.

Even if William didn't have deep feelings for her, for the Martinez family's sake, he absolutely wouldn't refuse this invitation.

As long as she could spend time alone with him, she was confident she could make him see her good qualities and replace Isabella in his heart.

Stanley sat beside her, watching Amelia's dreamy expression, and shook his head helplessly.

"Amelia, I've already set up the meeting with William for you. But whether William will change his mind is uncertain. Even if he still refuses, don't be too upset."

There were so many good men in the world—surely there was someone better suited for Amelia. Why did she have to be so fixated on William?

Amelia blushed and lowered her head shyly, but the smile at the corners of her mouth was impossible to hide.

"I know, but I really do like William. As long as I can be with him, I'm willing to do anything."

Seeing Amelia's stubborn persistence, Stanley sighed inwardly.

If Amelia's personality weren't so obstinate, things wouldn't have gotten to this point.

Though he didn't like how William had let Amelia down, from another angle, wasn't this whole relationship just Amelia's one-sided infatuation?

Just then, the private room door opened, and William walked in wearing a black suit, his posture straight and tall.

He radiated an unapproachable, cold aura, his features stern, lips pressed thin, without any extra expression, as if he was just here to complete some trivial task.

The moment she saw William appear, Amelia immediately stood up, her face breaking into a gentle, sweet smile.

She stepped forward, wanting to link her arm through his like before.

"William, you're here! Stanley and I have been waiting for you!"

But William sidestepped her touch, his steps not pausing as he walked straight to the other side of the sofa and sat down, keeping a great distance from her. His tone was cold without a trace of warmth.

"Ms. Martinez, get to the point. I don't have time to waste."

Actually, he could guess that Stanley's sudden invitation was about Amelia, which was why he decided to come and make things completely clear, to avoid any more unnecessary misunderstandings.

Amelia's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on her face instantly stiffened.

She hadn't expected William to still show her no respect. She was the daughter of the Martinez family—why couldn't even this status earn her any special treatment from him?

Seeing Amelia hurt, Stanley's expression darkened.

He quickly stood up, staring at William with gloomy eyes, and spoke in a heavy voice.

"William, what kind of attitude is this? Amelia kindly invited you to meet, and this is how you act? And even if you don't appreciate Amelia's sincere feelings for you, there's no need to be this cold, is there?"