Chapter 153: The Mummy
On her way home, Isabella bought plenty of groceries, planning to cook an elaborate dinner tonight.
She had just gotten home and put on her apron when the doorbell rang before she could even start cooking.
"Who is it?" Mary went to answer the door.
Isabella didn't hear any more sounds and closed the kitchen door, beginning to prep the ingredients.
Then she heard Mary shouting from the doorway: "Ms. Capulet, someone here to see you!"
To see her? Isabella took off her gloves and thought carefully—she couldn't remember ordering takeout or expecting any deliveries today.
But she still went to the door to check, and when she saw William's face, she immediately grabbed the door handle and pulled Mary's hand to close the door.
"From now on, when this man comes over, don't open the door!" Isabella said sternly.
First Laura, now William—one after the other, as if they'd coordinated to bother Isabella over these trivial matters.
They might not be annoyed, but Isabella certainly was.
William reacted quickly, too, pushing back against the door and forcing it open again.
"Nathan's already in the hospital because of you, and you won't even go see him?"
William could barely contain his fury, unleashing it the moment he saw Isabella.
He'd never seen such an irresponsible mother!
Isabella laughed bitterly: "Laura told you I hit Nathan?"
"If you didn't lay a hand on him, why would Nathan end up in the hospital for no reason?"
William's eyes were cold and stern, filled with distrust and suspicion toward Isabella.
Looking further into the house, he could see bags of fruits and vegetables on the dining table.
They were having a feast tonight while Nathan lay in the hospital.
This comparison made William even more convinced Isabella had done something wrong and was refusing to admit it.
"Nathan is your child—how can your heart be so cold that you don't even care about him?"
"Why don't you ask how cold Nathan's heart is? Calling another woman 'mom' and repeatedly saying I don't deserve to be his mother—how come no one cares about my feelings?" Isabella stood in the doorway arguing with William.
In their six years of marriage, Isabella could count on her fingers the opportunities she'd had to actually talk with William.
Who would have thought that once they divorced, they'd be fighting every day?
William grabbed Isabella's wrist directly, dragging her out of the house without explanation.
"Is that your excuse for hitting him?"
"Laura can say anything, and you'll believe her unconditionally? Well, I say Laura's the one who put Nathan in the hospital."
Isabella had already seen at the restaurant that Nathan had a red, swollen bump on his forehead. When he was little, he'd had plenty of bumps and bruises. This level of injury would heal in two or three days at most.
It looked scary but wasn't actually serious—didn't even require hospitalization.
When Nathan and Olivia were just learning to walk, they fell down everywhere constantly. Isabella used to worry and rush to the hospital for checkups every time.
Later, she became immune to it. For children's external injuries, she could basically tell at a glance whether a hospital visit was needed.
In the end, she was still dragged into William's car. Even sitting in the same vehicle, she pressed herself against the car door, trying to stay as far from William as possible.
To avoid Laura seeing them together and starting another fight.
The emergency room was always the busiest department in any hospital. Walking in, she could hear the constant beeping of ventilators and heart monitors—very irritating sounds.
Isabella scanned the area but couldn't find Nathan's bed.
William went to ask the charge nurse at the station.
The nurse looked at them curiously, then searched the computer for information.
"He's been transferred to the pediatric ward, room 3106."
Walking away from the nurses' station, Isabella vaguely heard several young nurses whispering among themselves.
Their voices were too quiet for Isabella to focus on what they were saying.
"When we go in, show some concern for Nathan," William instructed Isabella while they stood in the elevator.
Isabella rolled her eyes: "When he was five months old with a high fever, I stayed by his bedside without sleep for two nights straight. You don't need to teach me how to be a mother."
When the child grew up, could run and jump, became sensible—that's when William jumped in, bringing some inexplicable woman from nowhere to try to replace her as the mother.
What was even more amazing was that he'd actually succeeded.
Thinking about this, Isabella found it all very theatrical and struggled to care about Nathan the way she used to.
Laura had gotten Nathan a private room, which cost a fortune. Because of the expensive fees, there were basically no other people around, and each room had its own dedicated nurse.
Walking in, Isabella immediately saw Nathan's head wrapped completely in bandages, his chubby little face squeezed into a round shape by all the gauze.
He was watching TV while Laura peeled an apple for him. The scene looked both pitiful and ridiculous.
Isabella was certain that, based on Nathan's injury she'd witnessed, there was absolutely no need to bandage him up like this.
If the problem were more serious—if his brain were injured—he'd probably be in the ICU or rushed into surgery by now.
How could he be casually watching TV like this?
Isabella covered her mouth and laughed softly, her words dripping with sarcasm: "Which pyramid did this mummy escape from? Should I call the pharaoh's guards?"
Nathan immediately huffed and nearly jumped out of the hospital bed, but Laura was quick to hold him down.
William turned back to look at Isabella with displeasure.
Laura put down the fruit knife, gazing at Isabella with disappointed eyes.
"Isabella, how can you be like this? Nathan's already in the hospital because of you—even if you have complaints, shouldn't you forgive him by now? He's just a child, after all."
If outsiders saw this scene, they'd think Isabella was the evil stepmother.
That Laura was the one being bullied, Nathan's real mother.
Nathan, on the bed, leaned back and coldly huffed at Isabella again.
"Get out! I never want to see you again!"
Isabella couldn't have asked for better.
But she was also curious about why Laura had disguised Nathan to look like his condition was so serious.
Was it to play the victim in front of William? Or simply to tarnish Isabella's image?
Isabella was genuinely intrigued.
After a moment's thought, she crossed her arms and stood to the side.
"What if I don't leave?"