To Prove Her Love, She Risked Half Her Life
1067 Words
Watching Bella, pallid and distraught, stumble into the room, Emily rushed to her aid.
“What’s wrong?”
Emily's face was etched with concern as she studied Bella's ghastly complexion. “You look terrible.”
“Emily, the fertilization failed,” Bella confessed to her only confidante, her eyes brimming with tears.
The blow of the failed attempt was too much for her to bear. Amy’s time was running out, and if she couldn’t conceive again, she might lose her daughter forever.
“Bella, don’t panic,” Emily soothed the frantic woman before her. After a moment of thought, she hesitantly suggested, “Why don’t you just tell Luke? Let him come over for a bone marrow match. If he’s compatible with Amy, you won’t have to go through the trouble of getting pregnant.”
“No way!”
Bella rejected the idea without a second thought. “I can’t tell Luke.”
Her face was a picture of panic, like a mother fearing the loss of her young, “I can’t lose Amy, Emily.”
If Amy Clarke’s true parentage came to light, the Harper family would never allow her to remain exposed. Bella no longer held the untouchable status of the Clarke family's eldest daughter – the one who commanded respect and a bowed head from everyone she met. Now, she was penniless. If it came to a fight, she wouldn’t stand a chance against Luke.
Seeing Bella's extreme reaction, Emily quickly tried to calm her, “Okay, okay, we won’t tell him.”
Once Bella had regained her composure, Emily asked, “What will you do now?”
“The doctors gave you a year, and you’ve already wasted half a month. You can’t delay any longer; Amy’s illness won’t wait.”
The calmer Bella wasn’t as frantic as before. “I need to go back to North City,” she told Emily. No matter what, she had to try again for Amy. Only a child by Luke could save her.
As soon as Emily heard this, she knew Bella was planning to see Luke again. She couldn’t help but say, “Bella, have you ever thought of telling Luke the reason for your disappearance back then?”
“If you just tell him, I'm sure he would understand.”
Emily was confident, but Bella simply smiled wistfully, “And what would that change?”
She lamented, “The truth is, when I disappeared from his life, it was Sophia who gave up her status as the Lu family's daughter to face adversity with him.”
Emily began to interject, “But you disappeared because you…”
“It’s too late,” Bella cut her off, “The moment I wasn’t there when he needed me, and Sophia was, I lost.”
“And what about you?” Emily fired back, her temper rising. “Sophia might have done a lot for Luke, but have you done any less, Bella?”
“Two years ago, wasn’t it you who drank and laughed along with them, nearly losing half your life? Without you, could Luke have secured that new energy project and risen again so quickly?”
Emily truly felt for Bella, “Sophia knew how to win Luke’s sympathy. Why do you insist on hiding your sacrifices?”
“You’re tailoring a wedding dress for someone else, letting yourself suffer!”
“I don’t feel aggrieved,” Bella responded, “I didn’t do all this to please anyone. I just felt that lending a hand was the right thing to do.”
“And besides, as you know, I'm not one to share.”
Bella’s gaze dropped, her eyes reflecting a deep sadness and loneliness, “I can’t stand a Luke whose heart has room for someone else.”
Emily was left speechless.
“When are you heading back?” she finally asked.
“In about a week,” Bella replied. Her period was about to start. Going back now would be a waste of time.
“Then spend some time with Amy. You won't be back quickly this time, and Amy will miss you.”
“Mm.”
-
A month later, returning to North City, Bella felt a chill in the air. Dressed too thinly, she shivered uncontrollably. Setting her suitcase down, she decided to find a coat to wear. Her postpartum recovery had been poor, and now she was extremely sensitive to the cold.
As Bella crouched to search for her coat, a careless foot kicked her suitcase. Looking up from her disheveled luggage, Bella saw Chris Johnson—Luke's childhood friend—hang up his phone and apologize, his face contorting with disdain upon recognizing her.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Clarke,” Chris sneered, harboring deep resentment for how Bella had "abandoned" Luke five years ago. “What brings you from Yicheng to our North City?”
Bella ignored Chris, wrapping herself with the found coat and straightening her tipped suitcase. Rising to her feet, she was ready to leave when he grabbed her arm.
“Bella, don’t you think you owe Luke an explanation?” Chris demanded.
“What is there to explain?” Bella’s voice was detached as she shook off his grip.
Chris’s anger flared at Bella’s indifference and apparent lack of remorse, “Back then, Luke was completely devoted to you. And when Mr. Howe was in trouble, you ran faster than anyone. How could you be so heartless!”
He had secretly hoped Bella would offer an excuse for her past actions. If only she would say so, he would believe her and help explain to Luke.
But Bella just smiled faintly, seemingly reading Chris’s thoughts, “People are self-serving, and I see nothing wrong with protecting oneself.”
Before she could finish, her attention was snagged by a striking couple approaching.
“You...”
Bella's words left Chris fuming. Nearby, Luke, whose expression was already cold, seemed to grow even icier upon hearing Bella’s response.
Seeing Chris in a fury, Luke called out, “Chris, what are you doing? Let’s go.”
Hearing Luke’s voice, Chris shot Bella a venomous glare, “Bella, a woman like you, who can only share the good times but not the bad, doesn’t deserve Luke!”
Bella didn’t respond. Her gaze drifted to where Luke stood next to Sophia, her grip on her suitcase tightening involuntarily.
- Writer
