Twisted Ties of Love

Bella's Bay was a project Brett started for his beloved wife, Izabella, and it gained a reputation even before it was fully built. Brett poured a chunk of money into it.

For the three years after Izabella passed away, Brett put most of his energy into this project. He knew Izabella loved donuts, so he had the designers incorporate a lot of donut elements into the design. If Izabella loved sweets, then he would design the amusement park to resemble a candy house from a fairy tale.

The whole project took three years to complete. Brett often visited R City, and the places he frequented the most were a small villa where he and Izabella lived for four years, a noodle shop that Izabella loved, and of course, the amusement park.

He often came at night, when the park was already closed. It was quiet, with only the sound of the wind. He would sit under the Ferris wheel, reminiscing about the past. Sometimes he would hallucinate, feeling as if Izabella was still by his side, never having left.

Casey just randomly picked an amusement park. He liked the name and thought it would be fun to take Izabella there, oblivious to all the stories behind it.

The most common comments from the netizens was that this place was perfect for a date.

"Let's go here, shall we?" Casey enlarged the introduction picture of the amusement park on his phone and showed it to Izabella.

His face was calm, his eyes shining, eagerly waiting for Izabella's answer.

He was waiting for Izabella's answer, wanting to go on a date with her, have dinner with her, and, if possible, coax her to come home with him.

Home, what a beautiful word! He had already prepared the spare keys. Once Izabella agreed, he would give her the keys and add her fingerprint to the lock system so that she could enter his home at any time.

Everything seemed so smooth in his mind; it made his heart beat faster. His mind was filled with fantasies.

The first step was always the hardest; the waiting process felt so long that a second felt like a minute. Casey's breathing even slowed down. He looked like a puppy waiting for its owner to take it for a walk. At first, Izabella thought she was mistaken until she saw the location on the map.

Bella's Bay was originally called Starry Brilliance Island. After Brett bought the island, he changed its name.

She remembered how Brett had asked her in front of the reporters if she was moved.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

As Izabella recalled the hilarious scene, the corners of her mouth curled up in an ironic smile.

Everything in this world was interconnected; every action had a reaction.

The words Brett said in front of the media back then made Nathaniel mistakenly believe that she knew about the mines on Starry Brilliance Island.

Her fingers were broken, and her body was covered in scars. As a result, Ryker's body couldn't be preserved intact.

Did she resent it?

How could she not?

During their marriage, Brett didn't give her much. The ring size wasn't right, and he said he would transfer Starry Brilliance Island to her name, but it was actually a distraction.

He had only used her from the beginning; even when she was covered in scars, she couldn't get a shred of sincerity from him.

"I hate it." She hated the person who built this park even more.

Casey didn't expect that after all this time he would get Izabella's dislike.

He awkwardly put down his phone. "Then we,"

Before he could finish his sentence, Izabella interrupted him, saying, "I said I don't like this place; it has nothing to do with you. Let's not go to the amusement park; it's getting late, and there's nothing fun there, and I have a cat with me."

Casey pondered over Izabella's words.

If Izabella didn't like the amusement park, then she just didn't like it. But she specifically explained that it had nothing to do with him.

"I don't like this place; it has nothing to do with you."

If her dislike for this amusement park had nothing to do with him, then did that mean she liked him?

Casey couldn't help but smile. Izabella watched his changing expressions, puzzled.

She found that Casey was very emotional; one moment he was sulking, and the next he was all smiles.

Being constantly watched by Casey's beautiful eyes was quite pressuring; it was hard to ignore him. "Do you want to go home?"

If Izabella wanted to go home, he would drive her home. Maybe he could even go inside and linger until it was late; maybe he could stay the night.

He insisted on having Izabella come home with him, but he wouldn't mind going to her place either.

After thinking for a while, Izabella said, "There's a park nearby; we can go sit there."

"Alright."

Although Izabella was more familiar with R City, what she didn't know was that during the three years after her death, this ordinary park had become a meeting place for the local elderly.

As soon as Izabella walked in, she noticed something was off. The park was full of elderly men and women. A bunch of strangers gathered together, discussing their sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters.

"What does your daughter do?"

"She's just a regular designer; she recently got a certificate, and her boss gave her a raise. What about your son?"

"My son is still in grad school."

"He's still studying? That must cost a lot, right?"

"As long as he can study, let him study. He pays his own tuition; we don't interfere."

"Okay. Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Not yet; he's just focused on his work. How old is your daughter?"

"She's 27."

"Older than my son? But I think they get along well. Has your daughter ever considered dating a younger guy?" "That depends on her."

"Don't worry, my son already has a house; it's nearby. It's not good for a daughter to marry far away, and it's not convenient to ask for help in case of difficulties. And it's also a hassle to come back during the holidays."

"I think so too, so I came here to see if there were suitable young men to introduce to my daughter."

Izabella walked in with such conversations filling her ears.

"You two are looking for partners?" A middle-aged woman casually asked as she walked by.

Casey's face heated up under his mask. He glanced at Izabella, who nonchalantly shook her head.

Izabella's eyelashes were long, fluttering like a tiny fan when she lowered her eyes. It was tempting to reach out and touch them, but he resisted the urge.

To his surprise, the woman's eyes lit up when Izabella shook her head.

"I get it; you guys must be siblings, right?" The lady rubbed her hands together, her eyes gleaming like a wolf that had spotted a lamb. She gave Izabella a quick once-over.

Even though her face was obscured, the sparkle in her eyes was enough to tell that she was a stunner.

"Miss, I can tell you're single just by looking at you. Are you interested in getting a boyfriend? My son is a real catch," the woman said, assuming they couldn't possibly be a couple. After all, what kind of couple would choose such a boring place for a date?

This was the first time Izabella had encountered such a situation, and she felt embarrassed. Just when she was trying to figure out how to politely decline the woman's offer, Casey took her by the hand. "Sorry, ma'am, she already has a boyfriend."

Without waiting for a response, Casey led Izabella away to a less crowded spot. If his mask was off, one could see his reddening ears and the nervous glint in his eyes.

Her hand-why was it so small? And soft.

Izabella had to trot to keep up with Casey's long strides.

She had been working out regularly, running for an hour every morning. She wasn't tired; she just worried about whether Nikki in her bag was comfortable.

"Chill, no one's chasing us. Why are you rushing?"

Casey glanced back instinctively, then fixed his gaze on Izabella.

He gave Izabella's hand a quick squeeze, as if realizing something, but he didn't let go.

Izabella looked down at their intertwined hands. She moved her fingers slightly, prompting Casey to finally let go.

"Let's find a place to sit."

Casey nodded, this time matching his pace with Izabella. He kept stealing glances at her profile.

They sat in a deserted pavilion, where Izabella let Nikki out of her bag.

Nikki was shy and not fond of human interaction. Any slight movement would cause her to tremble.

The moment Izabella held her, she curled up into her.

"Can I hold her?"

This was the first time anyone had asked to hold Nikki.

Nikki was proud and had become timid after realizing her appearance was no longer adorable. She was not as lively and outgoing as before.

She could sense the looks people gave her—not the adoring looks she used to get but ones filled with disgust, revulsion, or pity.

In Nikki's mind, she didn't need anyone else. Izabella was all she needed.

Hearing Casey's voice, Nikki's ears twitched, but her head stayed buried in Izabella's arms.

"It depends on her. You can try coaxing her."

Coaxing? That was something he was terrible at. He could hardly coax people, let alone a cat.

Izabella took out some of Nikki's favorite treats. "Try using these."

Casey took them, looking hopefully at Nikki, who was hiding in Izabella's arms. "Nikki, I have some delicious treats here. Come out; don't hide in your mom's arms."

Casey was patient, standing, crouching, and finally bending over to get closer to Nikki.

He was so close to Izabella that he could smell her scent and hear her breathing.

After five minutes with no reaction from Nikki, Izabella gently stroked her head. "Don't be afraid; he genuinely likes you. Want to take a look?"

With Izabella's reassurance, Nikki finally peeked her head out, reflecting Casey's face in her eyes.

He took off his mask, revealing a warm smile similar to Izabella's. Most importantly, his gaze was devoid of the disgust and pity others usually showed Nikki.

Nikki took a look and retreated back into Izabella's arms. But unlike before, her body wasn't trembling, and she wasn't as nervous.

"Did I fail?"

"Wait." Izabella gently turned Nikki to face Casey, and this time Nikki didn't shy away.

"Try touching her. If she doesn't move away, you can hold her."

Casey slowly extended his hand, letting it hover near Nikki's nose, as if letting her get used to his scent. After a moment, he gently stroked her fluffy head.

He handled her as if she were a fragile treasure, barely breathing throughout the entire process. Seeing that Nikki didn't flinch, Casey couldn't help but grin, showing off his tiger teeth.

"She didn't move away."