Chapter 4

Nathan walked upstairs and knocked softly on the door.

However, there was no cheerful response from Isabella as there used to be. His face darkened as he pushed the door open and approached the bedside, towering over the unmoving figure lying there.

"Isabella, why are you causing such trouble today? Do you know your Sis was feeling guilty because you ran away from home? In the future, try to be more sensible and don’t upset your Sis..."

Isabella lay on the bed, her face as desolate as a desert, devoid of any vitality. Nathan’s monologue felt increasingly pointless.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?"

The Isabella who usually flattered and fawned over him was acting mute today. Even someone as slow to notice emotions as Nathan could sense something was off.

He pulled back the blanket, and the stark red stains on the white bedsheet immediately caught his eye. They contrasted sharply with Isabella’s pale, bloodless skin.

"Isabella, why didn’t you tell us you were sick?"

A huge wave of panic surged within him. At that moment, he wholeheartedly believed the hypnotist’s diagnosis of Isabella’s depression. Holding her tremblingly in his arms, he said, “I’m sorry, I neglected you.”

He sincerely apologized.  

---

At the hospital, the doctor conducted a full examination of Isabella. Despite Nathan’s powerful status, the doctor couldn’t help but criticize him as the patient’s family.

"Mr. Hill, Mrs. Hill just had a kidney transplant, and now her wound is infected again. No matter how strong her body is, it can’t withstand this kind of strain!"

Nathan’s face remained tense. "I understand."

After receiving an IV drip, Isabella’s fever gradually subsided. Her vacant eyes began to regain focus. However, when she saw Nathan beside her, she reacted as if she had seen a beast. Her body shrank back instinctively.

"Why are you here?"

Her gaze was full of wariness, as though he were a dangerous predator.

Nathan blinked his tired eyes and stared at her repelling expression. His deep, dark eyes turned cold.

"I’m your husband. If I’m not here with you when you’re sick, where do you think I should be?"

Isabella discreetly reached for the syringe on the bedside table, her defensive instincts clear.

Noticing her fidgety hand, Nathan’s handsome face darkened. "You really don’t recognize me?"

Isabella nodded earnestly.

Nathan sighed, pulling her innocent, pure face closer. "Then look at me carefully. Remember your husband’s face because we’ll be living under the same roof every day from now on. I don’t want you to act like you have amnesia every time you see me."

Isabella hesitantly asked, "You’re saying we’re married? Do you have proof?"

Nathan felt speechless. He pulled out his phone and showed her a photo of their marriage certificate. "Take a good look. We’re legally married."

Isabella shifted further away, clearly rejecting him.

"Certificates can be forged."

Nathan sighed heavily, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. "What do you need me to do to prove it?"

"If we’re married, there should be plenty of evidence. Like... children? A wedding ring? Or maybe intimate photos of us?"

For a moment, Nathan was at a loss. He realized, painfully, that he hadn’t given her any of these things.  

"Isabella, I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to give you all of these in the future."

Isabella burst out angrily, "I knew it! You’re not my husband. My husband wouldn’t neglect me like this..."

---

At that moment, Victoria and Moore's father arrived. Victoria was in a wheelchair, pushed by their father.

As soon as they entered, Moore's father began scolding Isabella. "Isabella, how can you be so thoughtless? Running away from the hospital when you’re ill? Do you know how worried Nathan was searching for you? It serves you right that your wound got infected! You’re so irresponsible!"

Isabella looked at Moore's father blankly. Perhaps his reprimands irritated her, but Isabella retorted sharply, "Who do you think you are to lecture me? Even my biological parents never scolded me. Who are you to discipline me?"

Moore's father froze.

Her words hit him hard. Even though he was her biological father, he had never raised her. Did he really have the right to discipline her?  

"Nathan, what’s going on with her?"

"She’s lost her memory," Nathan replied flatly.

Moore's father was stunned. "Amnesia? So she doesn’t even recognize me as her father anymore?"

He seemed a little dejected.  

Nathan glanced at him and said, "She had a hypnotist deliberately erase you from her memory."

---

Victoria rolled her wheelchair closer to the bed and spoke earnestly, "I know you must feel resentful about giving me your kidney."

Hearing this, Isabella grew agitated. "What? Gave you my kidney? Why would I do that? Without it, I won’t be okay either!"

Seeing her reaction, Nathan realized the kidney donation had left a deep scar in Isabella’s heart.  

"Victoria, don’t bring this up in front of her again," Nathan cautioned.

Trying to shift the subject, Victoria pleaded tearfully, "I truly love Nathan. Please let him go. Without him, I can’t live. Please, for my sake, divorce him and let us be together."

Hearing this, Nathan’s face grew unreadable. He gazed quietly at Isabella, waiting for her response.