Chapter 364
In her dream, Isabella found herself enveloped in a thick, white fog. She saw the figures of her grandparents slowly approaching, leaning on each other for support.
Even though they were close, her grandfather's voice seemed to come from another realm.
"Isabella, don't be afraid. Everything will get better. You need to find your own happiness," he said.
And with that, he vanished.
Isabella stood there, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
She nodded gently, "I will be happy, Grandpa."
As long as she completely separated from Michael, she could start a new life.
When she woke up, Isabella touched the tears still on her face, the dream lingering in her mind as if her grandfather had really been there.
Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door.
Cinda's voice came through, "Ms. Taylor, are you in there? There's a lady downstairs who says she's Mrs. Brown and wants to see you."
Isabella frowned. Stella?
Why would she come here?
But whatever the reason, Isabella didn't want to see her.
Not just her, she didn't want to see anyone from the Brown family, especially Michael.
"Tell her I'm not available. Please ask her to leave."
She and Michael would soon no longer be married; the divorce was just a matter of time. There was no need to get entangled with his family anymore.
Besides, from what she remembered, Stella wasn't exactly a pleasant person.
If they ended up arguing downstairs, it would only cause her more stress.
And if Atticus got involved, it would be even more troublesome.
The best solution was to avoid her altogether.
"Yes, Ms. Taylor."
Cinda turned and went downstairs.
A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door.
This time, Isabella opened it and let Cinda in. Cinda said, "Ms. Taylor, Mrs. Brown has left, but she left a lot of supplements downstairs and asked me to pass on a message."
Isabella was surprised. "What did she say?"
"Mrs. Brown said she understands your sadness and that no matter what happens, your health should come first."
Isabella was stunned by these words.
She couldn't believe they came from Stella.
Stella had never shown such concern for her, not in the three years of their marriage, and certainly not after she moved out.
Why the sudden change?
Isabella looked at Cinda in disbelief. "She didn't say anything else?"
Cinda thought for a moment and nodded. "No, just that you should take care of yourself. That's all."
Seeing Isabella's strange expression, Cinda also found it odd. "Ms. Taylor, was she not good to you before?"
Isabella pressed her lips together, not wanting to involve the child.
She felt that after three years of being mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, there was no need to slander each other now that they were getting divorced.
"It's nothing. I just didn't expect her to say something like that."
Given Stella's usual behavior, she would have been eager for Isabella to stay far away from her son or to divorce Michael as soon as possible to make her happy.
As Isabella was trying to figure out what was going on with Stella, her phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, she froze.
It was Aiden.
A few days ago, at her grandfather's funeral, she had resolutely returned the gemstone pendant Michael had given her to Aiden.
She knew Aiden would understand her meaning but would be saddened by it.
But she had no choice.
She didn't want to be entangled with Michael any longer.
Now that Aiden was calling, it must be about this matter.
Isabella hesitated for a moment but didn't want to worry him, so she answered the call in the last few seconds.
Aiden was the one person in the Brown family who truly cared for her. No matter what happened between her and Michael, she would never treat Aiden as a stranger.
"Grandpa Aiden."
As soon as she spoke, her voice was filled with guilt and grievance.
"Isabella, why are you crying? Did Michael upset you again? Tell Grandpa, and I'll teach him a lesson."
Aiden had been worried about Isabella's health and had been anxious for days before finally making this call.
Hearing Isabella's tearful voice, he immediately wanted to grab his cane and stand up for her.
"No, Grandpa, it's not him. I just miss you."
Hearing Aiden's voice made Isabella feel like her grandfather was still with her.
Aiden had always been sympathetic to Isabella's situation and had treated her like his own granddaughter over the years.
"You miss me? That's easy to fix. I'm not busy at home anyway. How about I come over to see how you're doing?"
With Daniel gone and her child now lost, Isabella must be deeply affected.
As her in-laws, the Brown family visiting her was only reasonable.
But Aiden wouldn't feel at ease until he saw Isabella himself.
Isabella, such a sensible and sweet girl, had been mistreated by Michael, his unworthy grandson. Aiden wanted nothing more than to drag Michael over to apologize to Isabella.
Even if Michael knelt, it wouldn't make up for the wrongs he had done to her.
Michael had a wonderful wife but chose to seek out other women with bad intentions. Aiden couldn't understand what was wrong with his grandson.
"Grandpa, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'm fine, really."
Isabella felt Aiden's concern was a bit excessive.
But she couldn't figure out why.
Until-
"As long as you're okay. Isabella, listen to Grandpa. Losing a child is hard, but you need to take care of yourself. You'll have more children in the future. Don't be too sad."
Aiden tried to keep his tone light.
But he couldn't hide his own pain.
That was his long-awaited great-grandchild, now gone.
He could only blame Michael. If Michael hadn't been so irresponsible, Isabella wouldn't have been so stressed and lost the baby.
"Grandpa, you knew it?"
Isabella was equally heartbroken.
That child should have come into the world safely, but now it was an indelible pain in her heart.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious villa, Bianca, finally confirming Isabella's miscarriage, couldn't suppress her triumphant smile.
She personally opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate this great news.
"Ian, you did a great job. Consider this a big win. Whatever you want, just ask, and I'll make sure you get it."
Ian, standing nearby, just smiled. "It was just a routine task. But if you're serious, I'll have to think about it."
"You did well, so you deserve a reward. Let me know when you've decided."
Bianca poured herself a drink and waved Ian away, then walked to the floor-to-ceiling window alone.