Cheated Once Cherished Forever: The Billionaire's Bride novel Chapter 171

Theodore looked at Isabella's grieving face. His gaze rested on the top of her lowered head, his fingertips still tingling with the warmth from her hand.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief. He was glad he had swapped the letters. If Isabella had seen the real one, filled with such venom, he did not know how long it would have taken for her to heal from it.

They arrived home just as the sky began to brighten.

Theodore said, "I'll call in sick for you today."

Isabella felt mentally and physically exhausted. Just as she was about to agree, her phone rang. It was an unknown number. Isabella truly had no energy to deal with it, so she declined it. However, the phone rang again immediately.

Theodore turned to look at her, asking with concern, "Do you want me to answer it?"

Isabella shook her head slightly and answered the call.

"Bella…" Richard's slightly aged voice came through the receiver.

Isabella froze. She had not heard this voice in so long that she felt a momentary daze, finding it strangely unfamiliar.

She frowned, and her voice instantly turned cold. "What do you want?"

Hearing her tone, Theodore looked at her with concern.

Richard fell silent for a few seconds on the other end. When he spoke again, his voice was deliberately softened to sound ingratiating, yet he could not hide the trace of urgency. "Bella, it's me… How have you been lately?"

Her grip on the phone tightened abruptly until her knuckles turned white. She let out a cold sneer, her tone devoid of warmth. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't give me that useless small talk."

Richard seemed shocked by her attitude. He paused before stammering, "I-It's… your mother… She might not make it… Ever since Giselle left, her condition hasn't been good. Can you… Can you come back and see her?"

"My mother?" Isabella laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke. Her voice rose unconsciously, and her eyes were instantly filled with a chill. "Did you forget that you already sold me off? Now, you think of me?

"And my mother? What do you people have to do with me? Why should I go see you?"

Her emotions were too agitated, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Theodore immediately reached out and gently pressed his hand against her back. The warmth of his palm seeped through her clothes, offering silent support.

Isabella turned to glance at him. The hostility in her eyes faded slightly, but her expression remained cold.

Richard's voice became urgent, and he seemed to be guilt-tripping her. "Bella! I know we were wrong before, but she's your mother, after all! If she really passes, you'll never see her again. Are you really going to be that cruel?"

"Cruel?" Isabella's voice trembled, not from sadness but from anger. "When you treated me like that back then, did you have any regard for me? It's too late now!"

She took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and said decisively, "Don't call me again. We owe each other nothing."

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