Chapter 3X
Isla stayed at the house for several days.!
Each night, Chase stayed with her until one or two in the morning. Only after she fell asleep would he quietly step out of the master bedroom.
One night, as Rosalie passed by the door, she heard Isla’s soft voice from inside, “Brother, we used to sleep in the same bed too. Can you stay with me tonight? I’m scared.“I
Chase gently pulled the blanket up around her and stepped back.
“Isla, that was when we were younger, back then, no one cared about what was proper. But now I’m married. If I stayed here overnight, people might talk. Get some rest. My phone’s always on, call me if you need anything.”
Isla murmured unwillingly, “Okay… But Brother, while I’m here, can you not sleep in the same room as Rosalie? I don’t like her scent.”
“Hmm…“&
Rosalie didn’t listen any further. She turned and quietly went back to the guest room.
There, she noticed a photo of Chase and Easton.
Her gaze fell on the familiar face she had loved for so long, and in an instant, her eyes welled up with tears.§
She gently traced Easton’s eyes and brows in the photo, which were so much softer than Chase’s.
Suddenly, Chase’s voice came from behind. “Rosalie…”
He had seen the photo in her hands, and his face instantly paled. He took the photo away gently.
His voice trembled with emotion. “We met late in life, so you didn’t know I had a twin brother. But he died a few years ago in an accident. After that, everyone in the family hid anything that reminded them of him, afraid the memories would come back… I never thought there was still a photo of us here in the guest room….”
Feeling his control slip, he wiped tears from his eyes. “I remember, before he died, he kept saying he wanted to bring his girlfriend home; he wanted to marry her. He loved that girl for years. But in the end, he never got to meet his future sister–in–law…”
Rosalie trembled all over. She clenched her fists to hold back her emotions. “Didn’t Isla tell you not to come to my room?”
Chase looked at her, surprised. “You heard that?”
Rosalie nodded. “I was passing by and caught a little.“\
Chase reached for her hand, trying to pull her into his arms. “She’s just being stubborn. I’ll leave early in the moming, and she won’t even know.”
Then he leaned in to kiss her.
Rosalie dodged him and pushed him away. “Since Isla is being stubbom and not feeling well, you should just go along with her.”
She was already pregnant; there was no need to share a room with Chase anymore.
Besides, seeing that photo of Easton tonight had stirred up painful memories; she just wanted to be alone.
But the next morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Isla standing by her bedside with a fierce look.
Before Rosalie could react, Isla shoved a cup of medicine into her mouth.
Isla shouted, “You vixen! It’s your fault! Brother has never disobeyed me before! I told him not to sleep in your room, so why was he here last night? Even his coat is still here!“&
Rosalie tried to explain, but as the liquid went down, sharp pain exploded in her lower belly.
She pulled back the blanket and saw blood flowing between her legs.
Her eyes widened in horror. “No… no…“!
Isla looked startled, but as Chase approached, she suddenly fell to the floor, grabbing his pant leg with tearful eyes.
“Brother! I asked Rosalie if you were with her last night, and she called me a seductress and accused me of incest. She even pushed me down. I was already scared because of the recent murders, and now my leg is swollen too…”
Sure enough, one ankle was clearly swollen.
Chase, distressed, lifted her up. “Don’t be afraid, Isla. I’ll take you to the hospital…”
Then his gaze turned cold as it landed on Rosalie, curled up in bed and clutching her abdomen in pain.
Rosalie cried out, “Chase, take… take me to the hospital…“%
Cold sweat soaked her as the pain deepened, pressing down like a heavyweight.
She was terrified. She would rather suffer herself than lose the baby. James’s only hope.
With all her heart, she begged, “Chase, please save me. I don’t know what Isla made me drink…”
Before he could answer, Isla’s voice broke through in pain, “Brother, it hurts so much…“&
Chase’s voice turned cold and sharp. “Rosalie, I told you long ago, you’re only my wife in name. You mean nothing to me. Now that you dared hurt Isla right under my nose, this pain you feel is your punishment.”
Without looking back, he carried Isla away.
Rosalie sank into deep despair as blood kept flowing from her lower body.
In her haze, she saw Easton smiling warmly at her.
?
10:40 AM A SOW L at her.
“Rosalie, Rosalie, I love you so much. When we get married and have a baby… do you think the baby will look more like you or me? I’m really looking forward to our life together…”
Tears filled her eyes as she reached out, trying to hold onto that fleeting warmth, but pain overwhelmed her, and everything went black. When she woke, she found herself in a hospital room; a servant had brought her there.”
As the nurse gave her an IV, she scolded softly, “Ms. Rosalie, you’re still pregnant. How could you take poison?”
“Thankfully, you came in time for a stomach pump. You’re going to be okay, and the baby is safe, too. Where is your husband?“}
Rosalie gently touched her belly, her eyes empty and full of despair. “The husband I knew is already in heaven.“}
Outside the hospital room, Chase’s angry voice rang out, “When did I go to heaven?“%
