Chapter 212

The phone's sudden chime shattered the heavy silence in the room. Harrison glanced at the screen - Alexander was calling.

"Harrison, they're discharging me today." Alexander's playful tone carried through the receiver. "If you don't come get me, I'll be going home alone."

Harrison gasped, realization dawning. She'd completely forgotten about Alexander's discharge date. Grabbing her purse, she bolted out the door toward the hospital.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel strode through the hospital corridors, his polished shoes clicking against the sterile floors. He reached the VIP ward where Isabella lay motionless.

The oversized hospital gown swallowed her fragile frame. Her face matched the bleached sheets - ghostly pale. The steady beep of monitors confirmed she remained unconscious.

Nathaniel's brow furrowed as he approached the bed. "What happened to Isabella?"

Theodore stepped forward, his voice strained. "Mr. Falcon, after you left Isabella alone last night, she collapsed. Emergency surgery was required." He swallowed hard. "While the procedure was successful, she hasn't regained consciousness."

Victoria and Theodore exchanged worried glances, their anxiety palpable. Neither had anticipated Nathaniel rejecting Isabella so abruptly.

Guilt twisted in Nathaniel's gut like a knife.

Last night, when Isabella had leaned in for a kiss, only one face had flashed through his mind - Harrison's. That single thought had made him push Isabella away. He'd fled the Whitmore estate, desperate to find Harrison.

Unbeknownst to him, his departure had triggered Isabella's medical crisis.

A faint movement interrupted his thoughts. Isabella's eyelids fluttered weakly.

"Isabella! You're awake!" Theodore and Victoria rushed to help her sit up.

Tears welled in Isabella's bloodshot eyes as they locked onto Nathaniel. Her voice trembled with accusation. "Where were you last night, Nathaniel? You abandoned me. Did you go searching for Harrison?"

Victoria gasped audibly. Nathaniel seeking out Harrison? The revelation stunned her as much as it did Isabella. She'd never imagined Nathaniel would develop interest in that woman.

Nathaniel's fists clenched at his sides, his silence more telling than any words.

White-hot rage burned through Isabella's veins. How could he choose Harrison over her?

Tears streamed down her hollow cheeks. "Nathaniel, you've fallen for Harrison!" This wasn't speculation - she stated it as undeniable fact.

Victoria paled. "Mr. Falcon, how could you—" The words caught in her throat. The idea of Nathaniel loving Harrison seemed impossible. That woman wasn't worthy!

"Remember your promise to me?" Isabella's voice cracked. "You swore you wanted me! If that's changed, then I don't want to live. I'll end it all right now!"

In a dramatic frenzy, Isabella threw off the blankets, her frail body trembling violently.

Nathaniel reacted instantly, pulling her back into his embrace. His voice came out rough. "Nothing happened between Harrison and me."

Isabella stilled, searching his face through tear-blurred vision. "Truly? You're not lying to me?"

Nathaniel met her gaze, the weight of responsibility pressing down. Isabella was his. He couldn't abandon her.

Internally, he acknowledged the inconvenient truth - he'd developed genuine feelings for Harrison. Though unspoken, his heart knew the truth.

But Harrison's feelings had changed.

And Nathaniel had obligations to Isabella.

Gently, he wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Harrison and I are finished."