"Izzy..."

Isabelle froze, her entire body tensing. In the many years they had known each other, he had always called her Isabelle, Miss Davis... This was the first time he had called her so affectionately.

Isabelle clenched the car door tightly, even though she seemed calm, her heart was running.

Alexander seemed to have realized that in a frenzy, he had called her the name that he held deep in his heart. With a calm expression, he continued, "Remember to visit the doctor after visiting James, gastric problems can get troublesome."

"I will."

Isabelle felt an indescribable pain leaking from her heart. She struggled to smile back at Alexander as she bid him goodbye. Alexander nodded, his lips moving slightly, as though saying "Goodbye", but since the volume was so low, she couldn't hear it. She closed the door and headed for the hospital.

Alexander sat in the car alone, staring at Isabelle's back until she disappeared from his sight.

After a long while, he realized that all this while, he had been watching her back while she walked away.

Initially, he had watched her from afar when she went home. Back then, she was either with Sophia or bickering with James.

In high-school, there were several times when he would wait by the entrance in search of her back.

In college, every time she came to NY, he would secretly send her off from afar, not letting her know. He would stand outside the airport or the railway station, waiting to see the view of her back.

Even now, it was the same...

Many times, if she had just turned back, she would have been able to see him. But all this while, she had never turned back to glance at him.

~*~

James stayed on the top floor, in the first class ward. The Williams family had spent a large sum of money and power to book down the entire floor so that there wouldn't be many people.

The female guard that stood at the entrance recognized Isabelle and seemed to be waiting for her. The moment she saw her, she walked forward to lead her to the ward.

When she entered the ward, she saw a large group of specialists in white gowns crowding over James, doing checks.

Mrs Williams stood at the side, anxiously looking towards her son.

Isabelle walked over lightly, stopping beside Mrs Williams. She greeted her, "Auntie."

Mrs Williams nodded. She seemed to have cried, as her eyes were red and swollen. She looked at Isabelle and immediately reached out to grab her hands. "Izzy, you're here."

Isabelle nodded, looking towards the group of specialists. "James responded?"

"Yes, just now, when I was talking to him, I saw his fingers move." Mrs Williams seemed extremely agitated. "Izzy, James moved, I saw him, he grabbed here..." She lifted her right hand to the spot that James had touched, pointing to a specific spot. "Here, James touched me here!"

Just then, one of the specialists turned and walked towards Mrs Williams, removing his mask.

"How's my son?" Mrs Williams asked anxiously without waiting for the doctor to speak.

The man replied, "All of Mr Williams' vitals are fine. If he moved today, it means that he'll definitely wake up."

A wide smile broadened across Mrs Williams's face, her eyes glistened with tears. "Really? When will he wake up?"

"It depends, he may wake up soon or he might wake up after a while. We aren't able to give you a definite answer on that. But rest assured, if he moved today, it means that the treatment that we have been doing is effective. If we're to continue, he will be able to wake up."

"Thank you, thank you." Mrs Williams thanked him several times out of excitement and agitation. In the end, she could no longer suppress her tears, allowing them to flow down her face.

James could finally wake up, and the happiest person about this was his mother Mrs Williams.

Isabelle was happy too, James was after all her best friend in this world. But after the happiness wore off, sorrow started to surface.

Even though Alexander treated her unpredictably. Even though he had made her disappointed and sad on his birthday.

Even though she was confused by him, why he had gotten mad at her, why she could see hatred and disgust in his anger towards her. She was only human, she couldn't be fine with him after he had treated her so unfairly when she did no wrong.

She was indeed upset and a little angry, it was normal for anyone to feel like that, but she never wanted to sever all ties with him.

But if James was going to wake up, she would no longer have to act as a couple with Alexander. Did that mean they were going to resume being strangers?

Mrs Williams stayed in the hospital all the way till 1 pm. Isabelle stayed behind to accompany her until taking a ride in Mrs Williams's car back to the set.

Only in the car did Isabelle remember her gastric problems.

Only in the car did Isabelle remember that she had been having gastric problems and that Alexander had reminded her to visit the doctor after she alighted.

She glanced at the crowded emergency unit, considering her condition. She wasn't feeling that uncomfortable any longer, hence she decided to forgo visiting a doctor.

It wasn't the first time she had gastric problems, she would usually recover after taking some medicine.

Mrs Williams made a call to push back Isabelle's entire day of filming, rendering her free. Once she boarded the car, Mrs Williams asked, "Izzy, where do you want to go?"

Isabelle thought for a while, realizing that she didn't have anywhere to go, hence she said, "York Garden."

When she started the car, Mrs Williams glanced at the time, realizing that it was going to be noon. She said, "It's lunch time, why don't you come along to my house for a meal, it's been a long time since you came over. Coincidentally, your uncle is going to be out, you can accompany me and I'll get the driver to send you back later."

Isabelle recalled the failed surprise she had planned for Alexander, deciding that it would be better to avoid that place, so she nodded. "Sure."

Just then, she recalled that the Davis family mansion was nearby and added, "I'll go visit my house after lunch, it's been a long time since I visited them."

Mrs Williams smiled, praising Isabelle for being so filial, and drove towards the Williams family mansion. On the way, they had some small talk.

When the family stewardess saw Mrs Williams and Isabelle together, she was unusually happy, greeting Isabelle enthusiastically, offering her a seat and helping her get tea. She even ordered the cook to add on a few more of Isabelle's favorite dishes.

Even though there was only the two of them, a wide spread was prepared on the table.

Back when Isabelle was still living in the Davis mansion, she and Sophia would often visit their family, hence the family steward and Mrs Williams were both clear of their preferences. Once the dishes were all served, Mrs Williams placed a piece of chicken into Isabelle's bowl.

"Izzy, here's your favorite dish, specifically made for you, since you came."

Auntie Mae was the stewardess that she had brought over when she married into the Williams family.

This chicken dish was indeed Isabelle's favorite. Thinking back, it had been a few months since she last tasted it. Her appetite kicked in. Smiling happily, she thanked Mrs Williams before starting to eat.

The familiar taste delighted her. She couldn't help praising auntie Mae for her culinary skills.

Auntie Mae smiled happily, placing a piece of fish that she had made into Isabelle's bowl.

The fish meat was braised and smelled amazing. Isabelle picked it up eagerly, placing it into her mouth. A fishy taste spread across her mouth and her stomach started to fumble once again. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, then dry vomited.

"Izzy, what's wrong?"

"Miss Davis, what's wrong?"

Mrs Williams and the stewardess asked in concern.

Isabelle waved her hands, rushing into the public bathroom to continue vomiting into the toilet bowl.

Mrs Williams placed her food down, following after her. Isabelle had locked the door. Mrs Williams tried to push it open, but she was left outside, hearing Isabelle vomit.

Mrs Williams knocked on the door twice. "Izzy? What's wrong? Izzy?"

"I'm fine..." Isabelle said, and threw up again.

When Mrs Williams heard her vomiting, her brows furrowed in worry. Then she ordered the housekeeper right away, "Call the family doctor to make a visit. For Izzy to vomit like this, there must be something wrong."

The housekeeper stood still on the spot.

Mrs Williams couldn't help but say something to usher the housekeeper again. When the housekeeper drew close to Mrs Williams's ear, she said in a low voice, "Mrs Smith's vomiting may not be an illness. She could also be pregnant."

Having given birth, Mrs Williams was experienced, and so when she heard those words, she realized it instantly, and turned to look at the closed bathroom door. Then she strode over towards the living room, pacing up and down. She waved the housekeeper over and whispered in her ear, "Give the doc a call. Ask her to make a visit now."

"Yes, Mrs Smith." The housekeeper immediately did as instructed.

Isabelle felt much better after throwing up, just as she did in the morning. As she came out of the bathroom, she immediately saw Mrs Williams, and said, a little embarrassed, "Aunt, apologies for disturbing your meal."

"Don't worry about it. But what's wrong with you? What got you vomiting like this?" Mrs Williams pointed at the dining room, and walked over with Isabelle.

"I drank too much the night of James' birthday. Then the next day, my stomach didn't feel well. For the past two days, I've just been wanting to vomit."

"When the driver takes you home, buy some medicine for your stomach. Don't let it drag on. Be careful not to let it become something serious."

Isabelle tenderly smiled, with curved eyes, and said, "Okay, Aunt."

Mrs Williams smiled but didn't say a word. She sat with Isabelle at the dining table and continued to eat. Taking two bites, she looked at the pickled vegetables and duck soup on the table, before she personally brought Isabelle a bowl.

Isabelle said "Thank you", as she took a spoonful. It tasted sour. Just how she liked it, and she continued to take a few more mouthfuls. Mrs Williams, who sat opposite her watched her eat. In the blink of an eye, she wore a composed smile in the corner of her lips, and continued to eat elegantly.

After dinner, the Williams family had guests over. Mrs Williams offered her guest a seat, and then said to Isabelle, "Izzy, do you still remember? This is Aunt Olivia. When James and you got married, she gave you a white jade bracelet."

Isabelle remembered her at the mention of a white jade bracelet. This guest was a close friend of Mrs Williams who worked in the gynecology department of the city hospital.

Isabelle immediately greeted her politely. "Aunt Olivia, hello."

When the woman heard herself being called Aunt Lin, she gave a warm smile, and looked Isabelle up and down. Yet her words were directed towards Mrs Williams. "Your daughter-in-law sure is beautiful."

Mrs Williams smiled, and also complemented Isabelle.

"Look at your smug look."Mrs. Olivia snorted at Mrs Williams. Then she politely asked Isabelle a few questions.

Soon, her eyes fell on the bracelet on Isabelle's wrist. She suddenly moved closer and grabbed for that wrist. Silently pressing onto Isabelle's pulse with her fingertips, she said, "This is Chanel's latest bracelet design, right? It's a limited edition. I wasn't able to get my hands on one."

Isabelle wasn't familiar with her and she didn't like having such close interaction, but out of courtesy, she didn't just pull back her hand and kept a slight smile.

"Initially, when I saw a photo of the bracelet, I found it mesmerizing, now that I have seen the real thing, I'm impressed. But your milky white skin is much nicer than mine," Mrs Olivia praised. She did so for some time before releasing her arm, turning to glance at Mrs Williams.

Mrs Williams returned Madam Olivia's glance, looking for a few seconds, then lowered her lids to take another sip of the flower tea. Slowly, she placed the tea on the table and spoke to Isabelle in a warm voice. "Izzy, didn't you say you want to visit Davis mansion? I'll get auntie to prepare some tonics for you to bring along."

Isabelle instantly understood that Mrs Williams wanted to speak to Madam Olivia in private, hence she started to politely bid them farewell and left the Williams mansion with the gifts.

After sending Isabelle off, the stewardess came back to inform Mrs Williams, "Mrs. Williams, Miss Davis has left."

Mrs Williams nodded, looking slightly at the surrounding maids. The stewardess understood instantly, sending them all out of the house.

Mrs Williams then asked Madam Olivia, "How is it?"

"I felt her pulse just now and she's definitely pregnant. But since I took quite some time, she seemed to have realized, so I couldn't find out exactly when she got pregnant. But I do know that it's at least two months old." Madam Olivia paused before asking again, "Isn't it a joyous thing? Why aren't you excited?"

Mrs Williams remained calm, a graceful smile plastered on her face as she took a slow sip of the flower tea. She raised her lids, replying, "Pretend nothing happened."

Madam Olivia could see the sharpness in Mrs Williams's eyes, and so she suppressed the inner curiosity and nodded."Sure, I'll pretend I know nothing."

Mrs Williams smiled again, signaling for Madam Olivia to drink her tea.

Madam Olivia's hospital had something on in the afternoon, so she bade farewell soon after. Mrs Williams stood at the door. When Madam Olivia drove off, she turned to enter the house.

She walked straight up to the second floor, the stewardess following behind her. The woman closed the door and stood beside Mrs Williams. In a low voice, she asked, "Mrs. Williams, is Miss Davis really pregnant?"

In front of Madam Olivia, Mrs Williams was graceful and calm, but she turned solemn instantly after, replying to the stewardess with a "Yea."

"Who's the father of her child?" Once the stewardess asked the question, her expression dimmed. "Do you think it belongs to Alexander?"

Mrs Williams remained silent, her face darkening.

After a long while, the stewardess asked. "Mrs. Williams, what do you intend to do? Are you going to let her give birth to the child?"

Mrs Williams's heart clenched. She waved the stewardess away in irritation. "Go out first, I need to think."

"Yes, Mrs Williams," the housekeeper answered with respect and left the room.

It was incredibly silent, as Mrs Williams was the only one left in the mansion. Bright rays of light came through the window, lightening the whole house. All was calm.