Chapter 5

[Isabella's POV]

"No! I don't want my legs to be broken! I don't want broken legs!"

The little boy's screams could be heard throughout. I could hear him from my ward.

Wait, broken legs?

Something went off in my head. It felt as though my brain had just exploded.

I quickly reached down and touched my legs, feeling the hard cast around them. I still had my legs. But a split second later, my chest squeezed again in horror as I pressed down lower and realized that I had lost all feeling in my legs.

It didn't matter whether I tapped on them, or pinched them, or hit them. I couldn't feel a single thing. At this point, my legs just felt like a foreign object—a decoration—to me.

"No… That's impossible… It's got to be impossible…" I mumbled under my breath as I tried to get out of bed. However, I had only just lifted myself up by half a foot when my right leg completely gave out and I tumbled to the ground.

I could also hear Vincenzo's frantic voice at the door.

"Dr. Johnson, is there really nothing you can do about it? Her entire career relies on her racing abilities! If she can't regain mobility in her legs, how is she supposed to… I really don't know how to break the bad news to her!"

"It depends on her recovery," the doctor replied, his voice sounding a little helpless. "However, I really wouldn't recommend that she return to that field afterward. If anything happens to her again, the consequences would be dire."

A short moment of silence later, Vincenzo finally said, "I understand. Thank you."

Every word felt like a sledgehammer to my chest, shattering every last strand of my hope.

I was supposed to carry on my parents' legacy. I was born into a family of motorsport racers. My parents had both been the top racers of their time, and just before they passed away, they passed the family's motorsport company into my hands.

They had hoped that I would continue expanding their business and carry on with their legacy of being a racing prodigy for the rest of my life.

The first time I touched a racecar, back when I was still a little girl, I already knew that it was my destiny.

But now, there were people telling me that I would never be able to touch a racecar again. That was even more devastating to me than death itself.

When Vincenzo came back into the ward, he saw me sprawled out on the ground and hurriedly bent down to help me up. However, when he saw the tears on my face, he immediately stopped short.

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

I didn't look back at him and shoved his outstretched hand away.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Where's Claudia?"

Vincenzo's expression changed. He looked worried, as if I were about to do something crazy. He quickly defended her and said, "She's still young and doesn't know right from wrong. I've already scolded her for attempting to drive without a proper license.

"She also got hurt in the accident. Isabella, don't blame her for the accident, alright?"

I immediately looked at Vincenzo with red eyes. So, he knew all along that Claudia didn't have a proper driver's license, and yet, he still permitted her to drive while I sat next to her as her "navigator".

I suddenly felt like laughing. However, the corners of my mouth felt as if they were stung by the tears rolling down my cheeks. The tears simply wouldn't stop falling.

Even now that things had ended up like this, Vincenzo was still defending her.

"Then what about me?" I asked, my voice quiet and soft. "If I can't blame her, then who should I blame this on? Myself? I can never stand on my own two feet again, and yet, you're still trying to defend her!"

Vincenzo frowned. He sounded impatient as he replied, "Isabella, I've already told you that she didn't do it on purpose. Why must you insist on pinning the blame on her?"

He then paused for a bit before chiding me again, this time with an accusatory tone, "Also, you shouldn't have tried to grab the steering wheel from her. If you hadn't done that, none of this would've happened. Have you ever stopped to think that it could've been your fault?"

I felt as though he had just splashed a bucket of cold water on my face. I could feel my blood freezing in my body.

A split second later, I laughed. I laughed so hard that anyone would think I was crying.

Of course, I would always be in the wrong as long as Claudia was involved.

My heart was hollowed out a long time ago. But this time, it felt as though he had just cracked my ribs open and ground whatever was left of my heart into fine powder.

I shut my eyes and said weakly, "I'm tired. You may leave now."

Vincenzo shuddered when he saw the despair written on my face. It was only then that he realized how hurtful his words toward me had been. He opened his mouth, wanting to apologize, but nothing came out.

Over the next three days, Vincenzo never left the ward. He fed me every dose of medicine and made every dish I used to love. He even set up a portable bed right next to mine and would wake up every time I shifted in the night.

On the contrary, I behaved like a puppet who had lost all will to live. I'd open my mouth when he fed me my dose of medicine and get up when he helped me up, but I never said a word to him and refused to look at him the entire time.

In the end, he finally couldn't hold back and told me, "I'm going to marry Claudia in a fake wedding."

This was the first time I gave him a response since our last conversation.

"Okay. I'll be there," I said, my voice as calm as ever.

Vincenzo's heart sank. He had expected me to cry, yell, scream at him, or demand an explanation from him. He never expected me to remain as calm as I did.

He hurriedly began explaining himself to me. Panic was evident in his voice.

"Isabella, it's just because the Marino family seems to have their eyes on Claudia, and they're trying to force her into marriage with them. I'm her older brother. I can't bear to watch her marry into that family and destroy herself in the process.

"So, I was thinking that I'd announce to the public that you and I are divorced, and then, I'll hold a wedding with Claudia. But trust me, the wedding is going to be fake, and so is our divorce. Everything will go back to normal after I've settled everything with the Marino family."

I laughed when I heard his plans. It wasn't a self-deprecating laugh. It wasn't a mocking laugh either. Rather, it stemmed from relief.

I knew then that Alexander was finally putting his plan into action.

Vincenzo had always told me that the Marinos were inhumane monsters. However, to me, the Marinos were my only form of escape from my suffocating situation. They were my very last hope.

When Vincenzo saw the smile on my face, the worry immediately disappeared from his expression. "Don't worry, Isabella. You're the only one in my heart. I went overboard the other day. Just tell me whatever you want, and I'll get it done for you as long as you stop being mad at me."

He leaned forward and looked at me like he was about to cry. Even his voice sounded a little nasal.

He knew that this was my weakness, and I had always fallen for it in the past. But now, Vincenzo was behaving like a complete stranger to me. I felt so calm that it was as if my heart was made of stone.

I looked at Vincenzo's beseeching eyes and suddenly felt like laughing out loud.

"Okay. If that's the case, tell Claudia to marry someone else. She'd still be safe then, wouldn't she?"

The look on his face froze at once. His lips twitched for a long while before they finally tugged upward in a forced smile.

"Stop making a fuss, Isabella."

He reached out, wanting to caress my cheek, but I ducked and avoided it. His hand froze awkwardly in mid-air.

There was a dark look on his face, and he looked like he was losing his temper. "She's also your younger sister in a way. How could you be jealous of her? Can't you think of something else that you want? Just say it, and I'll get it done."

I continued smiling at him despite the bitterness surging in my chest.

I knew it. I knew that his vows and promises meant nothing as long as Claudia was involved.

"I was just joking," I said, keeping my smile away as my voice turned solemn. "Do whatever you both want. There's no need for you to tell me about it."

Vincenzo finally heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that I had finally dropped the subject. He smiled again and reached out to pet my head. "I knew that you'd understand, Isabella. I'm going off now. Rest well."

He then turned and disappeared down the corridor. As soon as he was out of sight, the last of my smile disappeared from my face as well.

So, this was why he'd been staying with me and diligently taking care of me. It wasn't out of guilt or apology. He was just worried that I would make a fuss and mess up his plans with Claudia.

I found myself chuckling in self-deprecation. I then reached for my phone under my pillow and called Sophia.

"Is my divorce agreement ready, Sophia?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone. In fact, it was so long that I thought the call had disconnected.

Then, Sophia spoke, sounding a little reluctant. "Isabella… You and Vincenzo aren't married. The marriage certificate you showed me the other day is fake."