All Chapters of Ruin me, Gently : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

ISABELLE Helene stepped out briefly and returned with a nurse who drew blood efficiently and quietly before leaving us alone again.The next hour passed in a blur.Dr. Helene came back in and sat down again—same chair, same quiet composure—and I already knew what she was going to say.I just wasn’t ready to hear it.“Approximately two to three weeks,” she said gently.I did the math without meaning to.A sound escaped me—something between a laugh and a sob—and then the tears came again, harder this time.Dr. Helene waited.When I’d pressed the tissues to my eyes long enough to see straight again, she leaned forward slightly.“What are you thinking right now?” she asked.“That the timing couldn’t be worse,” I said. “Or maybe—” I laughed brokenly. “Maybe it couldn’t be more fitting.”She held my gaze for a moment, then nodded slowly.“You don’t have to have all the answers today,” she said finally. “But you do need to make decisions soon. For your health and for—” she paused, “—for you

ISABELLEI stared, confused, as though I had no idea who she was. “How may I help you?” I tried my hardest to sound confident, even though my soul was far from that. Sheila was here to see me, and it could only be for one reason.“There’s no need to pretend. I believe you know me as well as I know you. And I’m here because we have things to discuss.”I swallowed painfully. As if today wasn’t traumatizing enough, now I had to deal with this. With her.Even though I hadn’t said much, she seemed like someone who wasn’t going to take her leave until she got what she wanted.I unwillingly pushed the door open, letting her in.“You live in this dump?” The words came out in the most natural way after she took a well-rounded look at my apartment, coming to a halt just beside my coffee table. She said them with a tone that made it evident she didn’t mean to mock me—she was simply expecting better.“What do you want to talk about?” I took two steps closer to her, still aware of the reasonable d

ISABELLE“I came as soon as I could,” Sage spoke as she let herself in. She took off her coat and hung it on the rack by the door along with her crossbody bag and keys.Then she took long strides to where I was seated on the couch.“Bella….” Sage placed a hand on my shoulder.My eyes were heavy as I raised my head to look at her. In as much as I tried my best to clean up and look presentable, it was so evident that I was broken.“Hi.” My voice came out hoarse. I’d hardly said a word since Sheila left. Not eaten anything, not drunk anything.“I’m here now. You can let it all out.” She rubbed my shoulder lightly, both of us facing each other.I let out a deep sigh. Despite the fact that I spent the whole day thinking, I still hadn’t come to a conclusion. I loved to keep to myself, but this was beyond me. I had no idea whether to spill the whole thing to Sage or keep some parts to myself. Regardless, I knew I needed to say something. The burden was too heavy for me to bear.I gestured to

ISABELLEDr. Helene.I picked up immediately and rose from the couch, moving toward the window without explanation.“Ms. Thompson. I’m sorry I missed your earlier call. Is this a good time?”“Yes, it is,” I answered, feeling Sage’s eyes on me.“How are you holding up?” she asked.“I’m managing.” I kept my voice even. Neutral. “I actually called because I need to schedule an appointment. To discuss my options.”There was a brief pause.“Of course. I can have my assistant arrange that for you first thing Monday morning. We can walk through everything together.”I’d appreciate that.” I exhaled slowly. “I also wanted to mention something else.”“Go ahead.”“The billing arrangement currently attached to my file.” I paused. “I’d like that changed. Going forward, I’ll be covering my own expenses.”“Understood.” Her voice remained warm and professional. “I’ll have that updated before your appointment. You won’t need to worry about it.”“Thank you.” I swallowed. “I feel safe with you, Dr. Hele

MATTEOThe sound hadn’t even finished echoing when I felt a sharp sting across my palm.I looked down.Blood. A thin line of it welling up across my hand—a piece of glass must have flown back and caught me.I hadn’t even felt myself throw it.“Sir—don’t move,” Charles said. He crossed the room quickly, careful to step around the glass scattered across the floor, and reached for my hand before I could pull it away.“It’s fine,” I said, not recognizing my own voice.“It’s not fine. You’re bleeding.”He turned my palm over, inspecting the cut with a steadiness that made me realize how unsteady I actually was. My hand was shaking. I hadn’t noticed until he was holding it still.“Sit,” he said.I didn’t sit.“Matteo.” Charles rarely used my first name. “Sit down.”I sat.Charles disappeared for a moment and came back with a small first aid kit I didn’t even know we kept in the study. He knelt in front of me, cleaned the cut with something that stung sharper than the glass had, and wrapped