Twisted Ties of Love

Casey popped a piece of barbecue into his mouth, chewing slowly. His gaze flicked towards Brett with a frosty side-eye.

Casey's mom gently put her hand on his dad's arm, trying to ease the tension: "Brett came all the way here to see you; you guys rarely catch up; you should have a chat after dinner."

"In what universe do I have anything to chat with him about?" Casey thought, It was already nice of him not to punch Brett in the face, and now he was supposed to chat with him? Just thinking of the way Brett looked at Izabella pissed him off.

Feeling antsy, Casey tugged at his shirt collar and undid a button.

If his mom wasn't keeping an eye on him, he would probably throw the food straight at Brett.

Whatever, he thought, since he seldom came home for dinner, he might as well treat the food Brett ate as trash.

Casey's mom watched his face cautiously, and when she saw him start to eat quietly, she breathed a sigh of relief.

In contrast, Brett acted more appropriately at the dinner table, remaining silent and elegant while eating.

His face was slightly pale, and occasional sharp pains came from his chest. His esophagus was affected by lung cancer, and he could not eat normally. He was full after half a bowl of food.

After dinner, Casey's mom asked the maid to clean up and let the three young people go out and play. Wendy wasn't interested in men's affairs and started making plans with her friends on her phone.

Casey went to the backyard, sat in a chair, and decided to watch what Brett was up to. He knew that people who pretend to be enthusiastic usually have an ulterior motive, and Brett was obviously not a good guy.

He rarely met Brett, so his impression of him was not that deep. But he could not accept Brett, especially when he saw how he looked at Izabella, which disgusted him even more.

After some thought, Casey said, "Spit it out; I have a date with Bella later."

"You and Izabella are together?" Brett asked.

"Obviously, we're not just together; we're also living together." Casey replied without hesitation.

Brett's face instantly darkened; his gaze was cold, staring straight at Casey.

"Have you guys," Brett's voice was hoarse, probing, "done anything?"

"Done what?" Casey looked at him with a smile and said, "Let's put it this way; all the things you're thinking about right now, we've done them all; we just haven't registered for marriage yet." Brett's face turned ugly in an instant; he gritted his teeth and said, "You really slept with her?"

"We're lovers; it's normal." Casey's gaze became cold. "You're always concerned about other people's girlfriends; do you know what Bella says about you? She's sick of you and doesn't want to see you again." This was indeed something Izabella would say, and in fact, Izabella had said worse things about him to Casey.

Hearing this, Brett felt suffocated; his whole body turned cold.

He couldn't speak, as if it taken him a long time to recover.

From Niki's death to Casey taking Izabella home and tweeting his love confession, he couldn't take it anymore and rushed to the Dempsey family.

Casey's eyes were clear and bright; it didn't seem like he was lying. Did he really sleep with Izabella?

Just imagining that scene, Brett felt like going mad. He had thought about it and made psychological preparations, but Casey's words left him at a loss, unable to tell whether this was reality or a dream. His dry lips tightly closed, he said, "Give Izabella back to me."

Casey scoffed, "Which mental hospital did you escape from? You have a wild imagination, huh?"

Brett clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred. He hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind.

"Do you really understand Izabella?"

"What does it matter to you whether I understand her or not?" Casey noticed his frequent mention of Izabella and guessed he was trying to cause discord, so he got up to leave.

Brett stared at Casey's face, his voice more stable than before. "Izabella doesn't love you; she just sees you as a substitute."

Casey suddenly let out a soft laugh and turned around. He had predicted that Brett would try to sow discord between him and Izabella, but hearing the word "substitute" from him, Casey wanted to speak, but it felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

"You don't know Izabella's past at all. If you knew the real her, you would understand the relationship between us. You would understand why she pretends not to know me." Brett said calmly, each word stinging, "I bet you've been curious before, but you never asked. Are you really not interested in her past, or are you afraid that it won't be as perfect as you imagine?"

The sky was starting to darken, and the clouds were dense, as if it would rain at any moment. After Brett finished speaking, the air pressure seemed to drop as well, and the dark clouds seemed ready to fall at any moment.

"Yes, I don't understand her past, but now, when she needs someone the most, I'm by her side, not you. To Izabella, you're just a bystander. What good does it do for you to understand her past? The past is gone; Izabella never reminisces." He felt a heavy stone pressing on his heart, and after exhaling, he felt a little lighter.

However, Brett was right about one thing: he was indeed confused and afraid of Izabella's past, but this didn't affect his trust in Izabella.

"Brett, if you want to sow discord, try a different approach. Have you been watching too many TV dramas?"

Brett lowered his head, gently stroking the cup the maid had brought up. His voice was as chilling as the current weather.

"People are saying you're a backup; go check it out yourself. There's a Happy Nest Orphanage in Ashenvale; ask the director there, and you'll understand. After meeting him, you'll know Izabella has never loved you."

Casey has been in the entertainment industry for a few years. He's not just busy filming; he's also developed a knack for guessing people's thoughts.

Brett's deceased wife was an unmentionable existence. Given how much he loved her, why did his heart flutter for Izabella?

Casey wasn't the kind to poke his nose into others' business. All he knew about Brett's past was that he had been married and that his wife had passed away.

"Why should I pop over to Happy Nest Orphanage just because you said so?" Casey asked.

"How else would you know if I'm spilling the truth or just blowing smoke? Casey, you're such a chicken."

Brett put it all out there. With a cliff behind him and Brett setting up roadblocks ahead, he cornered Casey, forcing him to confront it all.

"If you don't fancy hitting the orphanage, you can always dig into my life. Sure, I've kept some stuff under wraps, but considering who you are and our relationship, you can snoop around all you want. Dig up my wife's name."

Casey froze, forgetting to vamoose.

Even in his sickly state, Brett's intensity hadn't waned.

If this made Casey lose trust in Izabella, he wasn't worthy of her anyway.

Brett admitted he was selfish. Right now, he wanted Casey to walk away from Izabella so she could be single again.

With his days numbered and Izabella not likely to love him again, he longed to keep Izabella to himself for a year.

Having said his piece, Brett bid adieu to the Dempsey clan, hopped into his ride, and hit the road. He was sure Casey would do some detective work.

Casey's mom could tell that after spending some alone time with Brett, Casey was acting all spaced out, not even responding to conversation.

Brett's words kept echoing in his head, particularly one line.

"Casey, you're just a backup."

How could he be a backup? He was a catch, good-looking, virtuous, and top-notch. Who could outshine him and relegate him to being a backup? Ever seen a backup of this primo? He'd go to Happy Nest Orphanage right now.

Casey jumped into action, bolting for the door. Bunny called after him, "Casey, where are you off to?"

"Heading out."

Bunny was taken aback, rushing after him and grabbing his hand. "Can't you stick around a bit longer? I made your favorite dessert, and your room's all set."

Casey glanced at Bunny's hand gripping his. "I'm stuffed from lunch, Mom. I've got to hit the road."

"When will you be back?" Bunny's voice wavered, tears welling up.

What Casey found hardest to deal with was this kind of scene. It was also why he was hesitant to come back. He smoothly withdrew his hand. "We'll see. I gotta bounce."

"But it's about to rain outside."

"I won't get wet in the car."

He had to go. Casey's mom's hand hung in the air stiffly. She held back her sadness, watching Casey leave.

Casey's father, coming down from

upstairs, walked over and gently embraced his wife. "If he wants to go, let him. He'll come back

eventually. If it really breaks.netThis is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.

heart, I have someone drag

back. If he dares to run, I'll break his legs. Ouch, that hurts!" Casey's dad suddenly yelled out, his body tilting from the pain.

Casey's mom had pinched him. Seeing his pained expression, she couldn't help but laugh.

After a bit, her face betrayed her disappointment. She leaned into her husband's embrace. "It's all my fault. If I had protected him back then, he wouldn't have been taken away, and we wouldn't have been separated for so many years. He doesn't feel anything for us now." Content

Casey's dad sighed, tenderly stroking his wife's hair. "It's okay. Family ties can't be severed. Compared to three years ago, things are much better now. He'll gradually come to appreciate us."

Casey drove towards Happy Nest Orphanage, about a forty-minute ride.

He glanced at the overcast sky outside. It looked like rain was on the way. He checked the forecast, which predicted a downpour around 2 p.m.

Casey stepped on the gas, heading for Happy Nest Orphanage.

Casey was no stranger to Happy Nest Orphanage, the largest and most well-equipped orphanage in R City. As an actor, he had sponsored many orphans over the years, and Happy Nest Orphanage was one of them.

As he drove, he habitually rolled down the window for some fresh air. The wind messed up his hair. He quickly smoothed it back, parked the car, and got out.

Seeing Casey in a hurry, the old man approached him. "Sir, if you wish to enter, we need you to register your information."

Casey complied, following the old man to the office to fill out forms and copy his ID.

As he filled out the forms, the old man asked, "Are you here specifically to visit the kids?"

"Yes, I am."

"I've never seen you here before."

"It's my first time," Casey replied. "Sir, how long have you been working here?"