Solana wanted nothing more than to leave, but she didn't want to argue with him. So, she quietly followed his order and lay back down. She quietly thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle Isaiah."
Isaiah's cold gaze fell on her face, feeling like she was somehow different from before. In the past, she loved clinging to him most, chattering nonstop whenever she saw him. If something like this had happened, she would have already been crying and complaining to him.
Moreover, she hadn't called him "Uncle Isaiah" in a long time. At some point, she had started calling him by his name.
Thunder rumbled outside as the heavy rain continued falling. She obediently finished the IV drip under Isaiah's supervision.
"Solana—"
Isaiah was about to ask what was wrong with her lately and why she had become so well-behaved when a scream came from the next room. His expression grew serious, and he instinctively rushed out.
"Ally must have been startled awake by the thunder, and her depression is acting up again. I have to go comfort her."
Solana nodded silently, tears streaming down her cheeks. Although she knew he didn't have feelings for her, she couldn't help feeling heartbroken when he abandoned her.
Suddenly, a large hand landed on top of her head. "Be good. I'll be right back. Sleep for now, and I'll take you home later."
Isaiah didn't know why he returned after just stepping out of the bedroom. He felt uneasy, as if Solana might disappear at any moment. He rushed to the adjacent room again, picked up the screaming and frantic Alyssa, and took her to the safe room in the basement.
In her past life, Alyssa's episodes would strike suddenly, and Isaiah would shut himself in the so-called safe room with her. He would ignore the world for days until she calmed down.
Solana remembered one night when Harper was just six months old. Her temperature spiked, and she started convulsing from a seizure.
Solana was so scared she called Isaiah in tears, begging him to take Harper to the hospital. However, he scolded her for being inconsiderate, saying Alyssa couldn't be left alone during her episodes and told her to figure it out herself.
At that time, Solana had just given birth a while ago. What could she possibly do? So, she braved the freezing snow with Harper in her arms.
She didn't even have time to change; she just went out in her pajamas and slippers to flag down a ride. She didn't know how many times she knelt in the snow before a car finally took them to the hospital.
At the hospital, Harper was administered emergency care. Solana was only 19 at the time, and she had never experienced such an emergency. She was shaking so severely that she could barely sign the forms.
She knelt outside the ICU and called Isaiah countless times, but he never answered once. Afterward, he even blamed her, telling her not to disturb them with such trivial matters when Alyssa was having depression episodes.
A knock at the door brought Solana back from her thoughts. "Ally wants seafood bisque from The Palate. I'm going out to buy it for her. Can you watch her for a bit?"
She was stunned. Although she had initially planned to text Isaiah and leave, given the current situation, she had to agree.
Just minutes after he left, Alyssa emerged from the safe room. She looked at Solana with disdain, her lips curling in mockery. She looked nothing like a depressed patient who needed constant companionship.
Solana could immediately tell that Alyssa was faking it. After all, she had suffered from severe depression in her past life, and she knew what real depression patients were like.
Alyssa said, "You think using the baby to force him into marrying you makes you special? He loves me. He will always love me. You'll never compare to that."
Seeing that she hadn't provoked Solana's anger like usual, Alyssa felt the frustration building. Then, she suddenly smiled and added, "Solana, however much he used to love you, that's how much he'll hate you now!"
Solana looked at her in confusion, not understanding. However, Alyssa only laughed louder and returned to the safe room. Moments later, terrible screams could be heard from inside.
Solana's heart clenched. Without thinking, she sprinted toward the basement.
