I staggered into the bathroom, turned the water to full blast, and scrubbed at the marks on my body with all the strength I had left.
In my ears, the vile voices of Hugo’s friends still echoed.
“Isabella’s a genius, skipped grades straight to a PhD, and breathtaking on top of it. A flower on a high mountain like that, only Brother Hugo could drag her down into the mud, let a thousand men ride and ten thousand sleep with her…”
Blood began to streak down my collarbone. I clutched at my ears in agony, desperate to shut them out, but the voices refused to fade.
My phone rang and vibrated for ten minutes before I finally picked it up.
Hugo’s anxious voice came through the speaker. “Isabella, what’s wrong? Why did you take so long to answer?”
I answered in a low voice, almost hollow, “Nothing.”
“As long as you’re okay.” He didn’t even catch the tightness in my voice. “If anything happens, you must tell me right away, okay?”
“Oh, by the way, Nova has something today, and I can’t get away either. Go pick up Daniel from school later. That kid’s been craving strawberry cake; swing by the dessert shop in the north of the city first…”
His voice brimmed with tenderness.
Now, I realized what I once missed had long been traceable.
He never once called Nova “sister-in-law,” and he was always attentive to both her and her son.
Back then, I thought he was simply being considerate, loving what I loved. I had even felt grateful, believing he was helping me care for my widowed sister-in-law and her child.
But now, I let out a laugh through my tears.
He must’ve taken my silence as agreement. He blew me a kiss over the phone and said, “Love you the most. Wait for me tonight…”
The call ended. The beeping dial tone echoed endlessly in my ear.
My clothes were drenched, and I looked like a complete mess.
Thankfully, there were spare clothes in the car. I cleaned myself up and still drove to the school.
When Daniel saw me, the smile on his face instantly faded. “Where’s Mom? Why is it you again?”
He pouted all the way to the car, kicking stones along the road.
“You’re always dressing up so flashy. The Morrison family’s money is mine, so don’t you dare waste it!”
I had planned to collect Daniel’s hair for a paternity test.
But now, suddenly, I felt there was no need.
Not a single trace of my brother could be found in him. His arrogant tone and the way he spoke were exactly like Hugo in that studio.
Since childhood, I have dreamed of doing scientific research, but I was never cut out for business. The only reason I kept the Morrison Corporation alive was to pave the way for Daniel.
But he wasn’t my brother’s posthumous son.
At that moment, the bond I once clung to snapped clean.
I told the driver to take him home, then got in a taxi and headed straight for the research institute.
“I’m willing to join the closed-door research project.”
The man, buried in his experiments, suddenly looked up, eyes full of surprise.
“The project runs for ten years. You won’t be allowed any contact with family during that time. Are you sure?”
He stood 188 centimeters tall, his features deep and striking, and he was handsome enough to rival celebrities. He was also the only heir to one of the world’s four largest conglomerates, the Hamilton Group.
Yet, for me, he had hidden his identity, lowering himself to become just another researcher on my team.
He even invested heavily in launching this national-level scientific project.
Research has always been my dream. This closed-door project was a key national initiative, and I had turned it down more than once for Hugo.
A flicker of pain swept through my eyes. As I glanced at the bruised mess along my collarbone, I nodded without a second thought.
“I’ve decided. I want in.”
That evening, Hugo came home two hours early, something he rarely did.
As always, he pushed open the door to the study and set down a warm glass of milk on my desk.
