Chapter 3
When Isabella didn’t get the reaction she hoped for, she quickly thought of another idea. “If it weren’t for Tony, my foot would have swollen up terribly. Tony, since you’re already here, why don’t you stay for dinner? Consider it a thank-you.”
Her tone was lively and cheerful, a sharp contrast to the silent Norah beside her.
No one bothered to ask Norah’s opinion, and they simply decided she would stay for dinner.
But when all the dishes were finally ready and they gathered around the table, Norah noticed that all the dishes were spicy, just the way Isabella liked it.
She wasn’t surprised. She quietly sat down at the table.
Norah had tried to politely tell Charlie and Lilian before that her stomach couldn’t handle spicy food, but she had only been met with a dismissive “You’re just being picky”.
Later, when she had gotten together with Antonio, he had always paid attention to her preferences and had even learned to make dishes that were easy on the stomach for her.
But tonight, although he sat next to her, his attention was fully on Isabella. Every time Isabella had any needs, he quickly fulfilled them.
Norah suddenly remembered how, when Antonio had come to the Sandoval residence before, his eyes would casually drift over to Isabella.
On Isabella’s birthday, he had subtly asked Norah about Isabella’s preferences. When Isabella had been sick, he had always said he had to go on a business trip.
Norah couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Antonio’s attention to Isabella was so obvious. How had she not noticed it until now?
No matter how much Antonio cared for Isabella, it was wrong to treat Norah as a tool. His blatant deception hurt her far more than Sheldon’s rejection ever could.
By the time dinner ended, Norah hadn’t eaten much. On the way back, both she and Antonio remained silent. She was thinking about deactivating her state ID, while Antonio was replaying his moments with Isabella in his mind.
Finally, Norah broke the silence. “I’m not going home. There’s somewhere I need to go.”
Her words snapped Antonio out of his thoughts. He immediately turned to her, gently asking, “Where are you going? I’ll go with you.”
“It’s okay.” She shook her head, refusing his offer.
But he grabbed her hand and stubbornly insisted. “No, I’ll worry if you go alone.”
Norah couldn’t refuse, so she gave in. She didn’t say where she was going but just showed him the navigation screen.
The road was clear, and they soon reached the destination.
Just as they were about to turn in, Antonio’s phone suddenly rang.
The moment he answered, Lilian’s voice came through. “Antonio, Isa’s injury has gotten infected, and she’s running a fever. Can you take her to the hospital again?”
“I’m on my way!”
He was about to turn the car around in a hurry when he seemed to remember something. He hesitated as he glanced at Norah with an apologetic look. “Norah, I…”
He opened his mouth but faltered, unsure of what to say. After a pause, he was about to speak when Norah cut him off, “Go ahead. I’m almost there. I’ll walk there myself.”
With that, she opened the car door and got out.
When Antonio saw that Norah had already gotten out of the car, his concern for Isabella finally outweighed everything else. He started the engine and drove off.
Watching the car disappear into the traffic, Norah remained silent, quietly swallowing the bitterness in her heart.
If he had just driven a little further, he would have seen that she was going to the Public Security Administration office to deactivate her state ID. Then, he would have realized that she was leaving.
But he didn’t because he didn’t care.
