The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella)

Chapter 84 Eighty Four

Isabelle had been prepared to spend every last cent she had and borrow a few more to cover Ruth's

funeral costs.

What she hadn’t expected was for the Larson Group to more than take care of everything. Did they

really give that much condolence money to their employees? It seemed unreal.

She was about to leave the vice president's office when she remembered that Logan Larson had

wanted to meet her. Now that she was here, and before she went on her leave, she could see him.

“Sir, is the CEO around? He wanted to meet me yesterday, but I had an emergency.”

The vice president frowned and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “No, he is not available at the

moment.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll get going, then.”

He nodded and walked her to the door.

After leaving the company, Isabelle went straight to the hospital to make funeral arrangements. She

had tried to get hold of anyone who would be interested in sending Ruth off the previous day.

The children’s home Isabelle had stayed at, and where Ruth had worked, had closed down a few years

ago. So, she hadn’t been able to contact the people who had known her.

After leaving the orphanage, Ruth had lived alone, and Isabelle knew for a fact that she didn’t have any NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

children or husband.

In the end, she was only able to reach some of the people who had gone through the orphanage under

Ruth’s care. She had reached quite a few, and promised to send them details of the funeral. With ten

thousand dollars, she could hold a proper wake for Ruth alongside her childhood friends from the

orphanage.

It made her feel better. Ruth had given so much love to so many in her lifetime. She deserved to be

sent off with as much love as possible.

After confirming the arrangements and communicating to the people she had contacted, she went to

Hillside to look for a place to stay.

On the forty-minute bus ride, she kept looking at her phone. She had noticed that her message to

Jacob hadn’t been delivered. He also hadn’t tried calling her again.

She figured he must be so mad at her that he didn’t care anymore.

She sighed and rested her head on the bus window next to her.

Good, he should forget her.

Her eyes pricked with tears, and she quickly blinked them away. She didn’t have the right to cry about

that. No right to miss him, no right to ache for him.

She was the one who had lied, the one who had given him back the ring.

She had deserted him.

Whatever pain she felt couldn’t make up for the hurt she had caused him.

***

Two weeks later, Seth frowned as he left his office and noticed that the lights were still on in the office

where Isabelle worked.

He had stayed at work late–something he had been doing since that day he came across Isabelle by

the highway. His mind was often full of thoughts of her, and overworking himself was his tactic to keep

his brain otherwise occupied.

She had found a place the next day, but he was still worried about her. He had seen her a few times

around the company, and she was always in a hurry. He understood that she was trying to complete

her projects before she left.

It was already ten o’clock at night, and there usually wasn’t anyone else around when he left. Curious,

he walked over to the other department and pushed the door open.

Instinctively, his eyes went straight to Isabelle’s desk. There she was, slumped over her desk, deep

asleep.

He sighed and walked into the office. She now lived far from the city centre, so it wasn't a good idea to

stay so long at the company.

When he got to her desk, he called her name softly, but she didn’t respond. He tried louder but got no

result. He shook her shoulder gently. He frowned when she remained asleep.

Getting concerned, he felt her forehead. A chill went down his back at how hot she was. She was

running a fever.

Placing his laptop bag on her desk, he tried harder to wake her up. The most he got from her was a

moan.

Thinking fast, he pulled her onto his back, grabbed both their bags, and made his way to the elevator.

He went down to the parking basement, where he set her in the passenger seat before getting into the

driver’s side.

Her eyes opened then, but only partly.

“Isabelle? Isabelle, can you hear me?” he asked, his voice panicked. “I’m taking you to the hospital,

okay?”

She moaned something unintelligible and then shut her eyes again.

He drove out of the parking basement and into the street as fast as he could. And then he headed for

the Larson Hospital, which was thankfully just a few minutes away.

***

When Isabelle came to, she was lying in a brightly-lit hospital room. She blinked.

How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was feeling faint and deciding to take a

quick nap on her desk before finishing up on her work.

Looking around, her eyes landed on a man who stood near the window, looking through the glass. He

looked familiar. Seth?

“Seth?” she called, but her voice was very weak and a little scratchy. She cleared her throat and tried

again.

He turned around and hurried to her bedside. “You are awake! How do you feel? I’ll get the doctor!”

Before she could reply to his question or ask how she had gotten to the hospital, he hurried out of the

door.

He got back a few seconds later, alone. “He’ll be here right away,” he told her. “How are you feeling?”

She tried to sit up, but lay back down when she felt a wave of dizziness. “A little dizzy. What happened

to me?”

“I found you sleeping at your desk,” he told her, adjusting her bed so that her upper body was elevated

at an angle. “You were running a fever and couldn’t wake up, so I brought you here.”

“Oh. Thank you so much, Seth. I was feeling a little out of it earlier and decided to take a nap. I didn’t

think it was anything serious.”

“Isabelle, I know you are trying to finish up your projects on time, but you shouldn’t push yourself too

hard. All the company needs to do is transfer your projects to another designer once you leave. It’s

been done before.”

“I want to finish them. They are my responsibility.”

Seth sighed. “It won’t help if you work yourself to sickness,” he told her.

The door to the ward opened, and a doctor stepped in. Seth stepped aside as he walked over to

Isabelle’s side.

“How are you feeling, Isabelle?”

“A little dizzy.”

“Don’t worry, you should feel better soon,” he assured her. “You’ve been putting quite the strain on

yourself, haven’t you?” he asked, reaching for the clipboard at the end of her bed.

“Uh, I’ve been a little busy,” she said.

The doctor smiled faintly. “Well, you need to relax and rest more.” His eyes shifted to Seth. “Young

man, you should not let your wife work too much during this period. It’s not good for her and the baby.”

Another wave of dizziness hit Isabelle. What did he say?

“I’m not her husband,” Seth clarified to the doctor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry for assuming. Please forgive me.”

“No worries,” Seth assured him.

The doctor turned back to Isabelle. “Should we talk alone?”

She shook her head, still dazed. “I…I don’t understand.”

The doctor blinked. “Do you mean that you were not aware that you were pregnant?”

She shook her head again.

“According to your blood test, you are at least a few weeks along,” he revealed.

“Oh,” she mumbled. Her head swam as her feeling of dizziness increased. “Can I have some water?”

“Of course,” he said, handing her a glass of water. As she gulped the water, he said, “We need to keep

you overnight. You should be feeling better in the morning once you’re done with the IV. We’ll run more

tests in the morning, and then I’d recommend that you see an obstetrician as soon as possible.”

“I will,” she replied.

She had no idea what to do. Or what to think.

She had been prepared to walk away and start a new life. Alone.

She wasn’t alone anymore.