Chapter 268


    "If Mr. Dewitt can''t afford it, I might need to find another store." Izabe carefully looked at the


    jewelry store''s decoration as she walked in. Definitely could afford 1 million bucks. She added, "I''m


    sure there''s a store that can pay for this nearly 4 million dor ne, like the one around the


    corner."


    She was talking about Mr. Dewitt''spetitor. Hearing this, Mr. Dewitt was so anxious that he


    started sweating. Before he could say anything, the woman in front of him suddenly stood up.


    "Forget the 500,000 dor ne will attract a log of customers as the store''s centerpiece. Even


    selling it for 500,000 dors in the city, you can make a lot of money. Enough to renovate this shop,


    right?" Said Izabe.


    As Izabe talked, she slowly walked out. The more indifferent she appeared, the more anxious Mr.


    Dewitt became.


    "Ms. Salotti, please wait." Said Mr. Dewitt.


    Izabe paused for a moment and nced at him with the corner of her eye, putting away her


    smile.


    "I''ll buy it for 1 million." Said Mr. Dewitt.


    "Deal." She hooked the corner of her mouth, her tough features softened slightly.


    1 million dors was transferred, plus there was a contract agreement to sign. Izabe held the pen


    and wrote her name in twisted letters.


    Mr. Dewitt looked at her hand, his gaze moved to a bracelet on her left wrist.


    "This bracelet of yours must be worth quite a bit too, right?" Asked Mr. Dewitt. The craftsmanship


    was much finer than the ne.


    Izabe signed her name, put down the pen, and extended her wrist so Mr. Dewitt could take a


    better look.


    The locked bracelet was a gift from Brett on her birthday. Once put on, it has never been taken off.


    She had once loved it, now she loathed it. This bracelet became a shackle.


    The cheapest gift from Brett was in the four-digit range, let alone this meaningful birthday gift.


    "Can you help me take it off?" Izabe asked.


    "You can''t take it off yourself?" Asked Mr. Dewitt.


    "I''ve tried all methods and couldn''t get it off." Said Izabe.


    His curiosity piqued, Mr. Dewitt said, "Let me have a try." He asked the store manager to bring a


    toolbox.


    The bracelet was tight, so using a saw might hurt Izabe''s hand. They tried removing it using


    lubricant instead.


    In the end, even with their hands rubbing red, the bracelet couldn''t be removed. Mr. Dewitt used all


    his strength to cut it with pliers, but there wasn''t even a scratch.


    "What material is this made of?" Mr. Dewitt asked.


    Izabe whispered, "I have no idea."


    Mr. Dewitt continued, "How did you put it on in the first ce?"


    She touched the little lock on it, "Unlock this, and the bracelet will loosen."


    Mr. Dewitt took a closer look. He originally thought the lock was just for decoration, but it was


    actually used to secure the wrist.


    Mr. Dewitt said, "It seems you can only use a key to unlock it."


    Izabe asked, "The key is lost. Is there any other way?"


    "Yes." Mr. Dewitt said seriously, "Amputate your arm."


    Izabe red at him coldly.


    "Just kidding." Mr. Dewittughed awkwardly. "You''ve seen that my methods were useless. To


    unlock it, you must use a key. If the key is lost, you should get a new one from the manufacturer."


    Never mind that, if she dared to ask, she would have done so already.


    Wearing it wouldn''t be too bad, other than feeling a little stifled. At least she was lucky that Brett


    didn''t install a tracker inside, otherwise, she wouldn''t be able to escape.


    Izabe had no bank card, so she borrowed Fiona’s. Once she received the money, she went to the


    bank and took out some cash to put in her bag.


    Izabe went to the bus station and took the bus back to town. Not long after she arrived home, she


    heard a knock on the door.


    She thought it should be Fiona at this time.


    She opened the door and, as expected, it was Fiona. Fiona asked directly, "Did you sell that


    ne at the county today?"


    Izabe answered, "Yeah."


    Fiona looked like she suddenly understood, "I thought so. I received a text message that 1 million


    dors was deposited into the bank card I lent you and it scared the hell out of me."


    Izabe said, "I should have told you beforehand, it was my fault."


    Fiona said, "No hard feelings. But you should really get a card of your own. It''s not that I think it''s


    troublesome, that card is mine and you can use it for as long as you want. It would just be more


    convenient for you to have your own."


    Izabe said, "Yes, I understand."


    Seeing Izabe nod obediently, Fiona couldn''t help butugh, "I don''t know if you''re too trusting or


    naive. That''s a lot of money, are you not afraid that I''ll take it away?"


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    Izabe said, "No, I trust you without doubt. You''re my friend, who else can I trust?"


    Hearing Izabe''s words, Fiona felt more at ease and decided to treat her even better.


    Fiona asked, "Have you eaten? Come to my ce for dinner tonight."


    Izabe said, "I already ate in the county."


    "Oh." Fiona looked disappointed.


    Izabe spoke, "Fiona, thank you for always helping me."


    Fiona said, "What have I helped you with? Just the jewelry selling thing, I only posted a few photos.


    I think you sold the ne at a loss. It''s worth 3 million dors, but you only sold it for less than


    half the price."


    Izabe said, "I''m already content with that. It''s the price I expected." That amount of money was


    enough to build three houses in the countryside.


    The jewelry store she went to had a maximum price of 1 million in mind, and they probably wouldn''t


    buy it any higher.


    The two talked for a while in the room, until Fiona’s son called her upstairs for dinner, then she left.


    Izabe went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and made a potato pancake. She hadn''t eaten


    dinner yet, but told Fiona she ate in the county because she didn''t want to trouble her.


    She didn''t really like to socialize and was indifferent. She didn''t like to please others and avoided


    trouble whenever possible.


    Fiona was good to her, and she appreciated it. But it was more urate to say that she was more


    adept at taking advantage of people.


    After dinner, she rested for half an hour before washing up. She hadn''t walked this far in a long


    time, and her legs ached. They felt better after soaking in hot water for a while. Izabe''s


    constitution wasn''t good, and it got worse during pregnancy, as she became deficient in calcium and


    nutrients.


    She didn''t feel anything wrong until she started having cramps in bed at night. She realized how


    serious it was.


    Izabe couldn''t sleep that night, her leg cramps were one thing, but her eyelids were twitching, too.


    She felt anxious inside.


    Selling the ne was no doubt risky. Those limited edition pieces of jewelry that Brett gave her


    could easily be traced back to her if he started to investigate.


    She was super on edge, thinking about her growing belly. When the baby came, she was afraid she


    wouldn''t have time to deal with all this stuff.


    Ever since selling the ne, Izabe had been so damn nervous, with a taut string always


    hanging in her mind.


    With the baby growing every day, if she kept being so tense, the baby wouldn''t be able to handle it


    either.


    Her life had changed drastically, and it was not what it used to be. Now that she had adapted to her


    new life, she couldn''t let trivial matters keep her in a state of constant anxiety. She had to suck it up


    and live.


    Her stomach issues had been getting worsetely, and Izabe didn''t dare go to a big hospital for a


    check-up. As her meds were running out, she had tried buying more stomach meds at the


    pharmacy, but they were no help at all. And with the baby in her belly, she didn''t dare to take just


    anything; when it hurt, she just bore it.


    But not all pain could be tolerated, like when she was up all night with stomach pain so bad she was


    vomiting blood. The pain was so severe she couldn''t even straighten up, just curled up in bed. The


    blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. It felt sticky on her face, and the smell of blood made


    her even worse.


    The baby hadn''t quite started kicking yet, but Izabe could feel a faint tummy ache. Hands over her


    belly, she tearfullyforted the baby, "Sweetie, just hang in there for a bit more, and it won''t hurt


    anymore, just hang on a bit longer."


    Who knew whether she wasforting the baby or herself?


    But the baby indeed seemed healthy, and there was no sign of miscarriage. But that was just for


    now; she had no idea what would happen once she ran out of meds.


    She didn''t even dare to think about it.


    With fear lurking everywhere in the dark night, Izabe''s tears started to flow again. Pregnant


    women were naturally sensitive, and her stomach hurt so badly, while the baby was still so small,


    and fear consumed her in an instant.


    She was genuinely afraid something terrible would happen, and the baby would disappear.


    Now all her hope rested on the baby. If something were to happen to the baby, Izabe didn''t even


    know how she''d go on living.


    In the blink of an eye, it had been 75 days since she came here. She got savings, so she had been


    able to eat a wide variety of supplements every day, but despite that, her body remained very thin –


    it was like a gust of wind could blow her away.


    Her body was getting thinner every day, while her belly grewrger. She got winded just walking a


    few steps, didn''t dare go out in the sun or wind, nor run around as she used to. She was afraid she


    would suddenly faint on the street with no one to help her.


    Fiona saw her thin figure and anxious, urging her to go to the hospital.


    Izabe didn''t have the energy to go, nor did she dare to get checked. She just mentioned it was


    pregnancy symptoms and changed the subject.


    Fiona asked, "You''re almost four months in, huh?"


    Izabe nodded, calcting the time, "In about two weeks, it''ll be four months."


    Fiona said, "A four-month-old baby is already formed, so you can go to the hospital for a 4D


    ultrasound."


    Izabe asked, "Can we do it in town?"


    Fiona said, "Yes, we can, but I feel like their equipment isn''t that great. I''d rmend going to the


    county center to get checked. We can''t afford to be careless about prenatal check-ups."


    Izabe was nervous, afraid the check-up might reveal her baby wasn''t healthy.


    Fiona picked up on her worry and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Don''t worry, everything will


    be fine."


    Izabe said, "Thanks." In this unfamiliar ce, simply receiving someone''s genuine concern was


    like a great blessing from the heavens.


    Izabe reminded herself not to overthink things either. She needed to rx and focus on looking


    after her baby, living her life day by day.


    She thought her days would continue smoothly, but then she received a WhatsApp message.


    The sender''s name was – Nathaniel!