Twisted Ties of Love

"Are you going to tell me I'm wrong?" Izabella demanded, her voice shaking with emotion. "Then why does he look so much like Ryker? Why are there no childhood photos of him? Why did your dad mention his hard upbringing?" Her eyes were red and swollen, a testament to the emotional turmoil she was going through.

Wendy, taken aback by Izabella's outburst, found her legs giving way beneath her. She dropped onto the bed, her heart pounding.

Izabella looked down at Wendy, her tone accusatory and her words piercing. Wendy tried to speak, her teeth chattering in response to the icy fear that had gripped her.

Wendy's face said it all, but Izabella wanted to hear the words from her. She needed an explicit confirmation.

"Izabella, I can't tell you," Wendy finally managed to say, her voice barely a whisper. "You should ask my parents."

Izabella clenched her jaw, her mind reeling with the implications of Wendy's words. She turned away from Wendy to hide the agony etched on her face.

"I'm going to ask them now." Izabella moved to change out of her thin nightgown, but Wendy stopped her.

"I'll call my mom right now." Wendy picked up her phone, dialing her mother's number while Izabella watched on. After a few rings, Beck's voice came over the line. "Sweetie, did you pocket-dial me? Why are you calling at this hour?"Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Dad, where's Mom?"

"She's getting ready for bed. Can't you wait till morning?"

"It's important." Wendy cut him off, her voice steady. "When she's done, ask her to come to my room. Izabella wants to ask her about Casey's heart."

Beck noted Wendy's serious tone, responding with a curt "Okay" before hanging up.

"I've called her. She'll be here soon," Wendy said, looking at Izabella.

"Thank you."

Wendy shook her head, her mind still trying to process what was happening. She couldn't help but wonder how Izabella knew these things and why she was so emotional. Had something happened between her and Casey?

The room fell into an eerie silence, only the sound of their breaths audible. Wendy couldn't stand the silence but found herself unable to break it. She sat on the edge of the bed, frozen, until there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Wendy jumped up, almost too eager to escape the tension. She opened the door to see her mother, Bunny, standing outside. "Sweetie, why don't you go sit in the living room for a bit? I need to talk to Izabella," Bunny said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Okay." Wendy was more than happy to leave.

Once Bunny had entered the room and the door was closed, Izabella turned to face her. "Mrs. Bunny."

"Let's sit down and talk."

The word 'talk' was carefully chosen. It wasn't a conversation, and it wasn't a chat. Bunny was clearly trying to hide something.

"I have to ask, what's your relationship with Ryker from the orphanage?" Bunny asked.

"He means a lot to me."

"Do you have feelings for Ryker?"

Izabella nodded without hesitation.

Bunny paused before asking, "Did you get close to Casey because of him?"

"To be honest, at first, yes. But soon

it wasn't about Ryker anymore. I

knew what I wanted, and I never saw Casey as a replacement for Ryker, even after finding out they're the same person." Izabella wanted to be as transparent as possible. She was tired of the secrecy.

Bunny sighed, "I was worried that if Casey changed, you wouldn't love him anymore. It seems my worries were unfounded. But I'm curious. How did you find out?"

"If you don't tell me tonight, I'll ask Brett and Nathaniel directly. I believe they know as well."

Bunny was more than just surprised. She realized she had underestimated Izabella. Despite her initial investigations, Izabella's connections with Brett and Nathaniel were puzzling. How did she know about the Dempsey family's secret?

"How did you find out?" Bunny asked, intrigued and slightly worried.

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"At first, it was his face. It reminded me of Ryker Ryker had many scars, which I asked Casey about, but he denied. He claimed his earliest memories were of being with you or being overseas for heart treatment. I suspect you hypnotized him."

Izabella paused before continuing, "That wasn't enough to convince me. But today, Beck mentioned Casey's miserable childhood. And Wendy showed me your family photos. There are thousands of pictures, but not a single one of Casey as a child. His photos started appearing only in recent years."