In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance

Chapter 121: Emanuele's Heart Breaks

Indeed, Sophia was unaware of what had happened. All she knew was that they were in the living room, watching TV and chatting when Isabella mentioned she wanted to check on the garden and left. Shortly after, Chloe also left. Later, Emanuele left as well. Then, Phillip suddenly entered and ordered Chloe to be taken away to the dungeon. Everyone in the room was left bewildered, especially Chloe's parents. They asked Sophia to find out what was going on.

Sophia immediately called Emanuele. Now, hearing his explanation, she still hadn't seen Isabella, and a sense of foreboding began to creep over her.

Sophia had Phillip take her to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital and saw Isabella lying on a hospital bed, pale and unconscious, Sophia cried out and rushed towards her. But before she could reach Isabella, Emanuele, who was standing nearby, stopped her.

"Isabella is severely injured. She needs to rest, so please don't touch her," he said.

"What's going on?" Sophia's tears fell as she looked at Isabella on the bed. She felt her heart shatter.

"It was Chloe who hurt Isabella," Emanuele explained.

"Chloe? That can't be. She's so gentle," Sophia instinctively denied it. In her impression, Chloe was a lady, always kind and gentle. How could she have done this to Isabella? Given Isabella's injuries, it was clear that the attacker had been merciless.

"When Isabella went outside, Chloe followed her. Here's the surveillance footage from the garden," Emanuele handed the video to Sophia.

Sophia watched Isabella and Chloe chatting, but suddenly Chloe grabbed Isabella's hair and dragged her into the bathroom. Sophia didn't know what happened afterward, but the injuries on Isabella's body were undoubtedly caused by Chloe.

"That's why I had Chloe locked up," Emanuele said.

"But they were close sisters," Sophia still couldn't believe that her niece could do something like this.

"Maybe you only thought they were close," Emanuele said, with a bitter laugh.

Soon, a doctor entered the room, and the look on his face was complicated. "We've performed a full-body examination on the patient. She has a severe head injury with a minor concussion, and she needs to be observed in the hospital for three days. Most of her injuries are bruises and abrasions, and there's nothing major, but there is a concern. She has multiple old fractures, and it's hard not to suspect she may have experienced abuse in the past."

If there was regular abuse, she needed to report it. Emanuele looked at Sophia with an icy expression, demanding an explanation.

"Isabella had a few accidents when she was a child," Sophia said. "She claimed they were all self-inflicted, and I even scolded her back then, thinking she was just clumsy."

Emanuele couldn't contain his desire to kill in this moment. It was difficult to fathom how Isabella, who had such a reverence for life, had to learn to lie to her mother at such a young age. He refused to believe that Isabella, with her constant awe of life, had suffered accidental fractures of such severity.

"Have you ever seen her get hurt with your own eyes?"

"I haven't. I was working outside most of the time, and I'd go back home about once a week."

Just then, the doctor came back with another question, "Has the patient been taking any medications? Is she allergic to any medications?"

"She's been taking estazolam."

"Estazolam?" Emanuele furrowed his brows, unaware that Isabella was on medication.

"It's a medication for emotional issues. Sometimes, Isabella takes it when she's feeling uncomfortable."

"When did she start taking this medication?" Emanuele suddenly felt that he hardly knew anything about Isabella. Damn it, he had no idea that she had been taking this medication to manage her emotional issues.

"It started a long time ago. She's been on it since she was in middle school. It's probably because her father passed away early, and with me being away, her emotions became problematic. She relied on the medication to combat her anxiety."

"During that time, she stayed with her uncle and aunt?"

Sophia nodded, "After her father passed away, we've been living at my brother's house, and back then, I was busy with work, so she mostly stayed with them."

Damn it, Emanuele was overwhelmed with a complex mix of emotions. He was terrified, as he realized that it wasn't just the lack of her parents' presence that had made Isabella emotionally unstable. It must have been Chloe. He couldn't imagine what kind of terrible life Isabella had led.

At such a young age, she had lost her father and lived with a demon. Every day, Chloe tormented her, and even her uncle and aunt might have mistreated her. Emanuele couldn't fathom the awful world Isabella had lived in.

"Sophia, you really didn't care enough about Isabella. If you can't take good care of her, then let me handle the responsibility from now on."

After all, he was already married to Isabella, and the responsibility for taking care of her should indeed be his. But he had discovered that Isabella had suffered too many grievances in the past.

The thought of Isabella having to rely on medication to stabilize her emotions, thanks to him and his sadistic pleasure in torturing her, made Emanuele's heart shatter.

Looking at the girl lying on the hospital bed, Emanuele reached out to gently stroke Isabella's hair and whispered, "Isabella, I'm sorry."

Guilt washed over him like a tsunami, leaving him breathless. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he was overwhelmed with sorrow. For the first time, he felt heartbroken for Isabella. Knowing she had suffered so much and had to endure his torment, he felt inhuman. He didn't want to force Isabella to do things she didn't like anymore.

After a while, Isabella opened her eyes and looked at Emanuele. She had awakened.

"Are you awake?" Emanuele immediately held Isabella's hand. "How do you feel now?"

Isabella's gaze was somewhat bewildered. "I'm in a hospital?"

This place was indeed a hospital, and she could see the bright, white surroundings.

"Chloe hurt you, but I've locked her up in the dungeon. From now on, no one will harm you anymore."

"You've locked her up in the dungeon?" Isabella was surprised, but she wouldn't plead for Chloe. She deserved what she got.