Twisted Ties of Love

Casey saw Izabella wandering aimlessly, her mind clearly elsewhere. Thinking she was still shaken from the accident, he tried to soothe her. "It was just an accident, Iz."

"It wasn't an accident!" Izabella had a gut feeling about this. The staff there were trained to check the seatbelts every time they were fastened. It wasn't possible for them to overlook something so crucial. Casey was taken aback by Izabella's outburst, frozen in place, all he could do was watch her eyes well up with tears.

At that moment, all comforting words felt inadequate. He understood how she felt. If the roles were reversed and Izabella had been the one in the accident, he knew he would lose control of his emotions too, maybe even more so.

Casey had finally found the time to take Izabella out on a date, their first since getting married. He didn't want it tainted with negative emotions.

"Come on, let's do something else. Let's skip the dangerous rides this time. How about the carousel?" he suggested.

Izabella looked down and said, "I need to use the restroom."

Casey waited for her outside the restroom, and Izabella went in. Despite the cold weather, she splashed her face with cold water. She had come here to clear her head, to convince herself it was just an accident, but last night's text message kept looming in her mind.

She knew Brett too well. He was a cornered animal, capable of doing anything when desperate. This was why he was acting so recklessly lately.

Her phone buzzed in her bag. She took it out and read the message. Her grip tightened on the phone as a shiver ran down her spine. She quickly deleted the message and came out of the restroom. Casey was waiting for her, holding a few candy apples in his hands. He was peeling off the wrappers when he saw her come out. Even in this gloomy weather, his smile was like a ray of sunshine. He handed her one of the lollipops. "Are they selling lollipops?"

"Plenty of them."

The food in the amusement park was pricier than outside. A lollipop that usually cost a dollar was three dollars here.

Izabella took a bite. The nostalgic sweetness reminded her of her childhood.

"Is it good?" Casey asked.

"It's delicious," Izabella replied after swallowing her bite. Then she added, "It tastes just like the ones from our childhood." They both smiled, reminiscing about the past.

Izabella couldn't eat lollipops back in the day, because she was allergic. Even though they were sweet and brought back fond memories, she could do nothing but watch others enjoy them. Once, she had mistaken Brett for the person who had given her a lollipop, using her allergy as a metaphor for their relationship. She knew she couldn't touch it, yet she couldn't help herself. Thankfully, she was no longer allergic to lollipops, and the real person who gave her one was back.

"Let's go on that," Casey suddenly suggested, pointing at the Ferris wheel.

Most of the people lining up for the Ferris wheel were couples. It wasn't particularly thrilling, just a slow ride up and down offering a panoramic view of the amusement park.

But to Casey and Izabella, who didn't have much of a childhood, the amusement park was an exciting place. They got in line and once inside the Ferris wheel, it slowly began to rise.

"If I disappear one day, what would you do?" Izabella mused, looking out the window.

"Why would you think that?" Casey asked, concern in his eyes.

"I'm a person who's died once. What if Bell wants her body back?" Izabella's voice was barely a whisper.

The body she was in wasn't hers. She had borrowed it from Bell. She was feeling lost, like she didn't belong in this world.

Meeting Casey was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He was her home, her safe haven. But now that they were married, she was afraid of losing him.

It was just a hypothetical situation, but Casey took it seriously. He remained silent, quietly observing Izabella.

"I will find you, keep the traces you once left behind."

"What if you can't find me?"

"If I can't find you, then-"

As the Ferris wheel ascended to the

Pet

sky, Izabella leaned in, her hand resting on Casey's shoulder, approaching to touch his lips. The two kissed briefly, lips touching without delving deeper, their gazes colliding and intertwining in the brief proximity, feeling each other's

breath.

In Izabella's eyes, there was a play of light and shadow, blocking the unspoken words from Casey. She probably knew what Casey would say. If one day she accidentally disappeared, she didn't want Casey to live in pain.

Casey's life, his world, his future, shouldn't revolve around just her; he wasn't like her, borrowing someone else's body. Casey's life should be more complete than she imagined, with fans who adored him, loving parents, and friends.

Casey tightened his grip on her as they enjoyed the rest of their day in the amusement park, avoiding the dangerous rides.

"What do you want to eat? It's almost noon," Casey asked.

"I know a place," Izabella replied, guiding him to a street filled with food vendors near the R City University.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

She led him to her favorite noodle shop from her college days. "This was my go-to place for lunch when I was in high school and college."

Casey was excited to explore a new part of the city. "What's good here?"

"I'll show you. They serve the best noodles. It's not exceptionally delicious, but it reminds me of my mom's cooking."

They ordered some noodles, enjoying each other's company, savoring the taste of the past.

The diner was tucked away in a corner and it was almost two in the afternoon. The lunch rush had passed, and only four customers were scattered inside.

"Mrs. Jones, two bowls of noodles, please."

Mrs. Jones, who owned the diner and was taking a break, perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. She peered out to see who it was.

"Oh, it's you, dear!"

Izabella had been to this place a few times since she moved back into town. Even though Mrs. Jones didn't use the internet, she'd recognized Izabella from the popular TV show, Blood Ties, which she watched to pass the time in the evenings.

The shock of seeing Izabella, a

customer of her humble diner, playing a lead role on a popular TV show, left Mrs. Jones stunned for a moment. Izabella hadn't been in since the show started airing and Mrs Jones guessed it was probably because she didn't want to be recognized in public.

Mrs. Jones was thrilled to see Izabella again, but she managed to keep her excitement in check.

"Late lunch, huh? You must be starving. Come in and take a seat, I'll get your noodles right away."

After serving them two glasses of lemonade, Mrs. Jones went into the kitchen.

Casey glanced around the diner. It was a bit worn, but spotlessly clean. As Mrs. Jones went into the kitchen to prepare their meal, Casey caught a whiff of the delicious scent and couldn't help but swallow. Izabella caught his reaction and Casey turned red, taking a sip of his drink to hide his embarrassment.

"Did you used to eat here often?"

"Yeah, I used to come here for lunch when I was in school." Izabella liked the food here, and Mrs. Jones was one of the few people who remembered her birthday.

On her birthdays, besides receiving a standard text message from her service providers, she would also receive an extra sausage in her noodles from Mrs. Jones, a small but meaningful gesture. Izabella was not one for extravagance. She preferred to spend her birthdays quietly. Given her family's status, a birthday party would turn into a commercial event, tangled with various interests.

It didn't take long for Mrs. Jones to prepare the noodles. She came out of the kitchen with two large bowls, each topped with a sausage. The aroma was tantalizing, filling the air with a delicious scent.