Fading Slowly but Surely

During their break, some of the women said that they were hungry. Emmett's roommates immediately dragged the other guys in the room downstairs to buy snacks.

They were gone for 20 minutes. Seeing that they were still not back, Candice got tired of waiting and announced that the game would continue.

Isla placed her phone down and looked around. She noticed that Adrian was now gone—or to be exact, all other guys except for Emmett were now gone.

She knew this was another of his schemes, yet she refused to play along.

As such, Isla picked up the 17-ounce wine glass and raised it. "Since my appointed partner left, I'll finish the drink as punishment according to the game rules."

After that, she tilted her head up and easily finished the wine in her glass.

Emmett's expression instantly darkened. He hadn't expected Isla to pick drinking over him. He stared at her face, which was flushing quickly, and tightened his grip on the dice.

With half the group gone, the game lost its fun. As such, the meetup came to an end.

Isla was tipsy. She waited until everyone had left before taking out the club withdrawal application from her bag and passing it to Candice. She then leaned against the wall while trying to make it downstairs.

Just as she reached the stairway entrance, Isla groggily saw Sadie, who was nearby. Isla was about to pretend not to see her when she grabbed Isla's arm suddenly.

Sadie's eyes were filled with anger. "What's that look in your eyes when the lights came back earlier? I'm telling you—there must be a reason even if Emmett didn't kiss me! It means he cherishes me a lot!"

Isla almost burst out laughing when she heard Sadie's words. However, she knew that Sadie wouldn't listen no matter what Isla said to her now. She nodded and said, "What you said is right."

Isla tried to shake Sadie's hand off and leave. But Sadie tightened her grip as she continued to curse at Isla, refusing to let it go.

As the two of them struggled, Isla, whose steps were already unsteady, lost her balance and fell from the steep stairs.

Shocked, Sadie lost her footing and also tumbled down the stairs.

Hearing the commotion from upstairs, those who hadn't gone far quickly turned around to check what was going on.

Panic spread among them instantly when they saw that both of them were seriously injured.

In the end, Emmett was the one who contacted someone and got them sent to his family's hospital.

…

After the examination, the doctor said it was a bone fracture. There could be a risk of permanent disability if not treated immediately.

After finding out that both Sadie and Isla were injured, Emmett's gaze never left Isla. His heart broke when he saw sweat dripping down constantly from her pale face.

The operating room was ready, but there was only one surgeon capable of performing the surgery currently. Emmett had to decide the order in which to treat them.

He subconsciously glanced over to Isla, meeting her eyes coincidentally. There was no longer longing and passion in her eyes—only a lifeless calm.

Her gaze shocked Emmett to the core.

"Please make your decision soon, Mr. Cosworth. Who's going for the operation first?"

Isla lay on the stretcher, looking deathly pale. Just as she was about to black out, she heard him firmly say, "Sadie. Save Sadie first!"

The doctor soon pushed Sadie into the operating room.

As soon as the doors shut, Isla lost consciousness.

…

It was a day after when Isla regained consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she reached for her legs.

She let out a relieved sigh after feeling that her legs were still there and were still responsive. Tears welled up in her eyes when she realized that she had survived the fall without becoming disabled.

Isla's parents rushed over as soon as they heard the news. They then upgraded her to the VIP ward on the top floor, where they took care of her carefully.

Sadie occupied the ward across hers two hours later. Emmett was the one who personally carried her in.

The doors to both wards were opened to make check-ups easier. As such, Isla could clearly see what was happening in the ward across from hers.

Sadie kept crying out in pain, so Emmett tried to distract her with various topics.

The hospital meals made by the logistics department did not suit her taste, so he personally went back to make her light meals.

When she complained about being bored in the ward, Emmett brought all sorts of interesting toys to keep her entertained.

Over the past ten days, Emmett and Sadie were so intimate that even the nurses couldn't help but gossip.

They wondered if the hospital director, Dominic Cosworth, was about to get himself a daughter-in-law soon.

Isla listened quietly without getting involved. However, she knew that Emmett was doing all this to put on a show for her.

After all, she had closed the door to her hospital ward countless times. As soon as it was closed, a nurse would come in to check on her.

The door was opened every time. There was no way for it to be a coincidence.