My Ex Became My Sister-in-Law

At the same time, in the spotlight of the lavish wedding, the groom Carson appeared distracted. He had made the ceremony extravagantly grand and invited countless media outlets to broadcast it live, all in hopes of forcing the vanished Izabella to show herself. Yet even now, there was no sign of her. Did she truly not care that he was marrying someone else? His phone suddenly vibrated with a notification. The officiant asked the vow. "Mr. Gilbert, do you take this woman as your wife?" Silence stretched on. Margaret noticed something wrong. She looked up and saw him staring fixedly at the new message, refusing to lift his gaze. The screen showed only one short line. "Boss, we found news. She's at the Coastal Bay hospital, but Miss Dobson's condition seems serious." Margaret whispered urgently. "Carson, the officiant is waiting..." Carson whirled around abruptly and bolted toward the church doors. Margaret lunged forward and clutched his arm, her face pale with fear. "Where are you going? You can't leave! All our friends and family are watching! Can't whatever it is wait until after the ceremony?" Her voice grew more frantic. "Just a little longer. It will be over soon. What could possibly be more important than our wedding? If you abandon me here with all these reporters, the wedding ruined, how will I ever face the world again?" Carson said nothing. In her terrified eyes, he pried her fingers away one by one and walked out. Margaret stared at his retreating back and dissolved into desperate sobs. Carson raced straight to the director's office upon reaching the hospital. Without preamble, he demanded. "Where is the patient named Izabella Dobson in your facility? How is she now?" The director jumped at his intensity. His eyes flickered briefly before he cleared his throat. "Sir, you must be mistaken. Our hospital has never admitted a patient by that name." As if afraid Carson would doubt him, he pulled up the medical records system and scrolled through entries to show him. "See for yourself. These are all patient records from the past year. No Izabella Dobson." Carson stared at the screen, his eyes bloodshot and fierce, as if trying to burn through it. But just as the director claimed, even after checking every record from the year, Izabella's name appeared nowhere. Frowning deeply, Carson dialed his assistant. "How did you get this information? The hospital shows no record of her at all." As Carson berated the assistant, the director quietly exhaled and wiped cold sweat from his brow. How could he let Carson know? On the day of Izabella's incident, he had contacted her biological father in advance, fearing the family might hold the hospital responsible if something happened. Unexpectedly, that woman's mother immediately instructed him to cover up Izabella's records and erase all traces of her stay, offering a substantial payment in return. Coastal Bay was a small private facility struggling to stay afloat. The large sum tempted the director greatly. Margaret's mother also threatened to sue for malpractice and delaying treatment, which would bankrupt the place. Gritting his teeth, the director agreed to hide everything. He warned every doctor and nurse who had contact with Izabella never to breathe a word. So when Carson grew suspicious and questioned staff throughout the building, he received the same unified answer. No one named Izabella Dobson had ever been there. Listening to his assistant's fearful apologies over the phone, Carson suddenly hurled the device across the room. Again. It was happening again, just like years ago. The familiar pain and disappointment crashed over him. Carson felt transported back to the day Izabella suddenly ended their relationship. No matter how he begged or tried every possible way, she never turned back. Her resolute silhouette as she walked away had haunted his nightmares for years. Now history repeated itself. She vanished without explanation. No matter what resources he exhausted, he found no trace of her. "Izabella, you're something else." Carson slammed his fist against the car door and let out a bitter laugh. "Don't let me find you. Because if I do, I swear..."