My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 76

A buzzing filled my head, and it took me a moment to realize that I had just been robbed.

A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, and I froze, too terrified to move.

The baby—my baby—can’t be harmed!

I pressed my hand to my stomach, lying on the ground for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the pain to subside. Once it did, I struggled to lift myself up, standing there, lost and unsure of what to do next.

Should I chase after him or call for help?

The thief had already disappeared.

Suddenly, I was at a loss, taking a few steps forward before it hit me—my phone and wallet were still in my bag. I had no money on me, and it seemed like... I couldn’t even get home now.

I stood there for what felt like ages until I remembered the police station.

I stopped a passerby and asked, “Excuse me, do you know how to get to the nearest police station?”

“Ah, that’s quite far. You’ll need to walk straight down this road, pass three intersections, and keep going until you turn... Ah, just keep walking and ask around as you go.”

“Okay, thanks.” I continued on my way.

Following his directions, I walked for about half an hour before I finally saw the police station sign.

I went in, reported the theft, and borrowed some money from an officer to take a taxi. I left the officer’s number before heading home.

When I arrived, Gabriella was cleaning. Seeing me walk in alone, she asked, “Miss Vivienne, what happened to you?”

I looked down and saw that my clothes were stained, with bruises and scrapes on my elbows and knees.

“I tripped and fell. I’m going upstairs to change and take a shower,” I said softly.

I went upstairs, changed clothes, showered, and then collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

The next morning, I opened my eyes and slowly sat up.

The bed next to me was neatly made; no one had returned.

After breakfast, I used the home computer to request a day off, then headed to the local police station, the bank, and the service center to report my lost bank card and phone. I bought a new phone, re-downloaded all my previous apps, and logged in with the new number.

The only downside was that all my records were gone.

Fortunately, I had the habit of backing up important documents to the cloud, so the rest didn’t matter.

I scrolled through my Status Update and made a new discovery.

That morning, Eliza had posted a Status Update: "Don’t disturb them."

The image showed Alexander sitting at Isabella’s bedside, his back turned as he watched over her.

I felt numb, no reaction at all.

In the afternoon, I checked my work schedule, informed my assistant that I needed to move up my business trip to today, and would be leaving this afternoon.

I calmly packed my things at home and had my assistant bring the work materials straight to the airport.

Alexander’s POV

Inside the car,

Vivienne’s words echoed in my mind.

“Alexander, if you walk out that door today, it’s over between us.”

I closed my eyes.

If it weren’t for me, Isabella wouldn’t be in this state. I couldn’t just ignore what happened to her.

If, as Victor said, Isabella’s call to me had been a cry for help, I couldn’t escape responsibility.

Once I was sure Isabella was fine, I would explain everything to Vivienne.

I drove as fast as I could to the hospital, went to the front desk to get Isabella’s room number, and quickly made my way there.

Inside the room, Eliza and Isabella’s assistant were sitting beside her.

“How is Isabella?” I asked as I entered.

Eliza immediately stood up from her seat. “CEO Hawthorne, you’re finally here. We tried calling, but your phone was off. Isabella is still unconscious. It’s a small blessing in this tragedy that her face wasn’t harmed. If it had been, her career would have been over. CEO Hawthorne, you don’t know how critical the situation was...”

“I heard she was burned in the fire. How bad is the damage?” I asked.

“The doctors said she has 23% burns, which qualifies as moderate. When she was rescued, parts of her body were burned so badly that they were just raw flesh. Isabella was in so much pain she was sweating, even while unconscious. I couldn’t bear to look.”

As Eliza described the situation, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain Isabella must have endured.

I sat by Isabella’s bedside, gazing at her unconscious face, a look of worry etched on my features.

“And the doctor said the biggest concern right now is Isabella’s mental state. She was scared just before she fell unconscious, and that could make her condition worse. She’s been through a lot since coming back. I wonder if someone’s been causing her trouble.”

“I’ll find the best doctor to treat her.”

“CEO Hawthorne, if I may ask, why was your phone off?”

I lifted my gaze to her.

Eliza smiled faintly. “CEO Hawthorne, I don’t mean to intrude, but Isabella’s phone shows two missed calls. The calls were made shortly after she was locked in the room. She must have been in a panic, thinking only of you coming to her rescue. If you’d answered then, and called the set, Isabella could have been saved in time. This wouldn’t have happened.”

I lowered my gaze. “I couldn’t take the call at that moment. I didn’t expect something like this to happen to Isabella.”

According to an informant, Alexander had been having a candlelit dinner with Vivienne at that time.

But Alexander usually never ignores Isabella’s calls.

It must have been Vivienne who turned off his phone.

At this point, Alexander was still shouldering the blame, protecting Vivienne. Isabella’s suspicions were right.

“What a shame. Isabella might have been able to avoid this if things had gone differently.”

I changed the subject. “Has the doctor said when Isabella will wake up?”

“They don’t know yet. The doctor said they need to observe her. It could be tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning. CEO Hawthorne, you should stay here with her. Before she lost consciousness, she kept calling your name. If she wakes up and sees you here, she won’t be scared. Only you can give her that strength. Do you understand?”

I furrowed my brow, remaining silent.

If I didn’t come back tonight, explaining things to Vivienne would be even harder.

Seeing my hesitation, Eliza sighed and continued to plead with me. “Isabella’s been through so much. The doctor said that with burns this severe, even the best surgery will leave scars. You know how devastating that is for a woman, especially a female celebrity. When she was trapped in the room, before the fire spread, she called you. That was her only chance to survive. If she’d called me or someone else from the crew, she might not have been hurt so badly. But you let her down. If she wakes up and doesn’t see you here, how heartbroken will she be?”

“Today is her birthday,” Eliza added. “But she didn’t want to disturb you. When she was resting on set today, she kept checking her phone. She said that even if you didn’t come to see her, just sending a birthday message would’ve made her happy. Who would’ve guessed that something like this would happen on her birthday? Isabella is just too understanding. So understanding, it hurts.”

I fell silent for a moment. “I’ll go make a call.”