Chapter 442
"Yeah, I really want to tell her I've always liked her, that my feelings haven't changed all these years. But I'm scared she'll reject me, and we won't even be friends anymore."
This was what had always haunted him.
He wanted to confess, but he feared the outcome wouldn't be what he hoped for.
"How come?"
Isabella tried to comfort him, "Nolan, you're one of the kindest and most amazing guys I know. Anyone would be lucky to have you."
"So, Nolan, how do you know it won't work out if you don't try? What if she feels the same way? Be brave and tell her how you feel. You won't have any regrets that way."
"Really?"
Nolan's voice trembled as he listened to Isabella. "Isabella, do you really think I'm the best?"
"Of course, Nolan. Everyone knows how talented you are. You run the company, play the piano, and you're so gentle. How could you not be the best guy?"
Isabella was still mentally listing Nolan's good qualities. Nolan was one of her best friends, and she was the first to support him in confessing his feelings.
But the next second, her hand was suddenly held tightly by a warm palm.
Isabella instinctively looked up and saw Nolan gazing at her with deep eyes. "Isabella, what if I told you that the girl in my heart is you?"
"I've liked you since the moment I met you."
Nolan's voice suddenly became low, but his extremely serious expression showed he wasn't joking.
For a moment, Isabella was stunned.
She even had a hallucination, imagining Nolan's face as Michael's.
But the environment she was in and the wheelchair Nolan was sitting in told her he was Nolan, not Michael.
What she couldn't understand was that the person Nolan had liked for years was her!
But she was his brother's wife. How could anything happen between them?
While Isabella's mind was blank, Nolan's voice rang out again.
"Isabella, I know this is hard for you to accept. I didn't say anything before because your heart was full of Michael, and you were determined to marry him. So, I buried my love deep inside. I thought if Michael was your happiness, I would willingly step aside and never disturb you."
"But later, when I got your call from abroad, I found out you hadn't been happy all these years, that you were even suffering. At that moment, I couldn't suppress my love any longer. I wanted to come back to you, to tell you my feelings, and to protect you in a different way. But I didn't expect my legs to get injured."
Mentioning this, Nolan's eyes were filled with resentment. "Since that accident, I couldn't say what I wanted to say to you. I thought I'd never have the chance to pursue you again."
"Fortunately, fate didn't abandon me. Now my legs have recovered, and you and Michael have ended. Isabella, I don't expect you to give me an answer right now, but at least give me a chance to stand by your side, okay?"
Perhaps Nolan's long-hidden love shocked Isabella too much.
Looking at the face that resembled Michael's, she almost mistook Nolan for Michael.
If the person she had fallen for back then was Nolan, maybe she would be very happy now.
After all, Nolan was such a gentle and considerate man.
But life didn't have "ifs."
The man she fell in love with was Michael, who didn't love her back.
Even if she no longer loved him, she couldn't fall in love with someone else.
So, Nolan's love was something she couldn't accept.
Isabella didn't want to hurt Nolan. She had always seen him as a big brother.
She opened her mouth, "Nolan, I-"
"Isabella."
Nolan, sensing a rejection, interrupted her to explain.
"I get it. It wouldn't look good if you got together with me right after divorcing Michael. But I'm not asking you to be with me immediately after your divorce. I can wait, just like I have all these years. As long as you need me, I'll always be there for you."
"I didn't ask you out today for an answer. You can go back and think about it."
"You know my love life. The only person I've ever loved is you!"
Nolan's heartfelt words left Isabella at a loss for how to refuse.
She knew very well that she only had familial and friendly feelings for Nolan.
Even if he wasn't part of the Brown family, she didn't have romantic feelings for him.
If she did, they wouldn't have been friends for so long.
But looking at Nolan's eyes, which seemed on the verge of breaking, she couldn't bring herself to say the words of rejection.
This confession came too suddenly, and she was caught off guard.
Most importantly, she didn't want to break Nolan's heart.
From a young age, Nolan had few people who cared about him. She still had her grandfather and uncle, but Nolan had no one who loved him.
His parents were gone early, and the Brown family treated him like he was invisible.
Aiden had stopped caring about him years ago over the inheritance issue.
So, Nolan had almost no important people in his life. She was probably the only one he could confide in all these years.
If she rejected him so abruptly, it would be cruel. She was also worried he might be devastated and never recover.
He had just started to stand again.
"Nolan."
Isabella sighed, finally softening. "Can you let me go back and think about it?"
Nolan's eyes brightened when he heard Isabella didn't reject him outright. His eyes were slightly red, and he tightly held her hands.
"Okay, Isabella, I knew you would give me this chance."
Isabella was stunned, but when she looked up, she saw Nolan's bright smile.
She had never seen him so happy and excited.
Usually, Nolan was always calm and gentle.
Isabella panicked.
She didn't dare stay any longer, afraid she might blurt out a rejection.
Finding an excuse, Isabella quickly left.
But after she left, a man in a black bodyguard uniform approached Nolan and respectfully handed him a phone.
"Mr. Brown, I recorded everything as you requested."
"Good."
Nolan, sitting in his wheelchair, responded coldly but didn't take the phone. He quietly watched Isabella's car disappear from sight.
His gentle expression instantly turned gloomy.
"Find the right time to post it online."
"And get some people to stir things up, make it as big as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
The coffee on the table had gone cold. Nolan didn't even glance at it and instructed the person beside him, "Let's go."