CHAPTER FOUR: The vow

Bella's pov.

Jake's expression darkened, his eyes narrowed "what the...? How could could you be so careless, Bella?"

I felt disgusted at his response "what do you mean how could I be so careless? You're the one who refused using condoms, you're the one whose pull out game isn't strong enough and here you are, talking about careless, oh please... The question should be how could I trust your pull out game thinking you were man enough."

I lashed out being defensive. "You should blame yourself for being greedy, and for your information I'm keeping the baby."

"Quite bold of you to think you would trap me with that bastard in your womb, I laugh at your bravery. That rubbish better not be there by the time I'm back"

Jake threw at me as he stumped out of the house in rage. Annoyance grew in me as I

"And where are you going?" I questioned immediately,

"A place your face is missing." He let out without looking back

"Jake! I don't care if you're being a jerk but this baby, I'm keeping it and where ever the hell you think your going, you're gonna come back and meet your baby."

I assured him as I watched him leave the house .

I collapsed onto my bed, the pregnancy test results crumpled in my hand. Tears streamed down my face as I thought about Jake's reaction.

"How could he be so cruel?" I sobbed, my body shaking with sobs.

I had expected surprise, maybe even hesitation, but not anger, not accusations.

I buried my face in my pillow, letting the tears flow. I felt so alone, so scared.

"Why did I think he would be happy?" I cried, my voice muffled by the pillow.

I thought about all the times Jake had told me he loved me, all the times he had held me close. But now, it seemed like it was all a lie.

As I cried, my body began to exhaust itself. My sobs slowed, my breathing calmed. I lay there, spent, my eyes heavy with tears.

As I drifted off to sleep, I whispered, "What am I going to do now?"

The darkness closed in around me, and I let it take me away. I slept fitfully, my dreams haunted by Jake's angry face and my own fears about the future.

And before I realised it was morning, I woke up to an empty apartment, the silence deafening. Jake was still nowhere to be found. I tried to shake off the feeling of unease, telling myself he would come back when he was ready to talk.

But as the days went by - two days, to be exact - Jake's absence became harder to ignore. I went to work, trying to distract myself, but my mind kept wandering back to him.

Where was he? Was he okay? Did he still care about me?

Desperate for someone to talk to, I called Camilla, my best friend. But she didn't answer. I sent her texts, pleading for her to call me back, but she remained silent.

I felt so alone, so abandoned.

On the third day, I heard the door open. Jake walked in, his face expressionless.

"Have you gotten rid of it?" he asked, his voice cold.

I felt a surge of anger, but I kept quiet, not wanting to provoke him.

But Jake's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. "Answer me," he growled.

And then, without warning, he attacked me. His hands were around my throat, squeezing tight.

"Since you don't want get rid of that thing inside of you, I would do so myself."

He said with murderous intent,

"Jake please stop." I gasped, my voice barely audible as his hands tightened around my throat. "You're hurting me."

"I'm doing this for us." He said.

'He was doing this for us?' what kind of psycho did I get myself involved with, I thought as a tear dropped my eye. Almost immediately he threw me across the room, my waist hitting the wall I screamed in pain as everything slowly vanished. Last minute I saw the blurry structure of Jake running towards me.

When I regained consciousness, I was in a hospital bed, my body aching all over. Jake was nowhere to be found.

A nurse rushed in, concern etched on her face. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake! You've been through a terrible ordeal."

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my head. "What...what happened?"

The nurse hesitated. "You were brought in by a man, but he left before we could get any information from him. Do you remember anything?"

I shook my head, trying to piece together the events. Jake's attack, the pain, the darkness.

The nurse nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you. But we need to report this to the authorities. Can you tell me who did this to you?"

I would have told her who exactly it was but I knew Jake, the authorities won't be able to him any harm So I just remained silent as hot tears fell my left eyes running down my cheek .

"Don't worry you will be fine." She said staring at me with pity. "But..."

The nurse's expression turned somber as she sat down beside me. "I need to tell you something."

I got scared, my heart racing. "What is it?"

The nurse took my hand, her voice gentle. "You lost the baby. I'm so sorry."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The room spun around me, and I couldn't catch my breath.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "That can't be."

The nurse nodded sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Bella. The trauma from the attack...it was too much for your body to handle."

I felt a wave of grief wash over me, followed by anger and guilt. Why hadn't I protected my baby? Why hadn't I gotten away from Jake sooner?

The nurse held me as I sobbed, her words of comfort barely registering. I felt like my world had been shattered, like I'd lost a part of myself.

As I cried, I knew I had to make a promise to myself, I made a vow there and then 'I would never let anyone hurt me like this again."

I immediately dried my eyes as I turned to the nurse, "when will I be discharged?"

"You can leave tomorrow morning, I'm so sorry for your loss."

I sat in bed, alone, the nurse's words echoing in my mind: "You'll be discharged tomorrow." I felt a mix of relief and dread.

I thought about everything that had happened - Jake's attack, the miscarriage, the abandonment. I felt like I'd been shattered into a million pieces.

I sobbed uncontrollably, my body shaking with grief. I made a vow to myself: I would never love again. Never put myself in a position to be hurt like this.

As the tears finally subsided, I lay back in bed, exhausted. I knew I had to face Jake, to confront him about what he'd done. I couldn't stay in this toxic relationship any longer.

Morning arrived, and I was discharged from the hospital. I took a taxi to Jake's apartment, my heart racing with anxiety.

I opened the door to Jake's apartment, my heart racing with anticipation. I walked straight to the bedroom, where I knew I'd find him.

But what I saw made my blood boil.

Jake was sitting on the bed, Camilla snuggled up beside him. They were laughing, smiling, like they didn't have a care in the world.

I felt my world crumble, 'Camilla, my best friend, was betraying me like this?'

"Camilla, how could you?" I gave out, my voice trembling with rage.

Camilla looked up, a mixture of guilt and defiance on her face. "Bella, I—"

But I cut her off with tears rolling down my cheeks "Don't even try to explain. You're dead to me."

Jake sneered at me. "Looks like you're just too much drama, Bella. We're better off without you."

Something inside me snapped. I felt a cold, hard fury take over.

"You think you've won?" I hissed. "You think you've destroyed me? I vow to you both, I will make you pay for what you've done. I will take revenge, and I will make sure you regret ever crossing me."

With that, I turned and walked out, leaving them to their twisted little love nest. I knew I'd never be the same again, but I was determined to make them suffer.

As I walked away, I felt a sense of resolve wash over me. I would rise from the ashes, and I would make them burn.