BELLATRIX.... I stood at the corner of the funeral home, my eyes blurred, unable to focus on anything but the smiling photo of my father. I wasn't surprised when, last night, the news of his death came to the imperial palace; perhaps I was expecting it. I had seen him in the hospital two days ago. That twisted feeling after seeing his condition—a part of me was prepared for this day. Yes, I know he had hurt me, prioritized Florence over me, turned out to be the killer of my husband's parents, and even attempted to kill him in Russia. He even unhesitatingly signed the document severing our relationship. However, in between all that, there were also memories of the first eight years of my life. Those memories were amazing and pretty evident in my heart. With my grandparents and my parents, especially Dad. He adored me; sometimes, he was my partner in crime and saved me from Mom's scolding. Those memories may be long forgotten by my parents, but I still cherish them. After all, tho
VICTOR.... I have seen my little bird maintaining herself strongly. She was sad, no doubt, but she was fighting it to remain calm. The death of her father was sudden. But, at least, in the end, he gave her a feeling of his daughter, which she always craved for... My thoughts broke at the ringtone of my phone. It was Uncle Larry. As soon as I received the call, I heard his panicked and shaky tone, "M-master, ma'am... She fell off the stairs! She's bb-bleeding...." I froze... Nothing I heard after that. "Go home!" I almost roared at the chauffeur, who immediately obliged my order. I don't know how I ran inside, but the scene in front of me terrified me. Bella was lying on the floor, and Uncle Larry and the other servants were around her. Her legs were covered in blood! I rushed to her side, and Uncle Larry immediately moved away. "Master! I've called the ambulance! It's on the way...." He perhaps said more, but I could not hear any more of his words. My focus was on the woman in
BELLATRIX.... "Mommy." I heard a baby voice ringing in my ear. I looked around; where is she? I don't see anyone. "Mommy, don't you see me?" Her voice was soft. "No, where are you?" I shouted. "Mommy, please, come to me." She said again as I started running nowhere. "Where are you?" I screamed. Suddenly, I found myself on the stairs. In front of me was... "Lucia!" Her eyes were evil. She stepped toward me. "I'm sorry," she said, and then pushed me. "No!" My voice echoed in the hollow. My eyes flew open, and a heavy breath escaped me as I was greeted by a pure white ceiling. Wh-where am I? Am I stuck in nowhere? Am I dead? I was confused. I looked around. Everything around me was either white or off-white. There was a monitor beside the bed, beeping continuously, and a wire attached to the back of my hand. It took me a while to realize my surroundings. I am in the hospital. I look around again; I am alone in the room. How did I end up here? I tried to recall, and some vag
VICTOR.... "Open your mouth." Stella held a slice of apple in front of Bella's mouth. Slowly, without a word, she took the slice and chewed on it.I was watching her, standing on the other side of the hospital room. I was on a call, yet my focus was on my wife.Twenty-four hours had passed since she came out of that nightmare, still in a daze but much better than before. However, after she woke up and cried, she did not speak in the last twenty-four hours, as if she had lost her voice.Doctors said that it's due to the aftershock, but soon she would be fine. The main danger is gone; it's now upon her adaptability. We must be patient and give her enough time to adjust.Feeling frustrated, I turned around and left the room. It's hard to see her this way; I just can't.I walked out into the huge garden of the hospital, where the patients were walking, some maybe talking with their family members. I chose a quiet place and sat on a bench.I rubbed my face. I am not quite sure how to hand
BELLATRIX.... I look up at my husband, to whom I could not look since yesterday. How can I even look at him after breaking his dream like that? I have failed him, failed myself, and most importantly, I have failed as a mother.I could not protect my child. I trusted the wrong person, and now... my heart clenches at the reminder of that moment. Exactly right here, it happened.Victor stared at me; his beautiful green eyes held many emotions."Will you take me?" I ask again, hoping that he'll take me to her. Though I am not sure if she is alive or not.He raised his hand and touched my cheeks, slowly caressing them with his thumb. "Of course, whatever you wish."He took me out, and we sat in our car. Lucia was kept in an interrogation cell with high security. Of course, Victor used his power here, and none can blame him for that. She's the killer of our unborn baby. However, surprisingly, she is still alive but beaten very badly. She was arrested and sent to the interrogation room, wi
BELLATRIX.... "The person who wanted to kill you is your mother."As soon as those words left her tongue, I fell backward. The door of the room swung open at the same time as I heard hasty footsteps getting closer to me, and before I realized it, I was caught back in a pair of strong and familiar arms.I stared at her, dumbfounded. When she said that, I would never have imagined 'the person' she referred to; she did not lie. I would have never envisioned this, even in my nightmares!"What?" I asked, breathless."I did not lie," she muttered, hugging her knees. "She and her daughter threatened me that if I failed to kill you, they would hurt my mother... And now, I have failed," she sobbed.I don't know whether I should be happy about the fact that she told me or go into shock again; I have no fucking idea.I was in a daze when I was pulled back by my husband. He had already picked me up in his arms and started walking out, muttering, "I shouldn't have let you in here alone. Fuck!"Wa
BELLATRIX.... Is he joking? That's the first line that came into my head. I sharply looked at his face; there was no trace of humor there; instead, worry and fear lingered on his features.My heart twisted strangely... That means he did not lie.When I said nothing, he touched my face. "Baby, calm down. What I am about to tell you won't be easy."I swallowed hard. At this point, I am numb, but I want to know. "O-kay..." I replied breathlessly."Bella, Mrs. Valdez is not your biological mother. She did not give birth to you. But... Mr. Valdez is your biological father," he said, dropping another bomb over my head.My mouth agape, my gaze blankly watched him.He sighed, caressing my neck. "It does not end here, Bella. There are many more. Do you want me to continue? Or do you want to see for yourself?" He gestured at the file. I once glanced at it and gulped hard again. The idea of my life being imprinted in that file did not please me; in fact, it was scarier. I shook my head, "No, y
BELLATRIX.... The revelation was hard, yet nothing is harder than losing a child. Perhaps because I have digested the shock of losing my child, I did not react harshly toward the unsaid truth.This taught me one truth, though. Now I know why my father used to be the one caring for me. Now I know why he wanted to see me on his deathbed and not Florence, because I was his biological daughter. I do not justify his actions, though; I never will..."Baby, we are here," Victor said to me, breaking my thoughts.I turned to him in a daze. "Huh?""We have reached here," he said again.I looked out of the car window. We are at the same investigation center. Our chauffeur opened the door, and we stepped out of the car."They are here?" I asked as my husband held my hand."Hmm. They have been brought for investigation..." He turned to me. "Are you sure you want to see them?" I squeezed his hand, locking our gazes. "Don't worry, I am fine... My mother taught me to face the hardest phases of life
ONE YEAR LATER.... BELLATRIX.... I stood in the bathroom, my body shivering, and drops of tears rolling down my cheeks... No, I'm not hurt; I'm emotional, and this feeling... It's beyond any joy and fear I could ever feel. I stared at the two pink lines on the pregnancy kit. Yes, I'm pregnant again. I sobbed loudly, and suddenly the door of the bathroom swung open, revealing my anxious husband, who was waiting outside. He rushed inside. "Wh-what is it?" He was worried and nervous too. I felt so weak and sat on the toilet seat, showing him the kit. One glance at it, and he froze. Slowly, he bent down beside me, watching the kit. He looked up at me, his eyes teary... "Is it a yes?" I nodded. "Y-es." I choked on my tears, smiling and crying at the same time. As soon as I confirmed my pregnancy to him, he dropped his head on my thigh and started crying. It was the same emotion for him. "We are... pregnant," he spoke between his tears, and I nodded. I hugged his head as we shed t
BELLATRIX.... I inhaled a deep breath before stepping inside the funeral home. I had avoided this topic after Victor informed me about her death two days ago. However, I came today for her funeral.Why? Well, I don't even know myself.I felt nothing for her anymore. The tie I had with her was brutally severed. Still, I wanted to see her, which was pretty surprising for me too.As usual, Victor accompanied me.Stepping inside, I walked toward her coffin. I saw her daughter, Florence, was there too, with police officers guarding her.The mother and daughter had both been sentenced to fourteen years of imprisonment.Seeing me, she tried hard to rush to me, but the officers did not let her. She glared at me hatefully. I knew that if she got a chance now, she would kill me. Well, unfortunate for her, I am not available for that.She was dragged away by the officers as I ignored her and looked at Rebecca's coffin. Her face was pale and slightly bluish. There was no charm on her face anymor
VICTOR.... Life wasn't the same after the truth was revealed. My always-smiling little bird isn't the same anymore... She smiles, but the pure charm she had is no longer in her.It's been a couple of months since all the miseries, cruel truths, and heartbreaks, and Bella was the one hurt the most during that time, which changed her a lot.After returning home and seeing her mother that day, she only asked me two things: 1. To give Lucia's mother a standard life.She did not want that lady to suffer because of what her daughter did. Her mother did not know about Lucia's crime, and when she learned, she cried and asked for forgiveness again and again. She did not ask to free her daughter, though. Perhaps she too realized the severity of her daughter's actions.And 2. Bella demanded to keep Florence and Rebecca separate and never let them know about each other. She wanted Rebecca to suffer, which I obliged gladly. After that day, she did not speak about them, nor about her biological m
BELLATRIX.... The revelation was hard, yet nothing is harder than losing a child. Perhaps because I have digested the shock of losing my child, I did not react harshly toward the unsaid truth.This taught me one truth, though. Now I know why my father used to be the one caring for me. Now I know why he wanted to see me on his deathbed and not Florence, because I was his biological daughter. I do not justify his actions, though; I never will..."Baby, we are here," Victor said to me, breaking my thoughts.I turned to him in a daze. "Huh?""We have reached here," he said again.I looked out of the car window. We are at the same investigation center. Our chauffeur opened the door, and we stepped out of the car."They are here?" I asked as my husband held my hand."Hmm. They have been brought for investigation..." He turned to me. "Are you sure you want to see them?" I squeezed his hand, locking our gazes. "Don't worry, I am fine... My mother taught me to face the hardest phases of life
BELLATRIX.... Is he joking? That's the first line that came into my head. I sharply looked at his face; there was no trace of humor there; instead, worry and fear lingered on his features.My heart twisted strangely... That means he did not lie.When I said nothing, he touched my face. "Baby, calm down. What I am about to tell you won't be easy."I swallowed hard. At this point, I am numb, but I want to know. "O-kay..." I replied breathlessly."Bella, Mrs. Valdez is not your biological mother. She did not give birth to you. But... Mr. Valdez is your biological father," he said, dropping another bomb over my head.My mouth agape, my gaze blankly watched him.He sighed, caressing my neck. "It does not end here, Bella. There are many more. Do you want me to continue? Or do you want to see for yourself?" He gestured at the file. I once glanced at it and gulped hard again. The idea of my life being imprinted in that file did not please me; in fact, it was scarier. I shook my head, "No, y
BELLATRIX.... "The person who wanted to kill you is your mother."As soon as those words left her tongue, I fell backward. The door of the room swung open at the same time as I heard hasty footsteps getting closer to me, and before I realized it, I was caught back in a pair of strong and familiar arms.I stared at her, dumbfounded. When she said that, I would never have imagined 'the person' she referred to; she did not lie. I would have never envisioned this, even in my nightmares!"What?" I asked, breathless."I did not lie," she muttered, hugging her knees. "She and her daughter threatened me that if I failed to kill you, they would hurt my mother... And now, I have failed," she sobbed.I don't know whether I should be happy about the fact that she told me or go into shock again; I have no fucking idea.I was in a daze when I was pulled back by my husband. He had already picked me up in his arms and started walking out, muttering, "I shouldn't have let you in here alone. Fuck!"Wa
BELLATRIX.... I look up at my husband, to whom I could not look since yesterday. How can I even look at him after breaking his dream like that? I have failed him, failed myself, and most importantly, I have failed as a mother.I could not protect my child. I trusted the wrong person, and now... my heart clenches at the reminder of that moment. Exactly right here, it happened.Victor stared at me; his beautiful green eyes held many emotions."Will you take me?" I ask again, hoping that he'll take me to her. Though I am not sure if she is alive or not.He raised his hand and touched my cheeks, slowly caressing them with his thumb. "Of course, whatever you wish."He took me out, and we sat in our car. Lucia was kept in an interrogation cell with high security. Of course, Victor used his power here, and none can blame him for that. She's the killer of our unborn baby. However, surprisingly, she is still alive but beaten very badly. She was arrested and sent to the interrogation room, wi
VICTOR.... "Open your mouth." Stella held a slice of apple in front of Bella's mouth. Slowly, without a word, she took the slice and chewed on it.I was watching her, standing on the other side of the hospital room. I was on a call, yet my focus was on my wife.Twenty-four hours had passed since she came out of that nightmare, still in a daze but much better than before. However, after she woke up and cried, she did not speak in the last twenty-four hours, as if she had lost her voice.Doctors said that it's due to the aftershock, but soon she would be fine. The main danger is gone; it's now upon her adaptability. We must be patient and give her enough time to adjust.Feeling frustrated, I turned around and left the room. It's hard to see her this way; I just can't.I walked out into the huge garden of the hospital, where the patients were walking, some maybe talking with their family members. I chose a quiet place and sat on a bench.I rubbed my face. I am not quite sure how to hand
BELLATRIX.... "Mommy." I heard a baby voice ringing in my ear. I looked around; where is she? I don't see anyone. "Mommy, don't you see me?" Her voice was soft. "No, where are you?" I shouted. "Mommy, please, come to me." She said again as I started running nowhere. "Where are you?" I screamed. Suddenly, I found myself on the stairs. In front of me was... "Lucia!" Her eyes were evil. She stepped toward me. "I'm sorry," she said, and then pushed me. "No!" My voice echoed in the hollow. My eyes flew open, and a heavy breath escaped me as I was greeted by a pure white ceiling. Wh-where am I? Am I stuck in nowhere? Am I dead? I was confused. I looked around. Everything around me was either white or off-white. There was a monitor beside the bed, beeping continuously, and a wire attached to the back of my hand. It took me a while to realize my surroundings. I am in the hospital. I look around again; I am alone in the room. How did I end up here? I tried to recall, and some vag