BELLATRIX... The marriage procedures were shorter than I thought. Victor somehow managed to gather my necessary documents and submitted them alongside his. Then we exchanged our rings. Once it was done, we walked out of the government office as a newly married couple. Finally, it's done... I feel nothing remarkable after marriage; it turned out to be very simple. All it took was a few dollars for a certificate that is valid for only a year in our case. "Give me your hand," Victor said suddenly, stretching his hand toward me. I tugged on my lower lip and placed my hand on his. The warmth of his touch pleasurably spread within me. Slowly, he raised his other hand, revealing a beautiful bracelet before my eyes. "I-it's beautiful," I muttered, mesmerized by the beauty of the bracelet. He did not reply. Instead, he locked it around my wrist and looked at me. "It's your wedding gift." "Ah!" I gasped, once again glancing at the shimmering bracelet. "B-but wh-y?" My voice was
"Of course! Let's meet at the 'sea house'!" She said excitedly, and I agreed. I took a bus and soon reached the seafood restaurant, with Mathew trailing behind me. It was our regular place before she went overseas. A few minutes later, my best and only friend showed up. Her beautiful face lit up as soon as our eyes met. She hurried over, embracing me in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh babe, I missed you so fucking much!" She exclaimed, earning attention from others. I smiled at her. She is always like this, feral and willful, just like me. The only difference is, I'm timid, while she possesses the bravado to be herself. We entered the restaurant and selected a corner seat that would keep me away from prying eyes. Mathew took a seat at a table before mine. Luckily, Stella didn't notice him yet. She waved her hand to a waiter, who soon arrived, and we placed our order. Mathew also ordered something; God knows what, but luckily, he wasn't following me like a regular bodyguard and catching
BELLATRIX ..."M-my parents!" My voice trembles, "W-why!?"Why would he want to see my parents? I agreed to this marriage to keep my distance from them, but he..."Yes, I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes." He says and hangs up before I can process all of it.As I stare at the black screen of my phone in a daze, a sudden snap from Stella brings me back. I look up at her; she is waving her hands before my eyes. "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale? It was your new husband, right? What did he say? Did he mess with you? Tell me!" She starts firing questions at me.Sigh..."He wants to visit my parents," I murmur."That's it?" She scoffs. "You were reacting as if he asked for your kidneys! Come on now, Trix, you're married now. I don't think your family or Neil would harass you anymore." She argues, "What if they bless you now and give you the love you always yearned for? You're married to a Ryder after all.""He is not a Ryder," I frown. He is Dubov, unlike those arrogant Ryders, and a
BELLATRIX... After a while, the car stopped in front of the villa. "We're here," he says. "I know." Muttering with a little displeasure, I open the door to step out. "You go first; I'll return after parking the car, okay?" he speaks, and this time, I turn to see him. The truth is, I'm not quite confident about going there alone, and for some reason, I want him to go with me. I part my lips, yet nothing comes out when a realization adorns my idea: we are only a contract couple; a year later, our ways will be parted. Who would I ask then? The thought makes me swallow the words that were almost on my tongue, and I shake my head. "Okay." I get out of the car and watch him drive toward the parking lot before I turn to the villa. Home it was to me even two days earlier, but now... sigh. Inhaling a deep breath, I step inside with a racing heart. It feels so strange, as if I'm intervening in someone's property without permission. Am I supposed to feel this way regarding my own
VICTOR...Both their gazes are on me; I only care for one, though: my newly married wife. Her hand is cold, and I can feel her dull nervousness enveloping her as she stands up against her mother. Yet, I'm proud of her nonetheless for speaking up.My gaze shifts to her mother, who is perhaps still in shock. Her lips quiver as her eyes travel between Bella and me."H-how... W-when d-did you..." Her words tremble. "Wh-what is he talking about!?" She finally regains her voice to snap at my wife, which she must not.My eyes blaze, and my grip tightens on her hand. I just opened my mouth when—"You heard it right; we got married." Her non-hesitant tone pauses me as my eyes return to her.Her beautiful face is cold, her innocent orbs look... tired and helpless. Her chest rises and falls heavily; I'm quite sure she is anxious, but once again, the determination in her tone makes me elated.My admiration, however, is not long-lived. Her mother gasps and dramatically turns around before running
BELLATRIX...I said it... Yes, I did, and I fucking mean each word I said. It was so suffocating when they blamed me for all the wrongs in their lives, but it aches deep within my soul when they started insulting a man who did nothing but be generous and caring to me, and I couldn't take it.I had once believed in the love of a family. I used to think that no matter how much one suffers, when family is around, all pain redeems... I was wrong; my family crushed my belief a long time ago. It was my foolishness and blinded emotions that made me ignorant of their arrogance and biased nature.The look on their faces is full of disbelief, including my newly wedded husband. The only difference was that I saw worry in his gaze instead of my parents'. I squeezed his hand, signaling to him that it's fine.After a while, "Bellatrix Genevive Valdez! How dare you!" My father roared, his eyes red as he took a step forward threateningly. I was quite sure I was about to be beaten in the next few seco
BELLATRIX...Thankfully, he didn't drag it out any longer, and closing my side of the door, he entered the driver's seat. For some reason, the atmosphere in the small space is tense.I notice him from the corner of my eye; he stared at the road and drove out of the parking lot, merging onto the highway. Suddenly, he sped up and almost started racing down the road.I gasp, turning to the cold man. His jaw is clenched tightly, and his forest-green eyes are fixed on the road. "V-Victor, what's w-wrong?" I ask hesitantly, slightly fearing his sudden change in mood.He does not respond; instead, he increases the car's speed, passing all the other cars very dangerously, making my heart pound madly as my hands clench onto my dress.Why is he doing this? Is it because of what my parents said? Sigh... I shouldn't have stopped him when he wanted to visit them. I don't know why I turned greedy even after knowing their true face. Because of my selfishness, he suffered for no reason. Swallowing
VICTOR... She stares at me with her lips parted, her eyes wide, and disbelief dances in her gaze. "H-help mm-me?" Her voice shakes. I give a slow nod. "I will." And I mean it; those people deserve to be treated with the same disgust. I do appreciate her bravado in front of her parents, the way she spoke up against them, defending me and finally proposing to cut ties. I was truly surprised. Frankly, I did not realize that they had no ounce of kindness for her; they treated her worse than one treats a stepchild. When she ran out of her home, none of her parents tried to stop her. Instead, they threatened me to leave her again, as if I would be scared of them. Although my one glare forced them to leave my arm, I know they'll find different ways to hurt her. Seeing her devastated and crying in the road stirred something within me; my heart tightened coldly, which arose my anger and forced me to drive fiercely here. I needed to calm down that strange turmoil in my heart. I could sens
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