Xavier~"Bella, stop; you can't leave without answering my question." I blocked her path by spreading my arms in her way."Xavier, what are you doing? Let us go; it's already so late." She avoided my gaze and attempted to move my arm out of the way."No, first tell me how your son got this birthmark." I bowed my head and pointed toward Alan's right leg, dreadand a fierce curiosity boiling under my calm exterior."What birthmark are you referring to? There is no birthmark on his leg." Bella’s face paled after hearing me, her expression betraying shock."Bella, I am talking about this birthmark." I embraced Alan, showing Bella the spot on his leg, the same one that held me in agonizing suspicion."No, this is not a birthmark; it's a burning mark on his leg." She made an effort to seem calm in front of me, but her trembling voice and perspiration on her forehead told me otherwise. Her denial, paired with her reaction, only confirmed my worst fears."What are you trying to hide from me?"
Isabella~"What happened? Why did you apply the car brakes so abruptly?" I gave him a furious glare. Due to his sudden application of the brake, Alan and I narrowly avoided falling onto the car's floor. However, I managed to balance my body weight and prevent Alan's head from colliding with the driver's seat."What did you just say, Alan is five years old?" He gave me a suspicious glance, his expression quickly sharpening as realization seemed to dawn. I immediately realized my mistake, and fear washed over me. Why did I keep giving him reason to doubt me? Now, he would undoubtedly learn the truth. Oh no, I must do something—anything—to keep his suspicions at bay."Xavier, why did you insist on driving the car when your entire attention is constantly focused on me? Do you wish for us to be killed in an accident?" I shot back quickly, trying to cover up my slip-up. I immediately opened the door and got out of the car, hoping to shift his focus."What are you doing, Bella?" He sounded
Xavier~What the hell is she doing? How could she flirt with him?My body boiled with rage when I saw the screenshot of James' chat with Bella that he shared with me. Every word between them hit me like a fresh wound, a constant reminder of how far she had moved away from me. I was scrolling through Bella's Facebook feed, eager to learn more about Alan, with the burning need to unearth the truth, igniting my every move. Learning that Alan was five years old deepened my suspicion that he was my son, yet with each realization came an ache I could barely endure. Every look, every habit Alan had reminded me of the boy I’d longed to raise. I planned to question her about Alan's exact age, but her anger compelled me to leave her car. How could I hold back when I felt the truth so close—yet every sign from her pushed me further from the answers I needed?What was the source of her anger? I now understand that this was a ploy to divert my attention. I was disappointed when I didn't find an
Isabella~"What happened, Victor? Why are you so silent today?" I found his behavior very strange. Usually, he wouldn't be so quiet after returning from his house, so I'm not sure why he behaved this way today. His silence pricked at me, his face clouded with something between remorse and fear."Nothing, Bella," he finally said, his voice unusually quiet, eyes fixed on his food. "Will you forgive me if I unknowingly committed a mistake?""What mistake did you make?" I asked, confused, yet feeling my stomach tighten with worry."If Xavier comes to know the truth, then what will you do?" He looked up, and a shadow of fear lingered in his gaze. His words hit like a splash of ice water, freezing me mid-motion."What? That's not possible." My voice came out too loud, even to my ears. I stood, almost knocking the chair back. "You can't tell him the truth!" I stared at him, trying to hide my rising panic, but Victor’s expression looked regretful, almost remorseful, and a silent understandin
Xavier~"When did you test his DNA?" Her tongue faltered, and a pool of precipitation formed on her forehead. "How can you keep such a truth from me, Bella? I didn't anticipate this from you." After seeing the DNA report, I was also shocked. During the court session break, I received the DNA report. I read the report following the judge's verdict. Before reading the report, my heart was filled with pity for Bella's condition, as she had been brutally trapped in this case by Jordan Lucas. I know that Jordan has a long history of purchasing judges for personal gain, but after learning that Alan is my son and that Bella concealed this information from me, I became furious with her. How could she conceal such a significant truth, even when I repeatedly questioned it? I never imagined she would go to such extreme lengths to deceive me. She exploited my younger brother as a pawn in her game after first showing me Alan's phony DNA report. She and Victor didn't have a romantic relationship
Isabella~"Bella, what are you doing? How could you get engaged to this bastard?" Xavier came into the party hall just as I was ready to put the ring on James' hand. My eyes gleamed with happiness on seeing him in front of me. Nine months have passed since I last saw his face. He left my life after discovering the truth, but his final words continued to haunt me to this day. I expected him to fight for his rights, but he left Alan with me without question. His action touched my heart deeply. I was always scared that, after hearing the truth, he would fight with me for paternity with Alan, but to my surprise, he disappeared from my life in silence. In his absence, I realized my mistake and regretted my behavior. Victor also felt sorry for lying to him about our relationship."How dare you play your dirty tricks on her despite my warnings to stay away from her?" Xavier struck James in the face. Xavier's unexpected strike caused James to fall to the ground, but he rose fast and straig
Xavier~"Oh my god, it's unbelievable. How can they put such a severe charge on you? If the media leaks this news, it could negatively impact your public image," Bella said, her voice trembling as she read the notice. I grabbed the paper from her hand, my own pulse racing as I tried to process the gravity of what she’d just said."What the hell is this? How can they accuse you of harassing your partner and accusing him of being a home wrecker? I mean, you both told me you were in a relationship willingly!" I looked at Victor, my expression a mix of confusion and shock, waiting for any sign of denial or explanation from him. "What’s this notice even about?"James leaned over, grabbed the court notice from my hand, and read it aloud."Wait… Are you… gay, Victor?" James looked up, startled, his eyes wide with shock as he searched Victor’s face for answers.Victor didn’t respond to James. Instead, he lowered his head, his face shadowed with a mix of shame and fear, his silence speaking v
Isabella~"Please open your eyes, Dad." I shook his body and asked him to open his eyes, but he lay down on the floor, unconscious. "Call the doctor, Xavier." As I saw his lifeless body on the floor, tears welled up in my eyes. Xavier and Victor took his body in the car and drove towards the hospital. With each step we took toward the hospital, my heartbeat accelerated. "Bella, don't cry; nothing will happen to Dad." As the doctor admitted Dad to the intensive care unit, Xavier wiped my tears. "Xavier, if something happened to him, then I will never forgive myself." Despite my promise to Victor that I would convince Dad to marry John, I was uncertain how things escalated before I had the opportunity to speak with him. I sobbed uncontrollably while resting my head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Bella; you are not to blame for anything that occurred." He stroked my hair and gently wiped away my tears. Victor stood in the corner of the hospital coordinator in a way that the culprit st
Isabella~"Thank God, we finally returned to the USA." When I heard Xavier's voice, I opened my eyes. The journey had been perilous and exhausting. Undoubtedly, Uncle Jorawar will be pleased to learn that we have taken Jonathan into custody.I took Xavier's hand and ran my thumb over it. "Do you truly believe it's that simple, Bella?" He raised his brow and questioned me, his expression dark."What's the issue now? Xavier, everything is in order now. We've filed a case against Jonathan and asked the Italian police to transfer him to the US police." I didn't understand why he still looked so worried about Jonathan when everything seemed sorted."Given that we assisted Italian authorities in apprehending Jonathan, do you believe Jordan will remain silent?" Xavier's forehead creased with tension.His words made my chest tighten. "What will Jordan Lucas do in this case? He has no authority over the Italian police." I tried to sound confident, though a flicker of doubt crept in."He mig
Xavier~"Are you ready, Jacqueline?" I teased James, unable to resist the opportunity since he was dressed like a woman."Don't play with me, Xavier; otherwise, I will punch your handsome face, turning it blue." He angrily gritted his teeth, his voice unusually high-pitched to match his disguise."Don't be too harsh on your delicate hands, Jacqueline." I smirked, taking his hand and running my thumb over it."Bella, ask this bastard to stop teasing me; otherwise, I will kick him in his main part, and he will not be able to fulfill Alan's desire!" James shot Bella an irritated look."Stop it, Xavier. How can you make fun of him in such a risky situation? You know that what James is going to do is not a simple task," Bella scolded, her expression deadly serious."I know, my sweetheart, but he looks so gorgeous in this attire that I can't hold myself back from flirting with him. Trust me, Bella, if he were a woman, I'd propose to him right now." I burst into laughter as I glanced at Jame
Isabella~"Why did you flee from that building, Xavier? You know we have a chance to apprehend him." I looked at him angrily as he was running from Jonathan."Use your common sense, Bella; you have no idea how dangerous Jonathan is. He's not like Jordan. If we don't flee from him, he will kill us." He looked behind to check whether Jonathan was still following us or not, his sharp eyes scanning the streets for any sign of pursuit."But now, how will we bring justice to Laila?" As we paused near the police station, I questioned him again, my voice trembling with frustration."For now, let's put Laila out of our minds; we need to get back to the United States," he said, his tone curt. He asked me not to overthink this, but the words felt like a dismissal, and my chest tightened.James made me sit on the bench. His heavy breathing and sweat dripping down his forehead gave me an idea of how exhausting carrying me must have been. Despite his weariness, he cast me a reassuring smile, as if
Xavier~What are we going to do now? Her questioning gaze fixed on my face. Since I was also unsure of what we should do at this point, I looked at James' face to get a hint about our next course of action. Jonathan and his shooters were staring at us with excitement, so I wanted to let him know that we were lawyers, not artists, and that I had no idea what I should perform when confronting themJames came up with the plan to alter our look to trick the gunmen, but Bella's obstinacy has caused us to follow Jonathan here instead. Jonathan's menacing grey eyes gleamed in the room's darkness, giving us the impression that we were standing in front of a ravenous lion within his den."What are you waiting for? My gunmen will shoot you if you don't perform soon."Two large shadows caught my attention behind his chair. They loomed like silent sentinels, their sharp eyes never leaving us."Without music, I can't dance." I adjusted the tone of my voice and explained my incapacity to perform,
Isabella~"What are you doing here?"I heard noises and a dangerous voice around me, and I opened my eyes. The dim glow of the museum flickered across the room. My heart sank."We were new to this place and had lost our way," James said, his voice trembling with forced politeness.What’s going on here? Where are we? I looked around to see what was happening in my immediate environment. Three gunmen stood in front of us, pointing their weapons at us. Xavier stood like a mountain, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his presence grounding me in the face of fear."Where do you want to go?" I heard the piercing voice of one of the gunmen, his tone sharp enough to cut through the tense silence."We want to go to this drama theater." James reached into his coat and pulled out one card, his hands slightly tremblingbut his expressioncalm.Drama-theater? What is he talking about? I looked at him in confusion. Why did he dress in pirate clothes?"Have you seen any of them? We are actively
Xavier~"Bella, how did this happen?" I worriedly glanced at her broken leg. It's only been two days without her, but it feels like an eternity. When I learned she had checked out from the hotel, fear consumed me. I repeatedly dialed her number, but it was unreachable. My mind spiraled as I imagined the worst.Seeing her like this now, vulnerable and hurt, my jealousy and anger resurfaced. Her ignorant behavior toward me before leaving for Italy had already stung, but now I couldn’t hold back the flood of questions."Xavier, promise me first that you will not be angry with me after hearing the truth," she said, releasing me from our embrace and meeting my gaze."Please tell me everything first, and then I’ll decide." My fingers grazed her chin as I spoke, but my eyes shifted to James, narrowing in suspicion.My heart warred with itself, pleading with me to trust James, the friend I’d known since childhood. Yet my jealousy silenced those pleas. I couldn’t ignore the thought that he mig
Isabella~"James, are you sure we’ll find Jonathan here?" I questioned him in a doubt-filled tone, my unease growing with every passing second."Yes, Bella. I got this address from my informant." He motioned for me to exit the taxi.The chilly Italian air stung my skin as I stepped onto the deserted street. My life had completely transformed in just two days. Two days ago, my family and I were in the United States, and now I found myself in this unknown, freezing city, chasing someone I’d never even met.When James told me that Jonathan had moved to Italy after Laila’s passing, I knew I had no choice but to come. Jordan Lucas had already tricked Uncle Jorawar and dragged us into this chaos, and now Jonathan was my only lead. I wanted to share the truth about this trip with Xavier, but his erratic behavior and mistrust made it impossible. If I’d told him I was coming to find Jonathan, he would’ve stopped me no matter what.Despite the guilt of keeping secrets, I had to take this chanc
Xavier~"Bella, what happened suddenly? You love him, right?" Dad looked at her in disbelief."Yes, Dad, but I want to take my time and not rush things. I want to understand him better before marrying him." She fidgeted with her fingers and then looked at my face."Well, it's your choice, Bella. I don't want to impose anything on you." After letting out a long sigh, Dad accepted her choice."Thank you, Dad." After hugging him, she went to the kitchen.I don’t understand why she suddenly changed her mind. Is she no longer in love with me? I followed her to the kitchen, hoping to talk with her, but she didn’t show any interest. Her coldness was unbearable. I replayed every interaction in my mind, searching for what I had done wrong.I’ve always trusted her words, but seeing her with James stirred my insecurities. My desire to win her back always overtook my reason whenever I saw them together. Bella is the kind of woman every man dreams of having, and I can’t help but fear losing her. B
Isabella~"Hey Xavier, congratulations, buddy." I turned around after hearing James' voice. He was standing at the kitchen's entrance. His tightened jaw and white knuckles indicated that he was not pleased to see James here."Why are you congratulating me? I should be the one to congratulate you on your achievement, James." He approached us, his every move deliberate and slow, as if he were trying to control his anger."What are you saying?" James looked at him with confusion."You understand clearly what I mean, am I right, Bella?" Xavier’s doubt-filled eyes made me his target.In an attempt to gain his trust, I gazed intently into his lovely blue eyes, but all I could see were anger and jealousy."Xavier, listen, you misunderstood our relationship; we are just friends." James attempted to clarify his misunderstanding after noticing the tension between us."Do you think I'm a fool, James? Do you think I am not aware of your late-night conversations and the fact that you two spent the