Behind His Charms

It was a miracle from God that she had overcome her mental condition, but Bella feared this freedom wouldn’t last long. And she couldn’t go to any hospital to get herself tested because she just knew Vaughn would get wind of it. The whole world seemed to worship the very ground he walked on; everyone was so eager to please him.

This was why Bella hadn’t told him about her recovery. If her husband knew that she remembered all the abuse he had put her through, he might get rid of her. She feared he would hurt or kill her. So, she kept her mouth shut and pretended to still be mentally ill. Vaughn treated her kindly, like she was the most precious thing in the world. It was hard to imagine that this was the same man who had hurt her countless times.

“Home sweet home,” Vaughn said as he wheeled her into the house. It was the fourth day after she had awakened from her coma. Vaughn had demanded she be brought home despite the hospital’s protest. He had told her not to worry, that the best nurse was waiting for her at home. Bella would have found his decision sweet; she would have thought he simply wanted to be closer to her. But now she knew he was only doing it for clout, for people to think he was caring and kind to her.

“Do you need anything, baby?”

“No, I just need some rest.”

“Alright. I still have to return to the office, so Anna will take care of you.” He gestured to the nurse to take his place. Bella looked at the woman who had been caring for her for nearly a year now, unsure if she could trust her. “Remember, your parents are coming later tonight. We’ll be dining together as one big family.”

“Will Jess be there as well?” Despite how hard she tried, Bella couldn’t keep the bitterness of her sister’s betrayal from seeping into her voice.

Vaughn was taken aback by this show of emotion. To him, it sounded like there had been some disagreement between the sisters, and Bella didn’t want her sister at the dinner. But that wasn’t possible. It was still morning, and whatever disagreement they might have had, Bella should have forgotten about it by now due to her condition. “Don’t you want her to be there?”

“No, I mean, of course I do. She’s my sister. I just think she’d be very busy at the moment, with the photoshoot she has later today.”

“Didn’t she tell you about that last night? How do you remember?” Vaughn raised a questioning brow, a slight frown crossing his features. Bella quickly thought of what to say.

“She texted me this morning!”

“Well, alright. I’m sure she can make time.” Vaughn didn’t dwell too much on the matter. He bade Bella farewell and left. Bella breathed out in relief, reminding herself to be more careful next time not to give herself away.

Anna helped her stand and led her upstairs to her room. Once Bella was tucked under the blankets, Anna finally spoke. “You remember everything, don’t you?” Her words made Bella panic, but she quickly reassured her.

“Don’t be scared. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“Like hell, I’m going to believe you. You were working with Vaughn all this time. You watched him hurt me.”

“And it haunts me every day,” Anna said, her voice solemn, her eyes reflecting hurt. “I’m a nurse, Mrs. McCoy. I’ve always dreamed of helping others since I was a little girl. When I got this job to take care of you, I was thrilled because I thought someone important had recognized my skills. I never knew the reason your husband hired me was that he was the one hurting you. I tried to quit, but he threatened to ruin my career if I ever thought of leaving. I have a brother to take care of. I have responsibilities. I couldn’t leave. I’m sorry.”

Bella was touched by Anna’s confession. Her nurse was also a victim of Vaughn McCoy. She could understand why Anna was afraid to say anything. “How did you know I had regained my memories?”

“Your words from earlier gave you away. You’re lucky Mr. McCoy wasn’t being very attentive, or he might have figured it out as well. You need to be careful.”

“I know.”

“But I don’t understand one thing. Since you have your memories back, why don’t you go to the police?”

“Because even the police won’t listen to me unless I have evidence. Vaughn is one of the most powerful men in the world. To bring him down, I need to show everyone what kind of person he really is. That requires time. I need time.”

She needed video evidence of him hurting her. Bella could extract it directly from the security system in the house, but Vaughn’s team would be aware of it, and he would hunt her down before she could even upload it. She needed him to let his guard down; she needed live footage if possible. And despite how scared she was, Bella would have to remain with Vaughn until she could gather the evidence she needed to ruin the golden reputation he worked so hard to maintain.

“Will you help me?”

Anna didn’t hesitate to agree. “Whatever you need, just tell me.”

And that was how Bella gained her first accomplice in her plans to get revenge on her tyrannical husband.

---

Bella’s parents, James and Mirabel Page, came to the house that evening. Her mother fawned over her, worry evident in her voice as she cautioned her to be careful when driving next time. Bella replied with a smile, promising to heed her warnings.

If she hadn’t known her parents were aware of the abuse she faced at Vaughn’s hands and still insisted she stay with him, she might have believed they truly cared about her well-being. But that wasn’t the case, unfortunately.

“Where is Jess?”

“She’s on her way,” Mirabel said. “I had to beg her to finish her photoshoot before coming. The poor girl was anxious to see you and make sure you were alright after leaving the hospital.”

Bella smiled. “That’s kind of her.”

Just as they finished speaking, Jessica Page walked into the room, followed closely by Vaughn. Bella was quickly assaulted by the smell of their mixed perfumes. Although Jessica had at least tried to make herself presentable, her hair was messy, her lips were slightly swollen, and there was a distinctive lipstick mark on Vaughn’s neck—Bella saw it when he sat down next to her. She fought back the urge to gag as he kissed her.

“Sorry we’re late. Vaughn was showing me the garden. It’s very beautiful.”

James and Mirabel exchanged knowing looks but said nothing. Bella’s gaze darted between her husband and sister before settling on Vaughn.

“Firstly, we don’t have a garden. Secondly, you should have at least made an effort to look discreet before coming.”

The table fell silent. Everyone quickly realized that she knew about the affair between Jessica and Vaughn. But the shock was brief. Her parents continued eating, Jessica pulled out a mirror to fix her smudged lipstick, and Vaughn rolled his eyes and took a sip of wine. Nobody said anything. Bella remained quiet, now regretting saying anything at all.

The dinner went by in silence. When they were done, her parents bade her farewell before leaving. The moment they were gone, Jessica crawled into Vaughn’s lap, and they started making out heavily right in front of her. Bella kept her head lowered while hatred boiled inside her.

“Goodnight, sis. I wish you a quick recovery,” Jessica said as she left. There was a mocking tone in her voice because she knew Bella wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow. When Jessica was gone, Bella got to her feet and made her way upstairs, Vaughn following her.

He didn’t say anything to her until they reached her bedroom, where he threw a pair of keys into her lap. “I bought you a new private jet. I wasn’t sure which brand you’d prefer, so I bought the whole company. You can have your pick.”

“I don’t want anything from you, Vaughn,” Bella said, throwing the keys back at him.

“Is that so?” He picked up the keys she had thrown away and placed them on the nightstand. “You used to love the gifts I got you. You would always post them online, and it made the headlines the very next day.”

“That was when I thought you loved me. I won’t take anything from you. I won’t play your games.”

Vaughn chuckled darkly, grabbing her by the jaw. “You say that now. But by tomorrow, you’ll be crawling onto my lap, just like your sister did tonight. Face it, Isabella, you are and will always be a mentally deranged girl who takes everything I give her with a smile.” Bella tried to struggle, but his hand clamped down harder, causing her to moan in pain. “Always my bitch.”

Finally, he let go of her face and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Bella tried to hold back her sobs; she saw no reason to cry for that bastard. However, she couldn’t stop the tears. This was the man she had dropped out of college for, the man she had given up her whole life for.

It hurt badly, but the pain also motivated her. Bella grabbed her notepad and scribbled something. She didn’t need it to remember anymore, but old habits die hard.

That night, she hardly got any sleep. She needed to make this man pay! But how?!