Bella went straight to the bathroom as soon as she got to her room. The steam from the shower did little to wash away the anger burning inside her chest. She didn't even fully understand why she felt so furious, but she knew the root of it her family had been lying to her for six long years.
The twins, she could excuse. They had been young, barely teenagers then. But her mum? Vera had looked her in the eye countless times while Bella proudly declared herself a virgin. Her mother had smiled, encouraged her, even praised her. All the while knowing the truth. The betrayal stung like acid.
Her phone buzzed on the sink. She ignored it at first, letting the call go unanswered as water poured over her face. When she checked later, it was Bianca. Bella sighed, dried her hands, and called back.
"Hello best friend," she said, forcing cheer into her tone.
"Hello bestest friend! Are you back?" Bianca's voice was warm and excited.
"I'm fine. You? And how's Austin and my god baby?" Bella asked, smiling in spite of herself.
"They're both okay. But answer my question, Ella are you back?"
"Yes, an hour ago. Just trying to rest."
"Good. I'll see you later this evening, then. I needed to confirm. Oh wait, before I forget. The violinist. What song should he play?"
Bella thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'll leave that to Uncle Joe. He'll know the perfect choice."
"Fair enough. Talk later, darling. Send my love to your mum and the twins."
"Will do."
After the call, Bella rang Alexia and Liam to check on the decorations. They assured her everything was nearly ready. To be safe, she placed a quick online order for her mum's dress and matching heels, and made a mental note to take Vera to the nail salon the next day.
She lay back on the bed, planning, when her phone rang again. She answered without looking at the screen.
"Hello?" she mumbled, half-asleep.
"Hey, butterfly. How are you?"
Her eyes shot open. "Chris? Why are you calling?"
"Because I missed your beautiful face." His smirk was audible.
"Don't give me that, please. And stop calling me. Thanks for the ride, by the way even though I never asked you to."
"Did you just roll your eyes at me? I swear I can see you doing it."
Her lips twitched. "How did you know?"
"My intuition never lies," he replied in a mock-serious, playful tone.
"Shouldn't you be working?" she asked, trying not to laugh.
"Actually, yes. But I just wanted to hear your voice."
Her heart betrayed her by softening, though she kept her tone firm. "Well, you've heard it. Now get back to work. I need to get ready."
"Going somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"That's none of your business, Chris. Goodbye." She cut the call before he could say more.
Shaking her head, Bella dressed in a sweatshirt, ripped jeans, black boots, and her mini backpack. She called Bianca again to confirm she was leaving. The plan was to pick up the last few items for the decorations together.
As she headed out, Bella glanced toward the dining room. Vera hadn't confronted her about the outburst earlier, hadn't stormed into her room or demanded answers. For someone usually so protective, her mother's silence was deafening. Bella knew sooner or later she'd have to face that conversation. She needed her mum's help to access her old medical history, to speak with the doctor who had treated her after the accident.
But that talk would come tonight. For now, she closed the door behind her and whispered under her breath, "One step at a time."
Earlier that day, at the Walters' residence.
Chris regretted one thing more than anything else: not telling Bella that he had met her mother six years ago. Bianca had reminded him during their earlier conversation, and the weight of that memory pressed heavily on his chest.
He could still recall Vera's fury the night he confessed. She had been livid with him, with Austin, with Bianca, and above all with Bella herself. But she could do nothing to her daughter. Not after what had happened.
Chris knew the twins resented him too, not only because of what happened back then, but also because of how he'd handled things when he reappeared in Bella's life confiscating her car and forcing himself back into her world. In their eyes, he was a heartless jerk. Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable.
But the truth was, he hadn't always been like that.
Before Bella, Chris had been a playboy. A man who never spent the night with the same woman twice, who avoided attachment and preferred meaningless flings. That was his rule until the night with Bella. That one night ruined the rule and remade him. He couldn't touch another woman afterwards, couldn't even stomach his mother's blind date setups. Every face, every laugh, every touch reminded him of Bella.
The first and only woman he had ever brought into his home was Bella and even that had been under the wrong circumstances, nearly a year ago, when he had her kidnapped. No wonder she hated him. No wonder Vera wanted him gone.
Vera sent the twins out of the room so she could speak to him alone. Her sharp eyes locked onto his.
"So tell me, Chris," she demanded. "How did she find out?"
Chris hesitated. "I think... you must have triggered it. Ella has always been too inquisitive for her own good. That's why I tried to keep her away from you."
Vera's frown deepened. "She is my daughter. I know what's best for her."
Chris shook his head. "Bella is not a child anymore. She deserves the truth. Keeping her in the dark isn't protection, it's cruelty."
"Cruelty?" Vera's voice rose. "You think I don't know what cruelty is? You ruined her, Chris. You"
"I love her," he interrupted firmly, meeting her glare without flinching. "I didn't tell her out of selfishness. I told her because she deserved to know. What happened wasn't her fault. It was mine. I should have known better. But I love her, Vera. I have loved her every single day for six years."
Vera froze, stunned by the rawness in his voice.
Then, slowly, her anger shifted into disbelief. "Wait. You told her? You actually told her?"
Chris sighed. "She figured it out first. I only filled in the gaps. I explained what I knew how we met, what happened that night, why she lost her memory. She's angry now. Angry at all of you, because she feels abandoned. She said maybe if you'd helped her back then, she might have regained her memory sooner. She's broken, Vera. She doesn't even remember her first time."
Vera closed her eyes, her face tightening. "Do you know how many times she's told me how proud she was to still be a virgin? Do you know how it cut me every time she said it? She was eighteen, Chris. Eighteen. What if you had been some psycho? What if she had gotten pregnant?" Her voice cracked. "I raised her better than that. I taught her better than to drink at that age."
Chris reached for her hand, his voice low but steady. "Don't be too hard on her. She was young, naive. This was my fault. All of it. I should have been stronger. I should have walked away. But I didn't. And I can't undo it. All I can do is promise you this I will protect her, and I will make her happy, if you'll let me."
Vera's eyes welled with tears. Against her will, she let him pull her into a brief hug.
"If you ever break her heart," she whispered into his shoulder, "I swear, I will break your balls."
Chris chuckled softly, relief flashing across his face. "Noted."
They pulled apart, both smiling faintly through the tension.
"I need to get back to the office," Chris said. "A meeting at noon. Please, Vera don't be too hard on her. She needs you right now."
Vera nodded silently, opening the door for him.
"Goodbye, Aunt Vera."
"Goodbye, Christian."
At Hampson International, the noon meeting dragged on longer than expected due to complications with a new property in South Africa. Chris handled the negotiations on autopilot, his mind drifting constantly back to Bella.
The second the meeting ended, he picked up his phone. Hearing her voice even cold, even uninterested was enough to remind him why he was still fighting.