The morning air in Romero was calm. For the first time in weeks, no one was rushing in or out, no shouting, no sirens of fear. The house was guarded, secure.
Vera packed her bag slowly. Bella sat on the edge of the bed, her face pale. "Mum, must you leave now?"
Vera cupped her daughter's cheek. "You're safe here. Chris has men everywhere. I've been gone too long already, Ella. My husband, Raquel, my work, they need me. And besides..." she smiled softly at Jessy who was tugging at her scarf, "...you're not alone anymore."
Bella swallowed. Her heart still didn't know whether to trust Chris, but she nodded. "Promise you'll call every day?"
"Every day," Vera said firmly. Then she kissed Jessy, kissed Bella, and whispered, "Be strong. Don't close your heart out of fear."
When she left, the room felt heavier.
Later that afternoon, Bella came downstairs and froze at the sight before her.
Chris sat cross-legged on the carpet, his suit jacket tossed aside. Arabella was on one side, building towers of blocks. Jessy was on his lap, giggling as Chris lifted him high in the air, pretending he was an airplane.
"Whoosh," Chris said in a low playful tone, spinning Jessy gently. The baby squealed, tiny arms flapping. Arabella clapped her hands, laughing, "Do it again, Daddy!"
Chris caught Jessy back against his chest, his strong hands steady. He kissed the top of his son's head, and for the first time Bella saw something she had never dared to imagine.
Her son. His father. Together.
Her throat tightened.
Chris noticed her then. His smile faded, replaced by something softer, heavier. "He looks like you when he laughs," Chris said quietly, bouncing Jessy.
Bella stepped closer, her arms folded around herself like armor. "He was the surprise I never knew I needed, He's all I had when the world walked away."
Chris's jaw clenched. "I never walked away."
Her eyes flashed. "Didn't you? You were the one person who could have fought for me. And you chose silence."
Jessy stirred at her raised voice, and Chris rocked him gently, soothing him. His tone was low, strained. "You think I didn't try? My father had men on me twenty-four hours. He swore he'd kill you if I went near. The night I finally broke through, you were gone. Toronto. And I've been chasing shadows ever since."
Bella shook her head, tears burning her eyes. "And all that time, I thought you hated me. I thought... I wasn't enough."
Chris's voice broke then. "You were always enough, Bella. Always. You're the only thing that's ever been enough."
Silence stretched between them. Arabella was humming softly, Jessy reaching for her blocks, while Chris held him steady with one hand, eyes locked on Bella's.
For a moment, it was just them.
A family, broken but breathing.
Chris lowered Jessy back onto the carpet, letting him crawl toward his sister. Arabella helped steady him, her small hands protective. "Careful, Jessy," she giggled.
Bella watched them together, the little boy who saved her life and the little girl who clung to Chris like a lifeline. Something inside her softened, cracked.
Chris turned to her again. His eyes weren't cold now. They were raw, bleeding, honest. "I can't change the past. But I can protect what's ours now. Him. Her. You."
Bella's lips trembled, but she couldn't answer. She only sank into the chair by the wall, watching as her son crawled into his father's arms and Arabella leaned against Chris's shoulder.
It was a picture she didn't know she wanted until it was right in front of her.
And it terrified her just as much as it healed her.
That night, Bella lay awake, Jessy's small hand curled around her finger. She thought of Alexis's warnings about Lilian, of the betrayal, she closed her eyes, whispering into the dark. "God, please protect Jessy"
Down the hall, Chris stood in the doorway of the beautifully decorated children's room, watching Arabella sleep. His daughter. Their daughter. Soon Bella would know.
But for tonight, he let them rest.
The house was quiet that night. Rain tapped gently on the wide windows of Romero, a slow rhythm that seemed to echo the heaviness in the air.
Bella sat in the lounge, a blanket around her shoulders. Jessy had finally fallen asleep in his crib after fussing, and Arabella was curled in her bed. For the first time all day, Bella allowed herself to breathe.
She didn't hear Chris until he spoke.
"You're awake."
She turned. He stood at the doorway, sleeves rolled up, tie loose, a glass of water in his hand. The exhaustion on his face looked carved in stone, but his eyes were fixed only on her.
"I couldn't sleep," she admitted, her voice low. "Every time I close my eyes, I see them chasing me. I hear Isabel's voice. I..." Her breath hitched. "I'm scared all the time."
Chris set the glass down and walked closer. He didn't sit immediately, he hesitated, as though waiting for permission. When she didn't move, he lowered himself into the chair opposite her.
"You don't have to carry that alone anymore," he said quietly.
Bella let out a bitter laugh. "That's what you said months ago too. That I wasn't alone. But when it mattered, I was."
Chris's jaw tightened. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "You think I didn't break every day you were gone? You think I slept? Ate? My father locked me down like a prisoner. By the time I fought my way out, you were in Canada. And every lead I followed ended with a dead end. It took me weeks to find you and I sent people to protect you"
Bella's eyes stung, tears pooling. "Then why didn't you just tell me? Why didn't you call explain something? Anything?"
Chris's voice cracked for the first time. "Because if they knew I'd reached you, they would've killed you. Bella, I chose silence because silence meant you stayed alive."
The weight of his words fell between them. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, whispering, "Do you know how it feels to think the person you love most in the world has thrown you away?"
"Yes." His voice was rough, steady. "Because I thought the same when you left without a word. When you didn't give me the chance to fight for us. That's how it felt. Like you threw me away too."
Bella froze. Her lips parted, but no sound came. For the first time, she saw it, his pain was not only rage, not only coldness. It was the mirror of her own.
Silence stretched until it hurt. Then Chris rose, walked toward her, and crouched in front of her chair. His hand hovered, unsure, before finally brushing away a tear on her cheek.
"I failed you," he said softly. "But I will not fail our children."
Bella swallowed hard. "Arabella... she doesn't know me. She only knows you."
Chris's gaze burned into hers. "Then let yourself get to know her. And let her know you. Don't shut me out anymore, Bella. Please."
Her chest heaved as though she was holding back a thousand words. She wanted to tell him she still loved him, that she never stopped. But the wounds were too deep to heal in a single night.
Instead, she whispered, "I'm tired, Chris."
He nodded, his thumb still at her cheek. "Then let me carry some of it."
For the first time, she didn't push him away. She let the silence sit, let his hand rest, let her heart admit that maybe just maybe she didn't want to fight him anymore.
In the nursery down the hall, Jessy stirred in his crib. Arabella rolled over in her sleep, clutching a stuffed rabbit.
And in that moment, though the truth still waited in the shadows, something fragile began to mend.