The Next Morning – Elijah Returns
Smoke clung to the sky. The chapel was gone — nothing but charred stone and twisted beams.
Father Elijah ran, suitcase still in hand, disbelief in his eyes.
Elijah (to the officer):
"What happened?!"
Officer:
"We believe it was arson. Two victims inside. We're still confirming IDs."
He sank to his knees.
A familiar perfume lingered in the air.
He whispered:
Elijah:
"Bella…"
Bella's Room – That Night
She lay on her bed in candlelight, humming.
On her dresser: a crucifix, blackened at the edges from fire.
She kissed it gently.
Bella (to herself):
"Forgive me, Father.
For I have sinned...
And I liked it."
She curled under her blanket, drifting off with a smile
Bella's Bedroom – Outside
Bella and Father Elijah are sitting close together. He's pale, shaken from the fire and the confession of her pregnancy. She, on the other hand, is eerily calm — brushing her fingers lightly over his collar, her eyes unreadable.
Suddenly, her bedroom door swings open with force.
Her mother storms in, eyes wide with fury and disbelief.
---
Mother (shouting):
"I knew it! You little serpent! I knew you were behind the church fire!"
Her eyes dart to Elijah.
Mother (snarling):
"And you — standing here like a broken saint. What would your parish say if they saw you in bed with this... thing?"
---
Elijah rises quickly, guilt and shame battling inside him.
Elijah (sternly):
"This isn't the place—"
Mother (cutting him off):
"You've poisoned him too, haven't you, Bella? Seduced him, trapped him!"
Bella stands now, calm as ever.
Bella (quietly):
"You're overreacting, Mother."
Mother (pointing a trembling finger):
"Don't talk to me like that. You're pregnant. And you burned that church. Don't you dare stand there like you're innocent."
---
Bella doesn't raise her voice. She simply picks up her phone, quickly and quietly, taps it, and sets it down on the nightstand — microphone still on. 9-1-1 is already listening.
---
Bella (dramatic, just loud enough):
"Please… Mommy, stop. I didn't want to hurt anyone. Don't do this again."
Mother (confused):
"What—what are you saying?"
Bella (now crying):
"You said if I told anyone about what you did, you'd hurt me. You said no one would believe me."
Elijah (alarmed):
"Bella, what are you doing?"
Bella (without looking away from her mother):
"I'm telling the truth."
Her mother looks from Bella to Elijah, realization slowly dawning.
Mother:
"You're setting me up."
Bella (softly):
"You set yourself up. I just opened the door."
---
Living Room – Seconds Later
Her father bursts in from downstairs, his eyes widening at the confrontation in front of him.
Father:
"What is going on?!"
Mother (desperate):
"She's lying! She's framing me! She set fire to the church — not me!"
Bella (softly, looking to her father):
"She said I was evil. That I don't deserve this baby. She threatened to have me institutionalized."
Father (stepping between them):
"Enough."
He turns to Elijah.
Father (calm but cold):
"Is it true? About the child?"
Elijah nods once. No more words.
A long silence.
Then, as sirens begin to echo faintly from down the street, the father turns to Bella and puts a hand on her shoulder.
Father:
"Go upstairs. Pack only what you need. We're leaving tonight."
Mother (shouting):
"You're protecting her?! After everything she's done?!"
Father (without looking at her):
"She's our daughter. And she's not going to prison."
---
Upstairs – Bella's Room
Bella stares at herself in the mirror, wiping away fake tears. Then she gently places a hand on her stomach.
Bella (softly, smiling):
"You're already saving me, little one. You're my second chance."
She zips her bag, turns off the light, and walks out — just as the police knock downstairs.