"Oh, that’s awesome!" Bella responded, genuinely happy for her friend. "Congratulations to both of you!"
"Thank you, thank you," Bridget chirped, barely able to contain her excitement. "We’re celebrating tonight at a bar. You have to come join us—please say you’ll come!"
Bella hesitated. She initially thought of heading home and planning on a surprise. But she couldn’t deny Bridget’s infectious excitement. "Of course, I’ll be there," she agreed.
"Don’t be late!" Bridget reminded her cheerfully before the call ended.
As the call ended, Bella took a cab and headed to the bar, where they used to go. Soon, she arrived at the bar, the familiar place they frequented together. As she walked in, she spotted Bridget and Joe at the counter, waving enthusiastically.
Bridget immediately stood up, wrapping Bella in a tight hug. "Thank you for coming," she murmured.
"Why wouldn’t I? We’re friends, and I wouldn’t miss this celebration for anything." Bella turned to Joe, stretching her lips from ear to ear. "Congratulations, Joe."
"Thanks, but I don’t want just a dry congratulations," Joe teased, pulling her into a friendly hug. "It’s good to see you, Bella. I hope you’re doing well. Mr. Reid is taking care of you, isn’t he?"
"Yes," Bella replied, her smile widening at the mention of Theodore. The thought of telling him about the baby filled her with excitement.
"If he bullies you, you just come to us," Bridget added with a playful grin. "We’ll definitely give him a good scolding."
"Yes, I’m sure Mr. Reid would be terrified of Bridget," Joe joked, smirking.
"Really?" Bridget asked, clearly missing the sarcasm in his voice.
"Why not? You’re a wild cat," Joe continued, still teasing. "He will be terrified of you."
When Bridget finally caught on, she gave him a mock scowl. "I’m not scolding you because I’m too happy tonight to ruin my mood," she retorted before her smile returned as she turned back to Bella. "Come sit with me." Bridget pulled Bella onto the stool beside her. "So, what do you want to drink tonight?"
Bella instinctively placed a hand on her abdomen, realizing she had to be careful now. "I think I’ll skip the alcohol tonight. I’ll have a virgin Moscow Mule instead."
Bridget raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "You? Refusing alcohol? The last time we hit the bar, you drank like a fish. What’s going on?"
Bella bit her lip, trying to keep her expression neutral. She wanted to tell Theodore first about the pregnancy; he deserved to hear the news before anyone else. But she knew Bridget wouldn’t let it go without a good reason.
As she thought back to the last time she drank too much, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The memory of vomiting all over Theodore replayed in her mind, making her cringe. "I wasn’t myself last time," she mumbled. "I’d rather avoid a repeat of that...situation."
"I haven’t forgotten that," Joe said with a mischievous smile. "We all misunderstood Theodore and Willow."
"But why are you blushing now?" Bridget’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the color rising in Bella’s cheeks. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she nudged Bella with her elbow. "What’s on your mind? Come on, spill!"
Bella hesitated. There was no way she was going to share such an embarrassing story. "It’s nothing," she said, trying to brush it off, but her friend was relentless.
"I bet you’re thinking about Theodore," Bridget pressed. "What’s the big secret?"
Bella sighed, realizing she wouldn’t get away so easily. "Can you stop teasing me already?" she pouted, feigning annoyance. "If you keep this up, I’m going home."
"Alright, alright – we won’t tease you anymore," Bridget said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Just don’t get mad at us."
Before the conversation could go any further, Joe jumped in. "Hey, how about we dance?"
Bella shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was dance. "I’m going to pass on that," she replied instantly. "You two go ahead and have fun. I’ll just relax here."
"Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?" Bridget asked skeptically.
"Yes. I want to enjoy my drink." Bella raised her drink to toast them.
"Okay then. Suit yourself. We are going to dance." Bridget gave her a playful wink before pulling Joe onto the dance floor.
Bella took a sip of her drink, her eyes following Bridget and Joe as they danced with wild abandon to the pulsing beat of the music. She couldn’t help but grin at their sheer joy. They had been inseparable since school, their love seemingly immune to the passage of time. To Bella, they were the epitome of a perfect couple. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
As she watched them, a thought crossed her mind: Could she and Theodore sustain their love like this, forever?
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a gruff voice from her right. "Hello, Miss Dawn. We meet again."
"You?" She frowned, taken aback by the sudden encounter.
O’Neil stood there, a smirk twisting his lips, his eyes gleaming with a menacing light. Ever since that fateful meeting, Theodore had systematically dismantled his life. He had lost his property, and now faced charges of fraud and deception. And it was all because of one person – Bella Dawn.
He squarely put all the blame on her. If she had not interjected that day, he would have successfully sold the property and wouldn’t have faced all these issues.
"You’re out here enjoying yourself while my life falls apart," he hissed. "If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess."
Bella’s blood ran cold as she stared into his furious eyes. The oppressive weight of his presence made her feel cornered and vulnerable. "I don’t know what you’re talking about." She quickly stood up, her instincts screaming at her to leave the bar immediately.
But O’Neil wasn’t done. His anger was ready to erupt. "Oh, don’t play innocent. You are the reason I’m in this hell. And now, you’re going to pay."
Bella scowled at him. "How can you blame me?" she retorted. "You’re in this mess because of your own mistakes. You didn’t think about the consequences when you tried to deceive Theodore. Even if I hadn’t stepped in, he would have found out eventually."
O’Neil’s face contorted with anger. "Stop making excuses. You can’t escape this. Tonight, you’ll pay for my losses."
Before Bella could react, O’Neil lunged at her, grabbing her shoulders with a vice-like grip. Her heart pounded as panic surged through her. Acting on pure instinct, she lifted her leg and drove her knee sharply into his groin.
O’Neil’s breathing stopped, his eyes widening at the sudden pain. He clutched at his groin as his vision swirled with stars. He groaned in distress, collapsing onto a nearby table with a crash.
Bella took the opportunity to flee.
"Stop her," O’Neil bellowed from behind.
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