After finishing her cooking in haste, Bella slipped quietly into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. Her heart thudded in her chest as she reached into her bra and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. Unfolding it carefully, she stared at the phone number scrawled across it.
"I need to make a call. But how? Where can I find a phone?"
Her mind raced, running through her options. ’Zack and Hazel definitely wouldn’t let me use their phones,’ she thought grimly. She chewed her bottom lip, frustration bubbling inside her. "What do I do?"
A tempting voice in her head chimed in, ’What about stealing one of their phones?’ The suggestion made her pause, but she quickly shook her head.
"No, that’s too risky," she muttered. If Zack caught her, the consequences would be dire, and she couldn’t afford to blow her chance at escape. She needed a safer plan, something that wouldn’t raise suspicion.
Her eyes lit up as an idea began to form. ’What if I pretended to be in severe pain?’ she thought, her pulse quickening.
Zack and Hazel would have no choice but to take her to the hospital, and once there, she’d have access to a phone. She could finally call her biological father and ask for help.
"Yes," Bella whispered with quiet determination. "That’ll work. I just need to make it convincing."
The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house, pulling Bella from her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat—Zack had returned. Folding the paper carefully and tucking it away again, she took a deep breath, preparing herself for the act.
She pinched her eyebrows together, feigning discomfort, and forced her expression into one of weariness. She walked out of her room and opened the door.
His face lit up with a warm smile, but Bella avoided his gaze, keeping her head down as she turned around and walked in.
Zack’s smile faltered, concern flickering across his face. "Are you not feeling well?"
"It’s just a headache," she replied quietly before slipping back into her room and closing the door firmly behind her.
"Rose..." Zack’s voice was soft yet insistent as he approached the door, placing a hand against it. He jiggled the handle, but it didn’t budge. "Open the door and let me in," he called, his tone now more urgent. "Rose."
"Can you just leave me alone?" Bella’s muffled voice came from the other side. "I want to sleep."
Zack sighed heavily, his hand lingering on the door as if he could reach her through the barrier. "Alright," he said reluctantly. "But call me if you need anything, okay?" He stood there for a moment longer, listening, hoping for some kind of response.
But Bella said nothing. Zack’s shoulders sagged, worry etched into his features.
"You’re back," came Hazel’s voice from behind. Zack turned to see her limping toward him. Concern flickered across his face as he hurried to her side.
"What happened to you?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her carefully back to her room. Once inside, he closed the door and eased her onto the edge of the bed. "How did you get injured?"
"Uh," Hazel exhaled loudly, waving a hand as if to downplay the incident. "It’s nothing, really. Just a local thief," she explained. "He tried to snatch my bag, and when I wouldn’t let go, he pushed me down. I twisted my ankle in the fall. Luckily, a kind young man saw what happened, chased the thief, got my bag back, and even brought me home safely."
As soon as Bella heard the sound of the door closing, she sneaked out of her room and tiptoed toward Hazel’s room. She stood outside, tensed, listening to their conversation.
"What?" Zack’s expression hardened, his body stiffening as her words sank in. "A young man?" His eyes narrowed, his tone now tinged with anger. "I’ve told you not to talk to anyone, and you let a stranger into the house?"
Hazel waved him off dismissively. "Oh, Zack, you’re being paranoid. That young man was just helping me out of the goodness of his heart. Not everyone has some hidden agenda."
"Mom," Zack grimaced in frustration. "You don’t understand. This isn’t about paranoia. Alan Walton is searching everywhere for his daughter and Theodore... he has become like a wild dog. If either of them even gets a hint of where she is, everything will fall apart."
Outside the room, Bella stood motionless, her heart pounding in her chest as she eavesdropped on their conversation. She pressed her back against the wall, her body tense.
"Theodore," she whispered the name. The name felt heavy on her tongue, yet oddly familiar. As it echoed in her mind, fragmented images of a man flickered briefly—blurry, indistinct scenes that she couldn’t fully grasp.
’Why does this name feel so familiar? Who is he?’ she wondered, her heart pounding as she strained to recall, but the memories remained frustratingly out of reach.
"How long are you going to hide her? It’s not safe anymore."
Her thoughts were interrupted by Hazel’s voice, drawing her focus back to the conversation inside the room. Bella leaned closer, her heart thudding against her ribcage as she listened intently.
"Her injuries have healed," Hazel continued. "We can’t keep her locked up in this house forever. She has already asked me to take her outside. I managed to make an excuse today, but we both know it won’t last. She is going to grow suspicious."
Zack sat in silence, his expression thoughtful.
"Zack..." Hazel took his hands in hers, her gaze softening. A helpless look crossed her face. "This isn’t right. You can’t force someone to love you. She is not—"
"That’s enough," Zack cut her off sharply. "Fate has given me this chance, and I’m not going to lose her. Not this time. She is my life."
"But what about her father? He..."
"I know what I’m doing," Zack interrupted again. "I’ll handle it. Her father will have to accept our relationship."
Bella stepped back from the door, her mind swirling with confusion and dread.
’What does that even mean?’ she thought, confusion clouding her mind. ’My father didn’t approve of our relationship?’ Questions raced through her head like an unrelenting storm.
Why would her father disapprove? Had he arranged someone else for her? And Theodore—who was he? The name felt important, yet it dangled just out of reach in the foggy recesses of her memory. She recalled Zack’s earlier warning: both her father and Theodore were searching for her.
’What’s my connection to him?’ Bella wondered as she absently wandered back into her room. Her mind was so preoccupied that she didn’t realize she had failed to close the door softly. Instead, it shut with a sharp click, the sound echoing through the quiet house like a thunderclap.
Zack’s head snapped up, the noise pulling him from his conversation with Hazel. His body went rigid as suspicion flared in his chest.
Zack shot up to his feet and went out of the room in a hurry, his gaze moving to Bella’s room. ’Did she hear something?’ His expression hardened as he crossed the room and knocked on the door.
He knocked firmly, his tone controlled but ice-cold. "Rose, can I come in?"
Bella froze, her blood running cold at the sound of his voice. Her heart began to pound violently against her ribcage.
’Does he suspect me?’ She instinctively clasped her skirt at her sides.
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