"Bella, Bella, are you okay?" Aunt Christy rushed towards her and Bella straightened herself from Daniel's arms
"I...I... I'm fine aunt, I was just surprised to see the two of you" she managed to say
"Are you sure that you're okay? You look quite pale" Daniel asked anxiously and a bit suspiciously, why did she react that way when she saw her aunt? Didn't she want to see them? He had allowed them inside with hopes that having a family member visit her would lighten her mood but it seemed that he was wrong and he was ready to send them away if it bothered her
"I'm fine Daniel, thank you. Can I have a few minutes with my aunt and her husband?" She asked and Daniel hesitated a little bit still staring at her, he didn't want to leave her alone if the presence of her family bothered her, he would have to find out about her relationship status with her family
"I am fine Daniel" Bella reassured firmly and even managed a smile at him and he nodded before stepping away
"I'll be upstairs if you need me" As he made his way upstairs, many questions were going through his head, why did she react that way when she saw her family, she had almost passed out. It wasn't as if he did not know about her family, she had told him that she grew up with her aunt and husband when her own parents died, she should have been ecstatic to see them but she looked dull and pale instead and come to think of it, she has been acting weird these days.
What's really going on with his wife? If she can't trust him enough to confide in him, maybe he should do a little snooping to find out.
He will give her just a little more time, perhaps, coax her to tell him what was bothering her, she can't tell him it was because she wanted a baby because he was sure that was not it and he would insist on getting the truth from her but if not, he would resolve to use another method in finding out the truth.
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Bella stared at Aunt Christy and her husband, "why are the two of you here?" She asked staring at Ben coldly, she had suffered more at the hands of Ben, he was the reason why she was claustrophobic until today, he made her so desperate and unloved that she turned to Jeremy with hopes that he would marry her and get her out of that house, yet, when Jeremy betrayed her, he didn't hesitate to kick her out of his house without even bothering to hear her side of the story, yet, months later, almost a year later, he suddenly showed up in her house
"Of course child, we are here to see you, we are family remember?" Ben replied as he moved closer to her with open arms in hopes that he would embrace her but Bella quickly evaded him
"I don't think so, family do not do what you did to me, you kicked me out without even hearing my side of the story, it's better than the both of you leave and do not look for me again"
"Are you asking us to leave?" Aunt Christy asked in a shaky voice and Bella stared at her in sympathy, she always does whatever her husband says even if it's to her own detriment, she was more like a robot controlled by her husband, if only she had more strength, she would have stood up for her against Ben, moreover, her being here can only be because of Ben
"Your husband asked you to come here didn't he?" Bella asked even though she already knew the answer
"Yes but I am so glad to see you and would like to spend more time with you"
"Does your husband know about your shameful scandal with Jeremy?" Ben asked loudly and Bella's eyes darted around to ensure that he wasn't heard
"Can you lower your voice? He knows nothing about that"
"I bet he don't" Ben smirked, "and I promise that it will stay that way if you allow us to stay here for a few days, come on, we just want to taste what it means to live the rich life
Bella sighed, she could hear the subtle threat in Ben's words, Jeremy has been threatening her and she doesn't have the strength to with another
"Do whatever you want, then the guest room will be prepared for the both of you but my past remains my past" she said and Ben smiled
"What would we gain if we tell it to your husband?" He asked and glanced at his wife, "Right sweetheart!" He asked and Aunt Christy nodded
"Now, let's all hug, this is a great reunion," Ben said and opened his arms and hugged Aunt Christy, Bella joined in the hug howbeit reluctantly, she had to bear it all until she found a way to get herself out of the mess she was in.
*
*
Bella was restless, that night she couldn't sleep and when she slept, she had her usual nightmares, her dad was trying to hold the brake but the brake wasn't working and the vehicle had swiveled and collided with a tree, she was dragged out of the vehicle by a man she couldn't see his face but the man refused to help her parents and right in front of her, the car exploded and she screamed and jerked awake.
She was drenched in sweat and she turned to her side to see Daniel whose eyes were still looking sleepy, "I am sorry that I woke you up" she apologized
"The same nightmare?" He asked, by now, he was used to her having that same dream and now he didn't think that it was normal anymore
She nodded and stood up, "I... I'll get some water"
"No, just sit and relax, I'll get it for you" he volunteered and went downstairs while Bella hurdled on the bed.
Daniel went to the kitchen to get the water and his eyes narrowed when he saw lights were still on in the guest room, perhaps, they sleep with lights on? He shrugged and was about to leave when he heard a thud as if something fell, instinctively he walked towards there and put his ears close to the door
"Why don't we just go back and allow Bella to be, we have done enough harm to her" Bella's aunt was saying and Daniel frowned, what picked his interest was the guilt and fear that he could hear in her voice
"Go to sleep woman and do not disturb me with something like this again, if you do not allow me to sleep then I'll tell your brother-in-law about Jeremy's and your niece's little secret"
"No, no, don't do that, please, do not harm her anymore, after what you did to her parents..." There was a loud pang as Ben hit his wife angrily which abruptly shut her up
"Do not ever mention her parents to me again, they are dead and they can rot in hell for all I care"
Silence reigned in there and Daniel silently walked away, his head was filled with a lot of thoughts, what were they saying about Bella's parents? Does it have anything to do with her nightmares? And what the hell do they mean by Jeremy's and Bella's secret, who the hell is Jeremy and what secret do they share? It's time that he asked Bella some questions and also carry out a little digging to find out what happened to her parents.