Chapter 3

FIVE YEARS LATER

“Mummy, can I have that giant pink candy? It looks so delicious,”

“All done, sweetie,” Isabella cooed and kissed her son, Pete, on his forehead before turning to look at his sister, her daughter, Patience. “Let's get our bags first, baby, and then we can get it if you want.”

Her phone rang as she rose up, and she slipped it out of her back pocket. She let out a long sigh when she saw who it was but answered anyway.

“Why can't you ever be responsible?” was the first thing she heard when she placed the phone against her ear, and afterwards it was an onslaught of different insults. She bore all of them without saying a single word, as she was already used to it.

“Get here in the next five minutes or forget about being my daughter.”

She clicked her tongue as the dial tone rang in her ear and looked down at her daughter, who was already staring up at her, her cute face etched with worry.

“How about we go get that pink candy now, dear?”

The little girl's eyes grew wide, and she hopped on the spot, expressing her joy.

Bella chuckled at how easy it was to sway a child and led the two children towards the convenience shops at the airport.

“Good day, ma'am, welcome to New York. How was your flight?”

Bella nodded to all her questions and then placed their order. She got some scones and a bottle of chilled water for herself while she got the children candies in different flavors.

“Thank you, Mummy!” Patience yelled excitedly as she sucked on the candy, her tone chirpy. “When are we going to go home, Mum?”

Isabella didn't respond immediately, lost in thought at the word “home.” In the past five years since she had left, Barcelona had been her home with Abuelita and all the local folk after Andrew threw her out over that cheating accusation.

Now that she was back, she really had to look into it. But that would have to wait, as she had to attend her sister's engagement party.

“Come on, guys, let's go home.” She took their hands and led them towards the baggage claim as their bags finally came out.

Half an hour later, they were in a taxi, heading to her friend's place, where they'd be staying until she had made other arrangements. When they arrived, a slender, petite woman was standing on the front porch. Isabella smiled as she saw her and quickly ran to her after getting both children out of the car.

“Bella!” The other woman sang cheerfully as she swung her arms around Isabella, bringing her into a tight embrace.

“Mary, I missed you.”

The hug lasted a few minutes more before Patience squeezed herself in between both the two women's legs, forcing them to pull away.

“What about us?” She pointed at herself and back at Pete, who looked bored.

Mary giggled and picked up the little girl, peppering her face with kisses. “Of course I will hug you, my goddaughter. You can call me Aunty Mary.”

“Pete, come over here and hug Aunty Mary.”

Isabella watched them with tears in her eyes and a sweet smile on her lips. Maybe coming home wouldn't be such a bad thing.

“Don't you have to go attend…?” Mary didn't finish, but Bella knew what she meant and slapped a hand over her forehead. “Go, go.” Mary shushed her away, and Isabella waved at them before getting back in the cab immediately and heading for her father's mansion, which was on the other side of town.

She got down from the cab and paid him his money before walking towards the large gates. As she got closer, each step she took brought on a different memory from her childhood, and none of them were pleasant.

“Miss Bella, welcome back.”

Bella waved at the men at the gate as she walked past them. They were the only happy part of living here that she could remember. They would always save her from her wicked stepmother and father.

The only reason she was here was because James was threatening to stop paying for Abuelita's medical expenses. She didn't care about Victoria or her mother or the wedding.

“She finally shows up.” She heard someone sneer and looked up to see her father, James Thompson.

“Father.” She greeted him in a cool tone, not fazed by his words.

“Oh, Bella, darling, you're here. Come on in.” Anita's fake voice reached her ears before she saw her walking towards her.

Isabella flinched as she hugged her and quickly wriggled away. “It's so nice to see you again, Anita.”

Anita kept the fake smile plastered, but Bella could see her eyes flashing with mockery and ridicule. “You should come with me. The party has already started.”

Isabella started to protest, but a grunt from James stopped her. With a defeated sigh, she followed Anita into the house that was beautifully decorated.

It reminded Bella of all the times James had celebrated Victoria's birthdays, but hers were just an ordinary day with no meaning.

“Now remember, don't pull any funny stunts in there. Today is about Victoria, not about you, so just be happy for your sister.” James warned.

Bella frowned and stared at Anita's retreating back. With every step she took towards the house, she felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand and wondered what was going to happen next.

As she stepped into the hall, she froze, wondering if she was seeing things.

“Oh, you came,” Victoria snorted and turned to the man sitting beside her. “Let me introduce you to my fiancée.”

Bella swallowed, and tears pricked the back of her eyes as she stared intently at the familiar man who was just sitting there beside Victoria, staring at her with no remorse.

“Or maybe I shouldn't since you already know each other.” Vicky continued as she looked between both of them. “Just remember that this is my party, not some ex-lovers reunion,”

She stalked off after saying this, and Bella's legs gave out underneath her. She stood there with her mouth wide open.

“You should be careful,” he said as he stretched out a hand to help her.

Bella flinched at his touch and looked up at him coldly. “Don't you dare touch me, Andrew; you're such a two-timer!”

Who would have thought that she'd meet her ex-husband so soon and as her sister's fiancé?