เข้าสู่ระบบI gulped, my entire body going numb. This wasn’t how I had wanted Bella to find out. Not like this. Never like this.The portrait slipped from my trembling hands and landed on the kitchen floor while I held onto the edge of the counter to keep myself from collapsing.Bella stared at me, her eyes searching my face.“Were you ever going to tell me about this?”A tear escaped before I could stop it.“Bella… I really tried. I wanted to tell you. I did everything I could, but every single time I tried, something happened.” I stepped closer and reached for her hand. “Please believe me. I never wanted you to find out like this.”She slowly pulled her hand away.“This isn’t fair, Ella.” Her voice cracked. “I thought… maybe you were going to deny it. Maybe you were going to say it’s a misunderstanding.” She laughed bitterly. “But you’re standing here admitting it like it’s nothing.”“It’s not nothing,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “It has never been nothing.”“What did I ever do to deserve
By the time I got out of his office, my legs were still trembling, my cheeks burning crimson. I quickly looked around the hallway to make sure nobody had seen me coming out, then let out a relieved sigh. Honestly… every girl deserved to experience a man who loved her the way Marcus loved me, even if it was just once in her lifetime. The thought alone made me smile, but my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten anything, so I headed to the cafeteria.The moment I walked in, my eyes landed on Bella sitting alone at one of the tables. My smile disappeared.A wave of guilt crashed over me.What was Marcus waiting for?I didn’t want this conversation to happen tomorrow or next week. I wanted him to tell her tonight before everything became even worse.I took a deep breath and walked over to her.“Oh, Ella,” she greeted me with a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.I frowned.“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.“I should be asking you that,” I replied as I sat beside her. “Y
In the morning, Bella came to my room wearing the biggest smile I had seen in days. I was already getting dressed when she leaned against the doorframe.“If you don’t hurry, I might leave you,” she teased.I sighed dramatically. “Okay, okay. I’m coming.”By the time I stepped out, she was already halfway down the hallway. Just then, Marcus opened his bedroom door. Before I could react, he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on my cheek.I blinked.What the actual heck was wrong with this man?A smile escaped me before I could stop it. I didn’t dare say a word. Instead, I hurried after Bella as if nothing had happened.We climbed into her brand-new car, and she grinned from ear to ear.“Get ready for the best ride of your life.”“I should be scared, shouldn’t I?”“You should be excited.”I laughed and fastened my seatbelt.When we arrived at school, students immediately turned to admire her new car. Bella absolutely loved the attention. She climbed out with the biggest grin on her face
I hadn’t actually gone to the grocery store. Instead, I had secretly slipped away to meet Marcus. For the past few days he had been sending me countless messages, begging me to see him so we could finally talk. He had even promised that we would tell Bella the truth properly before she ever found out on her own. That promise had softened my heart a little because, no matter how much I tried to pretend otherwise, I still loved this man. I really did.When I reached the little shop inside the mall where he had sent me the location, it looked closed from the outside. I knocked lightly on the door, and a few seconds later he opened it. The moment our eyes met, he smiled with relief.“Honestly,” he said as he leaned against the doorway, “I didn’t think you would come. I thought we were over.”Heat rushed to my cheeks. We had spent days without standing this close to each other, and somehow everything still felt familiar.“I almost didn’t come,” I admitted with a small smile. “But… I’m here
I sighed and walked back inside.“What nonsense was she talking about?” I muttered to myself. There was no way I was going to let those bitter words ruin my birthday. They had already lost me, and I wasn’t about to lose my happiness too.The moment I stepped back into the house, Ella was already waiting for me with a smile on her face. Before I could even ask what was happening, she gently tied a blindfold over my eyes.“Hey! What’s going on?” I laughed.Dad chuckled from somewhere nearby.“Keep calm, birthday girl. Just trust us.”I could feel both of them guiding me carefully, warning me every few steps not to trip. We walked for what honestly felt like forever before they finally stopped.“Ready?” Dad asked.“I’ve been ready!”The blindfold came off.For a second, my brain refused to process what I was seeing.Parked inside the garage was a brand-new Subaru wrapped with a giant ribbon.My mouth fell open.“Happy Birthday, Bella.”I slowly turned toward Dad, completely speechless.“
I took her to our room immediately, my heart pounding. “Oh my God, Ella, what are you talking about? What happened? Did something bad happen to you? Did I yell at you or make you feel unwelcome? I am sorry… please don’t leave like this. It’s not fair.”“Bella…” she stopped me gently before cupping my cheeks the way she always did whenever I was panicking. “You are the best person I have ever met in my life. You took care of me like we were twins, so don’t think for a second that you did something wrong. It’s just… well… my aunty asked me to move back with her, and I don’t want her questioning me too much. You know she is the only one who took care of me after my dad died, so I don’t think it’s fair to ignore her after everything she has done for me.”I sighed softly.I had completely forgotten how much she had been through.The strange feeling I had earlier, the ridiculous thought that she might somehow be the woman Dad had fallen for after seeing Mum’s picture disappear, vanished ins







