เข้าสู่ระบบBellaThey checked me three times because Raymond insisted. The result was a lot of fuss over not much. Some bruises on my neck, a parting gift from Rex, I guess, a real hands-on kind of souvenir. A dark blue circle wrapped my wrist where Raymond had held on, and I did not mind that one bit. My shoulder got popped out and then back in, and that hurt like a motherfucker. I had marks on my ribs and back from the rope, and some glass bits they picked out of my skin. But I was okay. The baby was okay.I could not say the same for the boys. Thomas looked fine on the outside, but his mind was in a bad place. Jemson had a broken head, a real concussion, and his heart was just as broken. They had to stay. The doctors said they would be dealing with this for a long time, maybe forever, with all the fear stuck inside them now. Raymond was talking in a low, serious voice about getting them the best of everything.I was free to go home. But we would not be going. We would stay the night. Raymond
RaymondPounding on his door was useless. I could have kicked the damn thing in and charged in like some fucking action hero, but I stopped myself. What if Rex hurt Bella or the boys? I had to be smart. You see it in movies all the time, startle a crazy person and they do something insane. So I made him think I’d gone. When he asked, I’d already knocked on the neighbors’ doors, but nobody answered.I ran downstairs to the apartment right under Rex’s. An older woman in a nightgown answered, her eyes wide. I didn’t wait, I stepped inside, telling her why I was there as I moved straight for her balcony. I was looking for a way up, a pipe, anything to climb… but what I saw were two small shoes, swinging in the air.“Is that… what I think it is?” she asked, her voice thin with fear.“Call the police. Tell them what you see and tell them to move.” My words were fast. She nodded, backing into her living room with her hand pressed to her mouth.I stretched up, trying to reach Thomas’s feet. I
BellaI had thought we were safe. I was wrong. Everything happened too fast. Before Jemson could even stand up, Rex’s arms were around me, trapping me. I did not give up. I fought like a wild thing. I bit down on his hand until my mouth filled with the taste of metal and salt, but he only cursed and twisted me around. My body bent over the cold railing, the air knocked from my lungs. All I could see was the night sky.I looked into his eyes, searching for the man I once knew. He was not there. Something empty and cold had taken his place.“Stop! Let her go!” Jemson cried out, pulling at his father’s clothes. He was just a boy. Rex did not even turn his head. He just kicked out, a hard and brutal movement. I heard the awful sound of Jemson hitting the floor, then a weak cry. I looked up, desperate, and saw the stars. They were so bright and peaceful. It was a fucking beautiful night.I tried to look down, to see how far the ground was, but he had me pinned. I could only see that endles
RaymondIs Bella home with you, Mom?I had to know if Rex was lying. So I called my mother.“Hmm, I have not seen her. She went upstairs to your room a while ago. She said she was going to wait for you there.”Could you please go check?“All right… Have you heard anything from Rex yet?”No. Nothing. Can you please hurry?“I am at your door now. Just hold on.”I heard her knock, then the sound of the door opening. Her heels made a hard sound on the tile floor as she walked in. But I already knew. I felt it in my gut, cold and certain, before she even spoke.She was not there.“Raymond? Um… Bella is not here.”Okay. Thank you, Mom. I will call if I have any news.*******Bella“Who wants to play a game?”Rex asked the boys.“Me! I do!”Thomas said, completely unaware that I was trembling inside my shoes. Nothing good would come from this. I knew it. I felt it in the heavy, painful beat of my own heart.“Rex, please,” I said, my voice low.“All right,” Rex said. “I will tie Jemson’s hand
BellaThe Woods house was pure chaos. I could not catch my breath, I was not sleeping, and forgot about having a single private moment.“Emma, you are going to get your fingers stuck!”I called out from behind the bathroom door. Our youngest was sliding her little fingers under the gap, trying to reach me. Did I mention I could not even use the toilet in peace anymore? It was not that we lacked bathrooms. They just seemed to believe I was not permitted a moment alone.Giggling came from the other side, her fingers still dancing on the tile. I shook my head. She would not give up until I either opened the door or came out. Emma was two, and she was every bit the handful people say two-year-olds can be. She had lovely olive skin, huge brown eyes with long lashes, a little button nose, and a wild cloud of curly, frizzy brown hair.“Stalking Mommy again, are we?”I heard Raymond’s voice ask her. She giggled once more, and soon a second, larger set of fingers joined hers under the door.“A
BellaI looked at the children standing in front of me one more time. They were the kids from the home where we’d found Thomas and Jemson. How had Raymond brought them here? And why were they here at all?“Raymond, I don’t understand,” I said.“I thought maybe we could have them on weekends. At least then they wouldn’t have to be stuck in that place all the time.”My words got tangled somewhere between my head and my mouth. “How… we… Raymond.”“I’ll get them back in the car,” Blair offered, gently guiding the children toward the limousine.“Wait,” I said, turning back to Raymond. “You did this… for me?”“I believed it was what you wanted. You’ve always talked about doing something like this.”He gave a small shrug. He was right. I’d always imagined fostering or adopting one day. I wanted to give children a reason to feel they mattered, but the real question was, was I ready for it now? Of course, part of me wanted this. It was a dream of mine. Only I wasn’t prepared. To start with







