All Chapters of 90 DAYS WITH BELLA.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

BELLA.If you’d asked me a year ago what my twenties would look like, I would have painted you a very different picture. Late nights at graduate school. A modest apartment in the city, where the windows stuck in the winter and the neighbors played their music too loud. Maybe a job in marketing, or design, something creative where I could use my brain.What I would not have described was this: sitting at my parents’ dining table with a stack of unpaid invoices tucked neatly between the breadbasket and the butter dish, pretending not to see my mother’s hands tremble every time she reached for her glass of water.The room looked beautiful, as it always did polished mahogany floors, crystal chandelier glowing like a crown of fire above us. My mother never allowed appearances to falter, not even now. Especially not now. But I could feel the panic vibrating beneath the surface, sharp and relentless, like a drumbeat no one could silence.My father cleared his throat, the sound dragging me ou

BELLA.I was in my room when my mother knocked on the door. She never knocked timidly it was always a sharp, brisk rap, like she was announcing a verdict.“Bella,” she called, “we need to talk.”I set down the book I hadn’t really been reading and sighed. “Come in.”The door opened, and both she and my father stepped inside. The sight of them together in my doorway made my chest tighten. They only came as a pair when something serious was brewing.My father cleared his throat. “It’s time.”“Time for what?” I asked warily.He exchanged a glance with my mother, then said, “You’re to have dinner at the Blackwoods’ estate this evening. You’ll meet the man you’re going to marry.”My stomach dropped. I had known this moment was coming, but hearing it aloud made it real and final.“This evening?” My voice cracked. “Already?”“Yes,” my mother said, her eyes searching mine. “They’ve arranged everything. Their family will be expecting you.”I rose to my feet, my palms sweating. “So that’s it? N

BELLA.Ninety days of living with Alexander Blackwood the man whose eyes burned with annoyance every time they landed on me, whose mouth seemed permanently fixed into that arrogant smirk.And then his father had dropped the final bomb like it was nothing.“The wedding will be this week,” he’d said, voice sharp with authority. “No delays and no excuses. Ninety days begin the moment vows are spoken.”I didn’t even remember nodding, but apparently I did. Alex scoffed beside me, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ridiculous. For once, I agreed with him.By the time I got home, I was drained. My heels clicked against the marble floor of our entryway as I tossed my purse down, ready to disappear into my room and pretend the entire day had been a nightmare I could wake up from.Mom sat forward on the couch, her hands folded so tightly in her lap the knuckles were pale. Dad stood by the window, staring out as if the city lights might give him the right words.

Bella's POV.The ride back to the Blackwood estate was silent, thick with unspoken words. The driver’s eyes never flickered up, but I could feel the tension filling the car like smoke. My parents had kissed my cheeks at the reception, whispered things like be strong, make it work, we’re proud of you. Easy for them to say. They weren’t the ones moving into a stranger’s mansion as his legally bound wife.When the car pulled through the tall iron gates and up the long, winding driveway, I felt my stomach tighten. The Blackwood home wasn’t a house—it was an empire carved in stone. Towering walls, endless windows, and that suffocating sense of wealth that made you feel like even the air belonged to someone else. And tonight, that someone was me.We walked inside, his stride confident and unhurried, mine careful. The staff bowed slightly as we passed, eyes flicking to me with curiosity. I forced myself to keep my chin high. If they were expecting a timid new bride, they’d be sorely disappoi

BELLA’S POV.The smell of coffee was what finally coaxed me out of bed. I used to live alone in my apartment, the apartment wasn’t big and it wasn’t small either, it was enough for me. My parent has a whole big house but I decided to move out since I was in my miss independent era.I dragged myself downstairs, following the aroma until I reached the breakfast room. If you could call it a “room” ut was bigger than the entire café I used to study in during college. A long polished table stretched nearly the length of the hall, though only two places had been set one for me, one for… Alex’s mother, my mother in law.She sat at the head of the table, elegant as always, posture impossibly straight. Every inch of her radiated power, but not the cold kind Alex wore like armor. Hers was quieter, more refined, the kind you almost didn’t notice until you realized you were already under her gaze.“Good morning, Bella,” she said smoothly, her smile polite but not overly warm.“Good morning,” I re