Bella's body trembled as she tried to avoid my question and escape the bed, but I held onto her tightly. She would not leave until she gave me the answers I needed.
"Not until you tell me what's happening," I demanded, my voice rising with frustration. "You nearly ended my life, for God's sake!"
The room was filled with an intense energy, the air thick with tension. Bella's eyes darted around, avoiding my gaze as if she could not bring herself to meet it. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, a mixture of anger and confusion consuming me.
I reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to open up and share whatever was causing her so much distress.
"I wasn't going to let you die," she said as she struggled underneath me.
"Yeah, right. And let me guess. You weren't going to let me lose my job either?" I rolled my eyes.
"You are hurting me," she whined.
I let her sit up. She pulled the sheet over her body to cover herself up. Her eyes were starting to tear up.
"Talk to me. I am your boyfriend, and I love you. I still love you even after everything you did to me. I just want to know why. What did I do to you to deserve this?" I asked.
"It was supposed to be you..." she said. Her voice was barely audible.
"What?" I asked.
"He wasn't supposed to die. It was supposed to be you. You took his place," she sobbed.
Something clicked inside my brain. It was about Elijah. It had always been about Elijah. "What really happened with Elijah?" I asked quietly. "You told me it was your dad's employee who kidnapped you. That's not true, is it?"
"No. I lied and changed the story to throw you off track. It wasn't my dad's employee, and I wasn't the target. YOU were supposed to be the target!" she exclaimed.
"Explain," I ordered.
"The kidnapper mistook him for you and took him. I was with him, so he took both of us. Your father was the one who fired that guy, so he wanted to take revenge, but he got confused since you two looked alike," Bella said. Her eyes were cold and hard.
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"The kidnapper eventually realized his mistake and contacted your father, but he...he declined the kidnapper's demands. Mine and Elijah's father begged him for help, but he never listened. Our family wasn't rich, so they couldn't rescue us on time. Everything else I told you is true. Everything from the guy trying to rape me and Elijah getting killed by trying to save me is true!" Bella said. I tried to touch her, but she flinched away.
"Bella. I had no idea. I was just a kid," I said.
"It was your father's fault! He could've saved us. He could've saved HIM!" Bella cried. "He gave our parents money to shut us up and 'compensate' for our loss. But Elijah will never come back!"
"So you are punishing me because of my father? That's not fair!" I protested.
"I don't care. You can think whatever you want. Send me back to the mental hospital if you want. I hate you!" Bella buried her face in the pillow.
"That's not true," I said gently and stroked her hair.
"It's true," she sobbed into the pillow.
Jesus...what am I gonna do with this girl? Her thought process was completely warped and messed up. She needed help, for sure. I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.
"I won't send you to the hospital, but we will get you some help. As in copious amounts of therapy until you realize it wasn't my fault what happened to him. My only crime is that I have a shitty father, and I look like Elijah. So stop trying to sabotage my life and let me help you," I said.
"I don't understand. Why aren't you angry at me?" she croaked out.
Seriously...why wasn't I mad? Maybe because I was too used to her craziness? Or part of me was relieved because she didn't do these things because I was a bad person but because she couldn't cope with everything that had happened to her. I needed to confront my father about this. How could he keep a secret like this from me?
Bella got up and got dressed. "You are right. I need help. So, I think we should break up and..."
I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "I don't think so," I hissed in her ears.
"Aaron!" she looked at me with shock.
"You think you can torture me then leave me because I caught you? You don't get to leave me, and I am not leaving you. You aren't the only crazy one," I said. I grabbed her chin and forced her to look me in the eyes. "From now on, I will be watching your every move. And I will personally drive you to see a therapist." I smirked. I am going to get her straightened up if it's the last thing I do.
"This is madness. You can't possibly trust me after I openly admitted to everything I did to you," she protested.
"You are right. I can't trust you. Which is why I'll stay on guard whenever you're near," I said.
"I am leaving," Bella sighed.
"Okay. See you tomorrow, Freckles," I said.
"No, you won't! I am never going to see you again. We are breaking up!" she said, shaking her head.
"Cool story. I'll pick you up at five, and we are going on a movie date," I said as if I hadn't heard a thing she said.
"UGH! You are making a mistake. I am capable of hurting you. You should know it by now," Bella challenged me.
"Yes. But now, I know exactly who is trying to hurt me. So good luck!" I said cheerfully and tried to kiss her, but she pushed me off and stormed out the door.
"I LOVE YOU TOO!" I yelled after her, but she was already gone.
She was right. This was madness, and I was possibly digging my own grave, but my gut told me Bella was in love with me. And I loved her, so how could I possibly let her get away?