Bella stormed into the room, slamming the door behind her. She felt both embarrassed and angry about what had just happened to her.
Just a few hours ago, she had been feeling happy celebrating her birthday. She had prayed to God that the night wouldn’t end so quickly because she wanted to enjoy every moment with the man she loved.
Intent on reciprocating all the gifts and kindness Edward had shown her, Bella had decided to initiate intimacy and serve him first.
However, in the midst of their intimacy as they raced towards climax, Julia suddenly appeared. She screamed in anger, even grabbing Bella’s hair, forcing her to get off Edward’s body.
God, Bella was truly ashamed. She was treated roughly, accused, yelled at as if she were a prostitute caught serving someone else’s husband. Yet, what she and Edward did was consensual.
Let’s not forget, they loved each other. Moreover, Edward had promised to marry her soon. So, according to Bella, what they did was not wrong at all. After all, Julia had been cheating on Edward behind his back.
But, ironically, Julia played the victim. She acted as if she were the most hurt. What’s more frustrating, Edward remained silent. He couldn’t defend Bella. Instead, he told her to leave when Julia clearly kicked her out.
The next day, Bella was overwhelmed with frustration. She decided not to leave her room at all. Where could she possibly show her face? Bella was sure Julia would make her life a living hell after this.
“Miss Bella, please open the door.”
From outside the door, Clara’s voice could be heard calling. God, she really didn’t want to meet anyone right now.
“I beg you, open the door. I brought you breakfast.”
Bella sighed. Stepping forward, she peeked through the door’s peephole. Assured that only Clara was outside the room, Bella felt somewhat relieved and opened the door to let Clara in.
“Why aren’t you coming down to the dining room? Are you feeling unwell again?”
Clara was asking out of concern. After all, she didn’t know what had happened to Bella and Edward last night.
“I just don’t feel like it,” Bella replied curtly. Then, not long after, Clara asked cautiously, “Is Julia in the dining room?”
Clara shook her head. “No. Mrs. Julia left the house a few minutes after Mr. Edward went to work.”
Bella breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the weight on her chest lift. She pulled Clara to sit with her on the sofa.
“What actually happened? Did Mrs. Julia catch you and Mr. Edward last night—”
Bella nodded before Clara could finish her sentence.
“Yes, Clara. And the crazy thing is, Julia caught us having sex last night.”
“Oh my God, Bella. You two are really in trouble.”
Bella let out a slow breath. It didn’t need to be clarified. She was well aware of it. Maybe she was even considered as if she were inviting Julia to fight.
“My head feels like it’s about to explode. Just so you know, last night Julia acted like a victim. She grabbed me, even wanted to drag me out of her room.”
“Seriously?”
Clara’s eyes widened. She listened carefully to what Bella told her.
“But fortunately, you weren’t immediately kicked out of this house.”
Bella sighed. She felt like it wasn’t something to be grateful for.
“Julia is really like a snake, Clara. She screamed, calling me a slut, a seductress, a naughty woman for seducing her husband. My God, doesn’t she have a mirror to see what she’s like?”
“And you just stayed silent?”
Bella glared. Her face clearly showed her frustration.
“What do you think I could do? Last night, I intended to expose her rottenness behind Edward’s back.”
“And did you succeed?”
Bella sighed and shook her head.
“Unfortunately, Julia told me to keep quiet and then kicked me out of the room. Worse yet, Edward seemed powerless and unable to defend me.”
Clara could see the frustration emanating from Bella’s face. But, in any case, this time she couldn’t just defend her outright.
“Anyway, both of you were wrong, Bella.”
“What do you mean? Wrong how? Edward and I love each other, Clara. We’re even about to get married soon.”
“You’re just about to get married, aren’t you? The fact is, your relationship isn’t official at all.”
“But he promised to divorce Julia and marry me.”
“Then why not wait until Mr. Edward’s status is clear first? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interfere. But, Mrs. Julia is still his legal wife here. Even though she’s just as despicable behind Mr. Edward’s back, cheating, and betraying him, you can’t just act as you please. It’s a different story if Mr. Edward’s status is single or widowed. Then you’re free to have a relationship because he’s not bound by any status with another woman.”
Bella sighed, frustrated that her actions weren’t supported by Clara.
“Still, Julia has no right to degrade me like that.”
“It’s not…” Clara shook her head. “It’s not Mrs. Julia who’s degrading you. It’s you who’s lowering yourself in the eyes of others.”
Bella fell silent. Clara’s words hit hard. She wanted to refute, but what her assistant said was a reality she had to accept.
“Come on, Clara. Whose side are you on anyway?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t take sides with anyone.”
Bella sighed. Frustration still enveloped her.
“Do you think I should just report Julia’s behavior to Edward? And also tell him that the baby I’m carrying right now is the result of our actions, not from IVF.”
“My advice is, for this matter, it’s better not to act too far or excessively. It’s possible that it will only trouble you in the end, or worse, you won’t get anything out of it.”
Clara then left the room, leaving Bella struggling with her own thoughts.
***