After moments of silence over the other side of the phone, Kevin spoke, “It’s my idea, Bella, I tell them to do it.”
Bella stunned and queried furiously, “Why? Why do you do that?”
“Last time after you were kidnapped by Celeste, you went into the hospital and almost had a miscarriage. I didn’t tell you before. The doctor said you have to take good rest, the computer, phone are radioactive. So for the sake of our children’s health, stop using them for now.”
“What about the newspaper? Is that radioactive, too?”
The doctor also said you shouldn’t worry about too much. You might get anxious when you see the kind of news such as the stock of LoveBella Group drop.”
“Are you cajoling a kid? I’m an adult. Your behavior is confusing. I don’t’ think you are thinking for the good of our children. I just think you confine me to the house. You must hide something from me, do you? Are you getting into trouble?”
“No, If I’m in trouble, how can I call you now? You are too sensitive and that’s why I resort to confinement. Hanging in there for the next three months. When our children are born, I will pick up all of you.”
“But I’m not used to this kind of life. They even took my money away, like a bandit!”
“You can tell them what you need, they will get it for you.”
“I don’t need anything. You tell them to give me my phone!”
“No, if it is given back to you, you will call me every day, and expose yourself to radiation.”
“I won’t call you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Honey, if continuing living like this, I will go crazy!”
“Think about our upcoming children, bear with it for now.”
Bella was angry and didn’t say anything. Kevin waited for a while, “Since you don’t have anything to say, I’ll hang up the phone then.”
“No–”
She said anxiously, “You ask them to give me my wallet, I’ll do as you tell me to.”
Kevin pondered for a moment, “Ok, then, hand the phone to the maids, I’ll talk to them.”
But Bella was so reluctant to finish their call, she held the phone, “How are you? Did Celeste make any trouble?”
“She is much better now, so I’m doing great.”
“Really? You are not lying?”
“Yes, I’m not. Ok, I’ve gotta things to deal with, you hand the phone to the maids.”
Bella handed to them who were monitoring her. They took the phone downstairs. That night, her wallet returned to her.
At first, she was thinking about how to sneak out and make a call, to be precise, how to call Alice by getting rid of the Filipino maids who were always at her heels. She didn’t believe Kevin’s words at all. Intuitively, she thought that Kevin must hide something from her.
Since she was pregnant, she knew that Kevin has cared about her. But in her knowledge about him, she knew that Kevin wouldn’t go this far no matter how much he worried about her. This was holding her in captivity as a prisoner.
Finally, she found a chance. On this day, the two maids received a notification that asked them to sign a contract at a housekeeping company. Once they left, Bella left home and called Alice at a convenience store
Her heart was pondering, worrying that Alice would tell her some bad news. On one hand, she wanted the phone to be put through at once, on the other hand, she was afraid the call was picked up.
During her paradoxically mental struggling, the phone was through. A familiar voice came, “Hello?”
“Alice, it’s me, Bella.”
“Bella?” Alice was shocked, “Why you call me with this number? Where is your phone?”
“Something is a little bit off. Tell me, have you seen Kevin recently?”
Alice paused for a moment, “Yeah, I have.”
“Is he ok?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?”
Bella relieved, “Nothing, I just feel a little unsettled, feeling like he is hiding something away from me…”
“I see. You’re overthinking it. He is doing great.”
Alice’s answer was meaningful, but Bella failed to notice, “Ok, now I’m reassured after confirming with you.”
She let out a long relief, “How have you been recent?”
“I’m good, nothing changes, How about you? Are you used to there now?”
“Don’t mention it. If I said I’m used to it, I would be lying. I have to learn to get used to it even if I don’t.”
“Why? Vienna is such a nice place. I don’t even have the chance to go there.”
Bella sighed, “It’s a long story. Why you don’t have the chance? Louis confines your freedom again?”
“Yeah. I even feel a little bit regretful to marry him. Was I out of my mind back then? How could I fall in love with him? I could do whatever I wanted before we get married. But now, everything needs to ask for his permission. Whether at school or home, he always wants to control me. I don’t have any personal space. Bella, now I finally understand, it is so true that marriage is the tomb for love, so true….”
Alice kept complaining about her life while Bella laughed so hard that her stomach even hurt. When Bella was about to tease her, a ring of familiar sound arose. Alice needed to go to class. They both were reluctant to hang up the phone.
When the maids got back from the housekeeping company, Bella sat before her bedroom window quietly, sketching a portrait, looking very poised.
The day passing by. Ever since she called Alice, she has been much reassured, but still, a little bit confused about why Kevin confined her.
Kevin would call her every week, which was the biggest comfort for her. No matter how much she was perplexed about it, everything would be fine as long as Kevin called her regularly.
Another weekend came. She received Kevin’s call. After some chat, she implored, “Honey, isn’t it time for you to visit me? You’ve promised me you would come to see me often, but it’s been a month and you haven’t come?”
“I have been really busy recently, could you wait for a while?”
“How long should I wait? One month or two?”
“I’ll go over to see you as soon as I’ve done the business for this period. Bella, be good.”
Bella was unhappy. Kevin treated her like a child, “Alright, I’ll give you another week, if you don’t come to see me, I’ll go back to see you.”
After this call, Bella counted her days to live. A week passed by quickly. However, Kevin didn’t come, but her mother-in-law and sister-in-law did.
“Sister-in-law, my brother said you miss us, so we come to see you.”
Once seeing Bella, her sister-in-law gave her a huge hug.
She shook her head frustratedly, “I do miss you, but I didn’t ask you guys to visit me.”
“Ah?”
Lena was a little embarrassed. She and her mother looked at each other, feigning a smile, “No way, did my brother lie to us?”
“Give me your phone, let me see who is lying, I’ll ask him and know who is lying.”
Then Bella attempted to take the phone in her sister-in-law’s pocket but was prevented hurriedly by her, “Ok, ok, I’m lying. Actually, my mom and I miss you, we want to visit you”
“Where is your brother? Why he didn’t come?”
“Kevin? He is quite busy, as a bee.”
Bella queried in anger, “How busy he is, even can’t spare any time to see me?”
“I don’t know, I just know he is busy.”
Her mother-in-law shifted the topic timely, “Ok, we come here from afar, stop talking about him, tell mom, how have you been for the past month or so?”
She snorted, “How good could it be, confined as a prisoner.”
“This is, too much…”
“Not at all, mom, I tell you …” Bella started to complain about her life to her mother-in-law.
Blanche sighed after hearing it but still defended for her son, “Actually, Kevin wants the best for you, he just wants you to have a successful delivery.”
“I’m really mad.” If the case continued to be like this, she would die before the babies were born.
“Sister-in-law, it’s not that serious. I didn’t want to be around Alvin when we just get married. Aren’t you guys a little too clingy?”
“What do you know.” Bella rolled her eyes, “Let me have your phone for a second.”
“Why?” Lena covered her pocket alertly.
“Make a phone call.”
“To whom?”
“who do you think?”
“If it is my brother, then, no way. My brother would kill me.”
Hmm, Bella was shocked, “Is my problem more important or yours? Don’t say I didn’t try to call him with your phone. What would happen if I called? Am I his enemy? Why he repels me like that?”
“No, it’s not…whatever, here, my phone…”
Bella took the phone from Lena and turned upstairs with her sister-in-law yelling, “Keep it short and sweet, long-distant call is expensive. Alvin said women need to be thrift…”
Bella went upstairs, closing the bedroom door and calling her uncle. After a few beep sounds, the call was answered, “Hello? Who is it?”
“Uncle, it’s me, Bella…”
Upon hearing her family’s voice, her sobbing voice was modulated.
“Bella, why you suddenly call me? How have you been abroad? Are the babies healthy? When do you come back…”
“Uncle, has Kevin been in trouble lately?”
She interrupted her uncle’s questions and asked anxiously.
Armond shocked, “No, what’s wrong?”
“I think he has been weird recently. Don’t allow me to call him and don’t come to see me, either.”
Haha, Armond smiled disapprovingly, “Man always prioritizes his business, you should think in his shoes more often.”
“But he has promised that he would come to see me often. And now two months passed, I still didn’t see him.”
“It was just two months. You guys once separated from each other for two years and both enjoyed life.”
“It’s different now…”
“Where is different? You are thinking too much. Alright, stop those random thoughts. Your aunt asked me to tell you, don’t get mad or worried, otherwise, your babies won’t be cute. Bear this in mind. The long-distant call costs a lot, I shall stop talking. We’ll talk after you come back, bye-bye…”