Chapter 78

Bella-Rose POV

"Mom, slow down. I'm not understanding a thing you are saying", I said with no emotion in my voice.

Mom must have detected that something is wrong with me because she then asked, "how are you feeling, Bella?"

"Wha...how?", I asked my face scrunched up, my mind unable to comprehend how mom came to know about my heartbreak. Or is she just asking me in a normal sense?

"Later. Right now, tell me where you are", Mom asked in a serious tone that suggests I better come clean or else the consequences will be dire.

"I... I...", I trailed off, unable to make up a lie on the spot in my current mindset.

"We checked at the house already. You are not there. Thank God for that. But where are you?" Mom stressed the word 'where' relating to me she is really concerned about my location.

Thank God? Mom must be losing her marbles if she is thanking God for her daughter staying out all night. If I heard it any other day, I would have cracked a joke on it or dared her to tell it in front of dad.

But today my wits desert me. Why would they check my home? It's not like we haven't met in a decade. And not like them to check on me during nighttime. I have drawn the line when they tried once in the early years of separation.

Hence, I questioned her, "Mom, you are not making any sense. What's the matter?"

"I will tell you once you reach home...no no. Not home. Not there. Come to our place. You haven't replied where you are", Mom said her voice laced with worry.

"Umm...I'm at a hotel. I don't exactly... know the name", I stuttered the last part, feeling ashamed that I let a stranger drop me at a hotel.

My brain took this moment to analyze how stupid I was last night. If that guy hadn't been nice, then I shudder to think about the consequences.

"A hotel? Are you alone Bella?" Mom asked tentatively, afraid of my answer

"Of course, I'm", I scoffed at her or rather at the phone. What type of question is that! Of course, I slapped my forehead lightly with my hand at my dumbness.

Mom must have thought I spent the night with James since she knew about him. I sucked my breath at the sharp reminder. My pain rejuvenated as his name flashed in my mind. Mom thankfully didn't notice my stumble.

"She is alone", dad shouted in the background, sounding furious for some reason.

"Mom... What's happening?? Why is dad angry?" I was confused about the purpose of the call. Mom's worry-filled tone is not aiding the matters.

Instead of replying to my questions, Mom asked, "can you drive to our home Bella?"

If the stranger is to be believed then my car would be parked before the hotel. Looking as if he was the one who helped me last night, I don't think he has a reason to not follow his words.

My muddled brain started niggling that he could be a car thief. But I dashed it within seconds as he is the one who paid for the room and if he covets me almost at the death's door car then he is a fool. Anyways, I have to leave this hotel. I want my mom's hug and dad's kind words after last night's disaster.

"Okay", I said to calm her a little bit.

However, Mom is on a roll as she commanded,

"Don't look at anything or talk to anyone on the way"

A frown appeared between my eyes. She is making less sense as she talks.

"Why would you say that?"

Mom as always ignored my question and spoke in her mom-knows-best tone,
"Just promise me you won't do it"

"Fine". My family has taken weirdness to a whole new level. Mom must be low on her medication. That must be it. Why else will she be worried? It's not like she knew what happened to me yesterday. No one knows.

Instead of standing there dissecting last night's events and wallowing in self-pity, I decided to head to my parents' home.

I quickly splattered water on my face and cleaned myself with the toiletries every hotel provides nowadays.

Once I freshened up, I redressed myself in the same clothes while avoiding looking at myself in the mirror. I'm not ready to see the red blotched face of mine again.

The receptionist, thankfully, recognized me. The red eyes must have given away or... the dress. She greeted me and searched for the keys the stranger left behind.

I asked her as she rummaged through the desk for the keys, "has he left any message for me?"
He must have left his billing address or phone number. I should wire him the room payment.

"No miss. However, he stayed for a long time in the lobby area. He only left 2 hours back. He is a good boyfriend. He worried about you the whole night. Though, I don't understand why he never joined you in the room once he came back", the receptionist conveyed, extending the car keys.

"Because he is not my boyfriend", I snapped. Though I don't know why I was angry at her. People will obviously think like that if a boy and a girl are seen together at midnight.

My mind replied the answer my heart is craving. Because she said, boyfriend. That term was reserved for JA- no more thinking about him.

I drove like mad through the streets reaching my parents' home in record time.

Once I parked my car, dad and Scott quickly veered past the front door, almost ran to cover the distance between us, and grabbed my arms on both sides.

"Move faster"

"Let's go"

They both said at the same time and almost dragged me with them inside the house.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?" I asked Scott. He is one of those guys who needs to be reminded to visit their parents' home. So, finding him here on a Monday is giving me warning signals.

Instead of answering me as any normal person will do, they locked the door haphazardly and checked the premises through the drapes of the windows. This is getting bizarre.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked in my hoarse voice. Crying the whole night does that to you.

"Have they followed her?" Dad, done with peeping, turned and asked Scott, totally ignoring me.
"I don't think so", Scott said, done checking through the other window. It's confirmed. My family has gone mad. I used to have that doubt but now seeing their bizarre behavior it is settled.

"The 'her' is standing right here in front of you. So, stop talking as if I'm not here and enlighten me. What the hell is going on? You guys are behaving oddly... well odder than normal", I rectified with a furrowed brow after checking their suspicious behavior.

Once they were satisfied that no alien had landed its spaceship on the front lawn, dad turned to me and fixed me with a glare.

"Do you know a guy named James McKenzie?" Dad asked in a serious tone that said don't mess with me while standing in a wide stance with his hands on his hips.

It was my turn to ignore the questioning. However, my mouth had other ideas as it blurred out, "how do you know about him?"

"So, you do know about him!" Dad said in his caught your voice that he uses it on criminals.
"That bastard!", Scott swore loudly.

Dad, instead of chastising, ignored him completely and told me, “You should have told us about him", with a disappointed look in his eyes.

"Uh... I... well... How do you know about him? Of course, Mom! I should have known. She can't hide anything from you", I said facepalming my head with my hand.

"Your mom knows about this?" Dad scowled. Generally, he has a mellow personality but for some reason, his and Scott's hackles are raised.

Just then mom entered the living room followed by Nana and Mathew.

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry you have to go through this", Mom hugged me. Her eyes are red like mine as if she too has been crying for a while.

Nana had a frown as she mumbled beside me, "I shouldn't have pushed you too far for a date. Now, look at what happened. If only you have waited for 20 more years, men would have stood in a queue before you"

"Mom! This is not the right time", dad said, his face getting red.

"What! I'm only concerned for my granddaughter", Nana backtracked in front of dad's fury
"Hold on a minute", I said while placing my hands in front of me at a stop sign.

"What exactly are we talking about? How do you know about James? In fact, I myself got to know last night about him, so when did you guys have time to learn anything about him?" I asked my face scrunched up

"Last night?"

"You don't know?"

"What the hell!"

"Fuck! This is messier than expected", Scott swore to which Mom responded in a loud voice, "Scott! Language!"

"So, I take it you don't know anything about him. And I just spilled the beans", I said, flush creeping up my face at my mishap. Of course, Amanda has told Sarah. And Sarah, having a big mouth, must have told Scott or dad.

It all makes sense.

"You, young lady, are telling me everything", dad said, folding his arms in front of him that says I'm not going to budge until you spill everything.

Hence, I sat my entire family at the dining table and related the story of how I met James and how he broke my heart along with his wife.

Silence ensued as I sat there and talked about my heartbreak with my face giving nothing away, my eyes dead. Mom cried listening to this and in between hiccups she would say, "oh, my poor baby".

Nana sat beside her consoling her, as she gently rubbed her back. Looking at them, anyone would think it is her whose heart got broken. Not me.

Dad and Scott sat still; their hands clenched tightly. "I'm going to kill that bastard", dad spoke furiously.

"No, you won't", I said, shocked at his fury. Well, yes of course I expected that but killing?
"Amen to that", Scott encouraged him.

Just then the front doorbell rang.

"Oh no!", Mom said as she cried louder.

I furrowed my brow at mom's dismayed reaction. Who could it be that brought such emotions from my family?