Where she from?

Miguel raised his chin, telling her to continue, Bella fidgeted with her fingers.
Without any sage to tell her, she could tell that it is over.
"Now you're tongue tied, huh?" He jested.
She coughed lightly. "I said I don't know anything about any Bella or whatsoever. Whatever it was that you're planning to cook, I have to say, I'm not interested"
She had to turn it into a misunderstanding.
Bella thought she can't get caught, at least not now that she was so close to fulfilling he promise to carol.
The woman sponsored her surgery, gave her job and the only help she knows she could do was to help her persuade her son.
Miguel's eyes had turned red. He could tell that he wasn't wrong anymore.
The woman he acted and vowed to kill anytime he sees is now sitting before him, blinking just like she always does when they're still married.
But the worse luck is that... He can't do anything.
"Talk to me!" He insisted again.
"I really don't...."
He sighed and got off. He know she won't admit to being Bella that easily.
But now, her illusions can't work on him anymore.
"I'm going back to Liverpool after Ross' wedding. Tell your Carol Rodriguez or whatever that either she's real or fake, I'm not interested in meeting her"
'I'm done for!' Bella figured out and quick rush to hold him back.
"Please...."
He glared back at her, gaze hard and toxic. The harsh memory of how she left him when he only thought he was having a good time with his wife seeped in.
He doesn't want to hear it. "I'm leaving willingly without having to waste my time here. If you drag me back on more time...."
"Bella didn't leave you because she wanted to" She said finally. Thinking if it had to come to this, then she would do it.
Miguel paused for a while. Why is she supporting Bella when she'd denied it?
He became interested again. "Really? And why did she leave if she doesn't want to? Blood is thicker than water, it's normal that a daughter helped her father in anyway"
She turned back at the mention of father. "She might have done it to save your head. Don't you even wonder if she's still alive or not?"
He smirked. "I don't want to care if she's dead or alive. To me, she's a memory I don't want to ever remember"
Shard of pain tore at her heart as she heard this. Will he say this to my face if I'm still carrying Bella's face?
"You're wrong, Rodriguez. You should still care about her" she countered. "If you don't care about her, why are you so hellbent on not talking about her? You keep mistaking me for your wife, why did you....."
Miguel wished she was someone he could hit for saying these kind of disgusting words.
The words are disgusting to him.
He doesn't want to remember Bella again or who was bearing that name, and he was doing that gradually, until she came around. "Enough with your pretenses now, Bella Trump. I know it's you"
Bella froze on the spot. He caught her and now... There seems to be no coming out of this.
Her throat goes wife and at this dangerous moment, her phone rang. She jumped to take the call and Damn! It was Camilla.
She looked at Miguel, frantically wishing he could just leave now but a ste from him, he was already behind her, like a mighty man at war.
"Wh... What are you doing?" She stammered trying not to let him get to her phone but she was wrong.
He grabbed her jaw instead. "You're dead to me. Stay dead and I don't want to ever see you again.
Bella stood, her expression incredulous. Camilla still on the other line yelling her hello.
“Miguel, I really don't want to hide it from you. I actually wanted to make you and your mum meet before...."
"Before walking away right?" He smiled sadly.
He didn’t just want to walk. He wanted to run. On an impulse, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. To his surprise, she didn’t resist. But she didn’t respond, either.
When he finally released her, she stumbled back, her eyes wide, her lips parted and moist.
He wanted to kiss her again, he realized, and knew it was time to get the hell out.
“Punishment for making me kiss you thinking it's another woman,” he said flatly. “I will never forgive you. Come back and tell me the story behind that face"
With that he turned and left. Bella wanted to scream — yell and cry, but she just stood numb there.

*****
The lake was blue and calm at seven the next morning; the air cool and still, filled with the sound of birdsong and the scent of pine. Rocks and pine needles crunched under her boots as Bella followed the path between her cabin and Miguel’s, and from the low branch of a pine tree, a large gray squirrel chattered irritably at her intrusion.

Amazing how that squirrel reminded her of him, but she hasn't seen him for three days now.

She shifted the bag of groceries in her arms and frowned at the tail-twitching rodent, decided to go look for him if he doesn't appear before her. It won't be easy to accept her for her new face after all that happened, she knows that.

She’d had a long, sleepless night to think about Miguel’s reaction to knowing she was Bella.
Of course he’d be angry, she’d reasoned. His mother had abandoned him, she also left him only to come back with another face.

He had every right to be angry. She could certainly understand that.

What she didn’t understand was his cold, calm acceptance of the information, or why he hadn’t at least asked questions.

Not even one. Outwardly he gave the impression he wasn’t interested, but when he’d kissed her, she’d felt the emotion churning inside him, emotions that went deeper than lust.

That kiss had been another reason she’d spent a sleepless night. Every time she’d closed her eyes, every time she’d started to drift off, she’d felt the power of that kiss, the desire on her lips. He’d caught her off guard—again—and it frightened her that she’d nearly give herself up.

At the edge of the woods Bella paused, then spotted two rowboats out on the lake. The father and son she’d seen at the cabin rental office in town were in one boat at the far end of the lake, Miguel was in the other.

His line was cast, his back to her, yet somehow she had the feeling he knew she was there. Very little got past this man, in spite of the bored attitude he wore most of the time.

Occasionally, and each time only for the briefest of moments, his eyes would give him away. There was a clarity in those deep, dark orbs. A sharp-edged intelligence that astounded her.

“Good morning.”

She jumped at the unexpected greeting from behind her, then turned. A good-looking couple, put their arms around each other’s waist. They both smiled at her.

She smiled back. “Morning.”

“Mr and Mrs Hart.” The man stuck out his hand. “Cabin 7.”

“Val....." She stopped. "Bella Tump. Cabin four.” Bella took the man’s hand, then the woman’s. When they immediately hugged each other again, it was easy to figure out who they were. “You must be the honeymoon couple that the woman at the rental office mentioned.”

the wife wiggled a wedding ring. “Four whole days.”

“But who’s counting?” the husband said, then they smiled at each other, one of those I-love-you-so-much, newlywed smiles that most people thought were cute. Bella wasn’t one of those people.

“Isn’t it beautiful here?” the wife hugged her husband. “the Felix and I live in Dallas. We’ve decided we’re going to come here every year for our anniversary. Didn’t we, baby?”

“Felix baby” rewarded his bride with a kiss. “That’s right, sweetcakes.”

Baby and sweet cakes on an empty stomach was almost too much for Bella. She smiled tightly. “That’s great.”

“How ‘bout you?” the husband asked. “Where you from?”

She glanced at the lake. Miguel hadn’t showed up yet. "Liverpool.”

The wife’s big blue eyes got bigger. “Goodness. What brings you all the way here?”

"I'm a nature photographer. Came here to research some wild lives to put into the nature magazine" She lied again, eyes still on his cabin.

The couple's smiles faded. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. You can continue your research darling"

Feeling absolutely wicked, Bella waved as the couple turned and walked quickly away. “Enjoy your honeymoon,” she called out.

They didn’t look back, just kept walking.

Marriage was fine, Bella thought, watching them disappear when the path curved. She secretly wished hers hadn't ended in the most distasteful manner ever.

She headed for Miguel’s cabin, let herself in the unlocked front door.

Now that he's know her, no use of identity lies anymore.

Thirty minutes later, when he came into the cabin, she was frying potatoes, onions and bell peppers.

Without so much as glancing her way, he shrugged out of his jacket and moved to the kitchen sink.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully.

No response. He scrubbed his hands, splashed water on his face and reached for a towel.

Bella’s heart jumped against her ribs at the sight of him.

He had a rugged, wild look about him this morning. His faded jeans hugged his lean hips, and the red-plaid flannel shirt he’d rolled to his elbows gave him the rough-tough appearance of a lumberjack.

His morning beard was dark; his hair, rumpled. He looked like he’d just tumbled out of bed.