The Truth (Mommy's House 2)

Part Eleven

Bella appeared a lot healthier as she sat in front of us. Her olive eyes were wider, clearer, and her hair no longer looked ratty - it fell past her shoulders in soft waves. She gave us a warm smile while sitting down, rather than appearing nervous. I was so thankful that she was finally beginning to heal - I felt a lot less guilty for talking to her about this.

"Hi, Bella," I said softly. "You look like you're doing a lot better."

Bella lifted her shoulders in a long sigh, staring at the floor. "I feel better. I just... started realizing that this is something that happened to me and I just have to accept it, and try to get past it."

I looked over at Liv who pulled her lips in a straight line and looked back at Bella.

"I still, sometimes, I hear her. But not as much," Bella mumbled, something shifting in her eyes.

"We don't have to talk about that, unless you want to," I told her.

Bella shook her head, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor. "I- I'm fine. Why did you call me here?"

Liv intervened, shifting through some papers. I watched her thin fingers caress the diary, evidence that we weren't even supposed to have in our possession but we needed it.

"What do you know about Rose's... boyfriend?" Liv asked, her voice soft as she rested her elbows on the desk beside me.

"Sir?" she mumbled, before her eyes widened a little bit. "I mean, that's - that's what we were told to call him. I- I don't know his real name."

I wrote down what she said on a notepad, my eyes still set on Bella as I watched discomfort begin to grow on her like branches. Suddenly, she was stiff, her eyes were clouded and she seemed buried in her sweater.

"What was he like? Was he... was he nicer than Rose? Was he mean?" Liv asked, her eyes watching Bella behind her glasses.

Bella's eyes followed Liv, before they locked on mine. "I think he was nice."

Was she brainwashed? I didn't have full confidence that this man was nice. He was an accessory to a kidnapping, and I instantly wondered if he somehow made Bella believe he was even remotely nice. He always seemed hesitant in the videos we watched, but he still did whatever Rose said.

"What makes you believe that he was nice?" Liv asked her.

Bella paused, staring out the open window and watching the light flakes of snow that fell to the ground. "Because he tried to help us escape, but R-Rose killed him," she visibly shuddered and shook her head. "It's my fault."

"Of course it's not your fault, Bella. That woman was sick," I told her, watching as tears began to well up in the brim of her eyes.

Her eyes were red around the rim as she looked up at me, a tear slipping down the slope of her angular cheek as she stared into my eyes. "I did. It is my fault. I promised him... I-" she choked on her words. "I told him that I promised I would get him out if he helped us escape. And-and he was just killed, right in front of me... while I watched."

"You promised him you would help him get out?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Was he held there against his will?"

Bella's mouth opened for a second, before closing again in thought. "Maybe..." she whispered. "He told me he was trapped there because Mom- Rose would make him feel like no one else would love him. I told him I would take care of him, but I only used him to escape."

"Did this man ever touch any of you?" Liv asked, and Bella fixed her gaze on the ground again.

"You- you mean..." Bella shook her head. "No, he didn't assault me, if that's what you mean. None of us were really assaulted..." she exhaled.