Chapter 3

Chris was holding Mandy in his arms, both of them disheveled, curled up on a tiny couch.

I was shaking with rage. I stormed into the bathroom, filled a bucket with water, and dumped it all over them.

They jolted awake, and when Chris saw me, his face turned stormy. "Bella, are you crazy? The water is freezing. What if Mandy catches a cold?"

He wiped her hair gently, scolding me nonstop.

"Is there no other room in this house? Do you have to squeeze together on the couch?" I snapped.

Chris tried to defend himself. "I thought you were exhausted from your trip, so I wanted to let you have the bed all for yourself. You totally got me wrong."

Whatever. I didn't want to listen to his bullshit.

I grabbed all of Mandy and Carly's stuff and tossed it out the door. Then I took them both by the arms and pulled them outside.

I was nice enough to let them stay, and somehow I was the one to blame. That was ridiculous.

"You ungrateful folks, just fuck off," I shouted.

"Bella, stop," Chris snapped, stepping in front of me. "There's nothing between Mandy and me. Why are you freaking out?"

Carly, totally thrown by my explosion, huddled in the corner, stammering, "Chris, it's my fault. I knew you had work this morning, so I just wanted Bella to get up early and make you breakfast.

"I didn't expect to see her completely naked. Don't take it out on Bella. It's my fault."

Chris's face went stormy the second he heard I'd been naked. He grabbed my arm and dragged me back into the bedroom, his eyes full of anger.

He said, "Bella, you're not alone in the house. Why weren't you wearing any clothes? Are you out of your mind?

"We're not married yet, and you're already treating them rudely. I honestly can't imagine how you'd handle my parents later."

Every single word he said felt like an attack. He never even thought about why I'd turned out this way.

Seeing me stay silent, he probably thought I was still easy to push around. He gave me a half-hearted hug as if he could still get his way.

"Come on, go and apologize to Aunt Carly. She's a kind person, and she'll forgive you," he said, his voice all fake sweetness.

He added, "Take Mandy out shopping for some new clothes and maybe get her a spa day. Look, you scared her so much. She's crying."

He acted like he was doing all this for me, but really, his attention was entirely on them.

I pulled my arm out of his grip and looked him straight in the eye. "Chris, if you don't tell them to leave today, then it's over between us."

I couldn't concentrate at work at all. What he said haunted me the entire day.

Chris and I started dating in our freshman year. Sure, we'd had our ups and downs, but we'd always had each other's backs.

Breaking up with him would feel no different from losing a family member.

Unlike his family, he really did treat me well.

When I got back from work, I opened the door, feeling anxious, and just as I expected, they still hadn't moved out.

"Bella, welcome home," Carly greeted me with unusual warmth. "Dinner is ready."

Chris hurried over to give me my slippers.

Wait, did they suddenly regret what they did to me?

Mandy led me to the dining room and awkwardly poured me a glass of juice.

She said, "Bella, I'm really sorry. I acted stupidly earlier. I won't do that again."

The sudden change in their attitude caught me off guard, and I finished the meal with a deep sense of unease.

After dinner, Chris pulled me into the bedroom and pulled out a necklace like he was doing a magic show.

"Is this real?" I couldn't help blurting out, totally thrilled. I'd been eyeing this necklace for ages, but I could never bring myself to buy it.

Chris gently put it around my neck, then looked at me with so much affection in his eyes.

"Babe, I'm sorry for treating you like that in the past few days," Chris said, his voice cracking with emotion. "They're my family. It just feels too cruel to throw them out like that.

"I checked with the doctor. They'll need about another week. Hang in there just for another week, okay? I really can't lose you."

That earnest look on his face dragged me right back to when he used to pursue me.

He wasn't rich back then, and he wasn't exactly handsome, but his sincerity won me over and made me decide to stay with him.

"Then promise me you'll always be on my side, no matter what happens," I said.

"I promise," Chris replied.

After a whole day of feeling miserable, I finally found myself smiling again.

After I finally calmed down, I went to the living room with him. Seeing Carly still busy cleaning up, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"Why don't you take a break? I'll handle the dishes," I offered.

Her look of surprise and gratitude only made me feel guiltier.

"Babe, maybe we should get Carly a better doctor," I murmured, leaning into Chris's arms.

I couldn't get the image of her busy in the kitchen out of my head. It just made my heart ache even more.