Leonardo gave Bella one last unreadable look before he followed his father out. Jay hostuck his tongue out at her playfully when he passed, whispering, "Don’t miss too much, Bella-bell!" She giggled despite herself and waved him off.
Once they left, the villa felt calr again — no heavy tension, no cold eyes watching her every move. Bella let out a tiny sigh and sat there for a mont, her thoughts still warm from Alessandro’s kindness.
And just when she was about to stand up, a familiar, laid-back voice made her look up in surprise. "Yo! I heard my favourite student is back."
"Theo!" Bella’s face lit up like a little lamp. She nearly bounced off her chair, the mory of her heavy thoughts disappearing. "You’re here! You didn’t forget my guitar lessons?"
Theo, casual as ever in his half-buttoned shirt and with that lazy grin, shrugged and leaned on the back of a chair. "How could I forget when you’re the only one who actually listens when I talk? Now co on — let’s see if you still rember your chords, Miss bella."
She hurried upstairs like an excited child, her slippers nearly slipping off her feet. Within minutes she ca back down, hugging her precious guitar to her chest like it was her best friend.
Theo chuckled at her bright face, shaking his head. "Slow down, rockstar. Don’t break your strings before we even start."
Bella only giggled, her eyes shining. Together they stepped out into the villa’s garden — the morning sun warm on the flowers, a gentle breeze making the leaves rustle like they were clapping for her.
They found a quiet spot on a low bench under the shade of a tall tree. Bella settled the guitar in her lap, her fingers trembling just a little as she adjusted the strap. Theo sat opposite her, his arms folded lazily across his knee.
"Alright, Bell," he teased, and she scrunched her nose at him. "Play sothing for ."
She nodded and began, her fingers pressing down on the frets carefully, strumming a soft tune that drifted through the garden like a shy little songbird. The lody was simple — a bit hesitant, but sweet. She hit a few wrong notes, but she didn’t stop. And Theo... he just leaned back and listened, his grin lazy but his eyes warm.
"Not bad," Theo said when she finished, clapping his hands once. "You’re still a rookie — don’t puff up your chest yet. But you’ve got your fingers right this ti. Keep that up and you might even be able to play sothing decent within weeks."
Bella laughed, the sound bright and light, floating away with the breeze. "You’ll teach more, right?"
Theo rolled his eyes but his voice was soft. "Yeah, yeah. I’ll make you a superstar yet, Bella Girl."
Even after Theo finally packed up his guitar bag and left with a lazy wave, Bella didn’t feel like going back inside. She stayed there in the garden, cross-legged on the bench with her guitar resting on her lap. Her fingers moved slowly over the strings, picking out the sa soft lody again and again.
A few maids and gardeners passed by, pretending to tend to flowers or sweep the path but really, they kept sneaking little glances at her. So smiled, so just paused to listen for a mont before going on with their work.
But even the sweet notes of her guitar couldn’t chase away the thoughts creeping into her head. Does he really love Stella that much? she wondered, pressing her lips together.
She knew she shouldn’t think about it. It only made her chest feel tight. But she couldn’t help it.
When her fingers started to ache, Bella finally carried her guitar back inside. She changed into her comfiest clothes, curled up in bed with her tablet, and called Scarlett — needing to hear a warm voice.
Scarlett answered on the second ring, her voice full of dramatic energy as always. "Bellaaaaaa! I miss you so much already! Did that stingy man of yours annoy you yet? Should I co over there and kick him for you?"
Bella giggled, her heavy thoughts lifting for a second. "No, no... I just wanted to see you. And hear you."
"Oh, you’ll see soon enough!" Scarlett said, rolling her eyes at the cara. "The boys are pestering every day — they all want to et you, Bellatrix. They keep saying, ’When do we get to see Bella? When do we get to see Bella?’ They’re so annoying! But they really like you, Bell."
Bella’s heart ward, her lips parting in a shy smile. "They do?"
"Of course!" Scarlett grinned. "They’re dying to et you!"
After that, Bella exchanged a few more words with her, and she laughed so hard her eyes watered. When she ended the call, her smile still lingered but when she lay back on her pillow, the ache in her chest stayed too.
Maybe it’s okay, she thought, hugging Moonbeam close. Maybe it’s okay if he doesn’t love back. At least I still have my people.
After a while, Bella was busy working on a hacking task because she wanted to pay him back before they divorced.
If he really doesn’t love , she thought, chewing her lip, then I don’t want to owe him anything when it’s over.
Her fingers moved quickly over the keys, eyes focused, every line of code another small step toward freedom. She’d picked up a few paid requests from the hidden Hackerverse job board — safe tasks, mostly digital clean-ups and backdoor patching, nothing dangerous. Enough to bring in money, little by little.
Between her BellaZone shop sales and these small jobs, maybe she could collect what she needed. She didn’t know how long it would take. But she wanted to stand on her own feet when the ti ca. No more feeling like a burden... no more feeling like sothing temporary.
Bella pushed back her tears and leaned closer to her screen, her brown eyes determined. It’s okay, she told herself. One day, I’ll pay him back every penny. And then I’ll leave him alone..
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