CHAPTER 430: CHAPTER 430 DREAD

Bella pushed Alan away with a sudden burst of anger, her breath shaky from the scare he had given her. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded, her voice trembling but firm. "I got so scared. I thought someone dangerous pulled me in. I am going outside." She turned toward the door, reaching for the handle.

But Alan moved too fast.

His arms wrapped around her from behind, stopping her. "Wait, Bella... do not go," he whispered desperately.

Bella stiffened instantly. The closeness felt wrong, uncomfortable, and her skin crawled at the unwanted touch. She shoved his arms off her quickly, taking two steps back as her eyes flashed.

"Alan, do not touch me. I do not like it," she said, her voice low but sharp. "What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"

Alan swallowed hard, staring at her with a mix of fear and longing. "Bella... I just wanted to tell you something," he said, his voice shaking.

"What?" Bella asked, keeping her distance.

Her hand, the one holding her phone, slowly lowered beside her gown. Without breaking eye contact, without letting Alan suspect anything, her thumb slid across the screen.

Bella knew her phone by memory. She did not even need to look.

Volume down.

Press call.

Leo.

Alan did not notice.

"I love you, Bella," Alan breathed, stepping closer. "I love you so much. You do not remember me, but you are the girl who saved me from that accident four years ago. I have been searching for you ever since."

Bella’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion mixing with shock. "What accident?"

"My investigator finally found you after years of digging," Alan said quickly. "You saved my life. Near the highway, by QC Hospital. You were the girl with the trembling hands, the one who held my head to stop the bleeding."

Bella’s eyes widened quietly. She did remember. She remembered helping a man whose face was covered in blood, whose breathing was failing, and she had kept pressing her hands on the wound until the ambulance took him away. She never even knew if he survived.

"Yes... I remember helping someone," Bella whispered. "But, Alan... other people helped too. How can you fall in love with me only? You do not even know me."

Alan’s expression cracked. His smile fell, his eyes turning almost wild. This was not the reaction he expected, and panic flickered across his face.

"That is not the point," he said, stepping closer again. Bella stepped back. "I have waited years. I finally found you. Bella... listen to me." His voice grew desperate. "Which man invites his friends on his honeymoon? Bella... Leo is not good enough for you. He does not love you the way you think."

"Stop," Bella snapped.

Her heart was pounding, but her voice was steady.

"Alan, how can you speak about him like that? He is your friend."

Alan did not care. He could not.

Not when his eyes fell to Bella’s rosy lips, the same lips Leo kissed in front of everyone, the same lips she nervously bit when she was flustered.

His jealousy burned through him like acid.

He looked at her as if those lips were meant to be his.

Bella saw the shift in his eyes and felt a rush of fear.

"I am sorry, Bella... but I really, really love you..." Alan whispered, his voice trembling as he reached toward her. His hand came up too fast, grabbing the side of her head as if he was afraid she would slip away from him. Bella’s eyes widened in terror, her breath cutting off in her throat as he pushed her back against the door.

The sharp smell of alcohol hit her. Her stomach twisted.

His face was too close. Too close for her liking.

And all he was staring at... were her lips. Those plump, rosy lips he had no right to even look at.

"Leave. Leave. I never thought you were this disgusting," Bella cried, her voice breaking as fear shot through her like ice. She tried to push him away, tried to kick him, but her legs felt weak from panic.

Her mind began to spiral.

Old memories slipped through the cracks before she could stop them. She saw the small dark room she once hid in, the door shaking under her uncle’s fists as he tried to break in. She felt those hands again, the ones that tried to drag her away... All the moments she buried came back one after another, sharp and terrifying. Her body trembled so hard she could barely stand. Her chest tightened painfully as every old fear wrapped around her again, making her feel small and trapped just like before.

"Move... please... please do not..." Bella whispered, her voice shaking uncontrollably as her body froze against the cold door. "Please leave... please..."

Her hands trembled violently.

Sweat gathered on her forehead. Her breath came out in tiny gasps.

And in that moment, Alan finally saw it.

He saw her fear, and his entire body went still. His face drained of color, horror creeping into his expression.

"B-Bella... I... I was not trying to... I did not mean..." he stuttered, shocked at what he had just done.

But Bella was not listening anymore.

Her body moved on instinct. She shoved him away with shaky arms. He let her. She stumbled forward, her mind spiraling in confusion and panic. She did not even look at him; she was too shaken, too dizzy, too terrified to think straight.

Her hands patted the wall blindly. Her eyes filled with tears she could not control.

"Where... where is the door..." she whispered in a broken voice. "Where is... I cannot... I cannot find the door..."

Her vision blurred. Her fingers trembled as they searched for the handle that was not where she remembered.

Alan watched her in stunned silence, his breath shaking, guilt crawling up his throat like poison.

"Bella... I am sorry... Bella, please..."

But Bella was not hearing any of it.

Meanwhile, Leo came out of the washroom, adjusting the cuff of his tuxedo as he stepped back into the hall. He looked around with mild annoyance. Bella was not there.

"She must still be inside," he muttered, taking a step toward the women’s washroom.

Then...

His phone rang.

He ignored it.

It was not the time.

He needed to find Bella.

But the call did not stop.

It kept ringing.

Once... twice... three times...

Urgent.

He finally pulled out the phone, irritation flickering across his face until he saw the name glowing on the screen.

Bella.

His heart tightened.

A strange sense of dread rushed through him, cold and fast. He answered immediately.

"Bella?" he said, breath sharp.

But instead of her soft voice...

He heard a familiar one. Not Bella’s.

His entire face changed in an instant. The muscles in his jaw tightened. His hand slowly curled into a fist. The air around him seemed to drop in temperature.