Chapter 2 Bella's Pov

I woke up shortly again.

I tried to sit up, but a piercing pain went through my stomach and drove me back down. Panic started as scattered memories of the attack tore across my consciousness. The cell. The knife. The chilly remarks of the woman. I looked down at my body expecting to see a bloody mess but I was bandaged up quite neatly.

"You're awake again."

I was jerked from my thoughts by a powerful, dominating voice. He was still sitting close to me. But this time around,he moved a bit closer, his violet eyes scanning me with curiosity. He looked very noble and elegant and there was something very alluring about him.

"Who are you?" I croaked, my voice hardly a whisper.

"My name is Jesse," he said, pulling up a chair and sitting beside me. "I'm the one who got you out of that hellhole."

I stared at him, trying to piece together his motives. "Why did you help me?"

Jesse's lips curved into a faint smile. "Because you're valuable to me, Bella. And because we have a common enemy."

Before I could question him further, he went to the bedside table and retrieved a thick file. "I thought you might want to know the truth about Julius."

The mention of my husband's name sent a jolt of anger through me but I still asked curiously. "What truth?"

Rather than responding, he gave me the file. "Everything you thought you knew about your husband is a lie."

A chill ran through me as I stared at the file on my hands, my fingers trembling. I opened it and started flipping through. There were lots of photographs, and detailed reports.

I didn't expect what I saw at all.

There was a lab report detailing traces of a substance found in my system-poison. My eyes grew wide as I looked farther. There were emails between Julius and someone else, most likely the person that sold it to him, they were discussing the dosage and timing. One message read:

"She might start to notice the symptoms soon. Be subtle. I need her gone by the end of the month."

This... this isn't real," I whispered, my voice breaking.

Jesse said nothing at all.

I kept reading, I saw photos of Julius meeting with doctors who specialized in undetectable toxins. And at the bottom, a copy of a fake medical record-entries created to imply that I had a terminal illness.

"He's been poisoning me," I said, my voice barely audible. "All this time, he's been..."

Jesse's calm voice cut through my disbelief. "He didn't just want you out of his life. He wanted it to be as natural as possible. I don't know why he hated you that much.

Because he wanted to marry Athena, I remembered her words of her being pregnant. His grandfather would've never allowed her to come in while I was still in the picture.

Tears distorted my view as I held the file tightly. My chest burned, I took a deep breath trying to calm myself and asked him. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because I want you to join me," Jesse said simply. "Julius isn't just your enemy. He's mine, too."

I shook my head, the pain in my heart too intense. "I don't trust you. How do I know you're not lying to me?"

Jesse leaned back, his expression unreadable. "I figured you'd say that. Which is why I'm showing you this."

He grabbed the remote and turned on the television. The screen flickered to life, and a news report filled the room.

"...exclusive footage of Julius Stone spotted proposing in a private restaurant to his secretary. Sources say the two have been seen together multiple times over the past year..."

The image on the screen showed Julius smiling, leaning close to the woman as they shared a toast.

My hands trembled with anger. "He's out there living his best life while I'm lying here like this?"

Jesse nodded. "And he thinks you're dead. That's the only reason we have the upper hand right now."

My mind raced as I processed his words. If Julius thought I was gone, I had a chance to fight back without him suspecting.

"Fine," I said finally, my voice hardening. "I'll join you."

Jesse smiled faintly. "That's all I needed to hear."

He had a very gentle smile but I still didn't trust him completely, it felt as though he had too many secrets.

I asked, seeing he was about to leave. "One more thing, Can I get a phone? I want to call my mother. She might be very worried. Don't worry, She wouldnt rat me out to julius."

He glanced at me a bit then placed a phone beside me "Suit yourself."

After Jesse had left the room, I reached for the phone beside me and dialed my mother's number. When she answered, her tone was cold.

"Who is this?"

I realized I was calling from an unknown number, so I told her. "Mum, It's me bella."

"Bella? Bella, what are you doing calling me? You're supposed to be dead."

"Mum, is that the first thing you could say to me?" I said, desperation seeping into my voice.

"You don't understand," she interrupted. "The world thinks you're dead, and it's just better that way. You killed his child. Athena had a miscarriage because you pushed her down the stairs.

You know that Julius is way too powerful. Some say he even has connections to the mafia. He's sending us a lot of money and resources because he believes you're dead. If you come back now, you might only incite his anger again. "Do it for the family; be a good girl."

The line went dead before I could respond.

I stared at the phone, tears streaming down my face.

Even my own family had abandoned me. She didn't sound happy to know I had survived. If everyone wanted me to stay dead, then so be it. But I won't rest until I make Julius and Athena pay for everything they've done.