ELLA.
"Why exactly did you come back?"
Bella's voice came again, sharper this time, the sweetness from earlier completely gone. She stepped forward slowly, each step measured, deliberate, closing the small distance between us.
"I… I don't understand why you're asking such a question," I replied, my voice uncertain despite my effort to steady it.
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew they were wrong.
Her expression darkened instantly.
Something flickered in her eyes, anger, sharp and unrestrained and before I could react, she moved too fast.
The distance between us vanished.
Her hand shot out and wrapped around my throat.
I gasped, my body jolting in shock as her grip tightened without hesitation. My back hit the door behind me, the impact barely registering over the sudden lack of air.
"Don't you dare act all high and mighty, Theresa," she hissed, her face now inches from mine. Her breath was warm, her voice laced with bitterness. "You've always known I loved my stepbrothers."
My fingers instinctively flew to her wrist, trying to pry her hand away, but her grip only tightened.
"But ever since they met you," she continued, her tone trembling with suppressed rage, "all their attention shifted. Everything became about you."
Her nails pressed into my skin.
"And now you're back."
"Your… step… brothers?" I forced out weakly, the words breaking apart as I struggled for air. My vision blurred at the edges, my chest tightening painfully.
"What now?" she scoffed, her lips curling in disdain. "Are you still going to lecture me?"
Her hold didn't loosen.
"We're not related by blood…not even a little, Theresa," she went on, her voice rising, filled with defiance. "And trust me… this time, they're mine."
The force of her words struck just as hard as her grip.
Before I could react, before I could even gather what little strength I had left, she shoved me hard.
I hit the ground with a dull thud, the impact knocking what little air remained from my lungs. Pain shot through my body, sharp and immediate, but instinct overrode everything else.
My hands moved to my stomach.
Protecting.
Shielding.
I curled slightly, gasping desperately for breath, my chest rising and falling unevenly as I struggled to recover. The world spun around me, my vision still blurred, my throat burning from where her fingers had tightened.
Footsteps approached again.
She bent down, lowering herself to my level.
"You better stay far away from them…" she said quietly, her voice now cold, controlled but no less threatening.
I couldn't look up.
I didn't trust what I would see.
"…or better still," she added, leaning closer, her words brushing against my ear like a warning I couldn't escape, "go back to where you came from."
My fingers tightened protectively against my stomach, my body trembling, not just from pain, but from the realization settling deep within me.
I wasn't safe here.
I didn't know what to say.
The words she had thrown at me didn't belong to me. The accusations, the anger, the bitterness, they were meant for someone else, someone named Theresa, not me.
I wasn't Theresa.
And I wasn't after the triplets.
Slowly, I lifted my head, my throat still aching, my breath uneven as I forced myself to meet Bella's gaze. My body felt weak, shaken, but something inside me pushed me to speak, to at least say something.
"Can you not repeat this nonsense again?" I said, my voice strained but firm enough to carry.
My hands pressed against the floor as I tried to stand. My movements were slow, careful, my body protesting with every shift, but I pushed through it anyway.
"If you love your stepbrothers," I added, swallowing hard, "then tell them."
The moment the words left my mouth, I saw it, her expression twisted.
"Are you kidding me?" she echoed, her voice rising sharply.
Before I could react, her hand shot forward again, this time grabbing a fistful of my hair.
Pain exploded through my scalp.
A sharp, searing sensation that shot straight to my skull, forcing a gasp from my lips. My body jerked instinctively, my hands flying up to her wrist, but she held on tightly, her grip merciless.
"Theresa," she spat, her voice filled with venom, "you just wait."
She yanked slightly, forcing my head back, making it impossible to look away from her.
"I will make you regret ever coming back," she continued, each word heavy with promise. "This place will be a living hell for you!"
My eyes stung, not just from the pain, but from the intensity of her anger. I could barely hold her gaze, my body trembling under her grip.
Then, just as suddenly as she had grabbed me…She let go.
I stumbled slightly, my hand flying to my head, my fingers trembling as they brushed against the spot where she had held me. The pain lingered, throbbing faintly, refusing to fade.
Bella straightened, her posture composed once more, as though nothing had happened.
Without another glance, she turned and began walking toward the door.
My chest rose and fell unevenly as I watched her, still trying to steady myself, still trying to understand what had just happened.
Her hand reached the door.
She paused.
Then, slowly, she turned her head just enough for her voice to carry back to me.
"Oh," she said, her tone laced with mockery, "it seems you've lost your unique power and ability, Theresa."
My breath caught.
"You're so in for it," she added with a light laugh, as though she found the idea amusing.
The door opened.
And before I could say anything, before I could even begin to process her words, she stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her.
And silence followed immediately, heavy and unsettling.
I stood there, frozen, my mind racing as her words echoed again and again in my head.
Lost your unique power…
Ability…
What power?
What ability?