Deprived Love - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Third person's pov
"Chris, we need to talk."
Chris just stared at her and nodded. "First you need to dress up your wounds, I'll call a doctor."
Bella was about to stand up when Chris softly grabbed her wrist.
"You do it." Bella was about to oppose but Chris looked desperate.
Bella nodded and took the first aid box from the drawer.
She took Chris's wounded hand and wiped the dried blood with a wet towel. Then she applied an ointment and wrapped a bandage.
Chris stared at Bella as if she would disappear in a blink.
"Chris, I am sorry."
Chris's eyebrows furrowed with confusion.
"For what?"
"For everything you had to go through because of my father. And I ignored you... our friendship."
"You know you ignoring me made me hurt more... much more than what your father did. I loved you Bella, I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you." He chuckled softly. "I started loving you when I didn't even know what love is. And it hurts when your first.... True love just treats you as if you never even existed." He continued, his voice cracking. "But you don't really have to apologise, darling. I know you were not aware even I was not! And your dad manipulated you. It's okay.... It's completely fine."
Bella's eyes glistened, a drop of tear escaped which Chris wiped off. He cupped her cheek with his unwounded hands.
Bella unknowingly leaned in the warmth. They stared at each other, the silence was comfortable.
"Bella?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you like to give me a chance? I mean... would you give me a chance to earn your forgiveness?"
Bella felt things in her stomach. Why is she already ready to give him a chance? She should've rejected him in an instant.
"Okay. Make me believe that you'll not harm me or make me sad."
"Bella, I am not blabbering. But I would rather die than make you sad again. I already regret every action I did. And I really don't expect you to love me back." He smiled sadly. "I really don't deserve your love but at least I want your forgiveness. I can't bear to see you.... To see you hate me." He said with a soft, gentle voice.
But he was unaware of the fact that Bella's hate for him is already fading.
He withdrew his hand from Bella's cheeks and she felt the loss of warmth.
"I should leave." She said,
"Can.... Can you wait till I sleep?"
Bella nodded and Chris tucked himself under the duvet.
Chris looked vulnerable and he never let others see him weak. He locked himself whenever he felt like that.... He never felt vulnerable as now in the first place.
Bella observed the ravenette. His raven locks looked messy covering his forehead. His long eyelashes kissing his cheeks.
His rosy lips apart, soft snores escaping from them. His chest heaving up and down from breathing heavily. He looked innocent, as if he had no mafia business on his shoulders.
He being in this shitty business is somewhat because of Bella's family. And she despises her dad for that.
Now that she thinks of it, Bella and her family did more dirty than Chris ever did to them.
All he did was to keep Bella at his mansion. Still she was at least free to roam in the mansion. Chris let her do anything she wants in his mansion, instead caging her up. He was capable of doing that but he didn't. He even allowed her to buy clothes for her.
But because of Bella's dad, Chris lost his parents, his childhood, his dreams, his unborn sister, Bella's heart felt heavy when she remembered how excited Chris seemed when he knew about it, it was obvious by how he wrote it in the letter.
He even dreamt of all three of them playing together. They could never bring those things back to Chris, still he loved her. He was trying to earn her apology.
Like what is Chris even made of? Bella hated him for just some mere things he did, but he still loves her.
Bella gently ran her hand on his raven locks.
She stood up and walked out of the room and she saw Stella. Her heart felt a little lightened by the bundle of joy in front of her.
She was soon met by a bone crushing hug.
"Calm down, Stella. It's not even a day since I left here."
"Still, I missed you."
"I'll visit here to meet you often."
Stella gasped, withdrawing from the hug. And Bella looked confused by her reaction.
"You said you will never turn your back on this mansion. You hate this place and the owner too."
Bella was surprised too. Now she didn't hated neither the place nor the owner. Something inside her told her that she will visit here often.
"I don't know." Bella chuckled.
Liam stood in the corner of the hall.
"Bella, can we talk?"
Bella nodded and followed him, Liam took a turn in the hallway and opened a door which seemed to be a storeroom where all the files must be stored.
The storeroom was dimly lit, with a single overhead bulb casting a warm, yellow glow across the space. Shelves line the walls, stacked high with dusty boxes, jars, and containers filled with all manner of forgotten items. Some shelves are made of old, creaky wood, while others are metal, showing signs of rust from years of use. The air was thick with the scent of musty cardboard and aged wood.
In one corner, a cobweb clings to the ceiling, and a few scattered tools lie on a worn workbench, their metal surfaces dull from lack of use. The floor is cluttered with more boxes, some toppled over, spilling their contents-old books, tangled cords, and unidentifiable gadgets-onto the cold concrete. A narrow path cuts through the mess, leading to a heavy, wooden door at the back of the room.
The atmosphere waa quiet, almost eerily so, with only the faint sound of the bulb's low hum breaking the silence. Dust motes dance in the air, caught in the light, as if time itself has slowed down in this forgotten space.
Indicating that no one uses this room, her observations and thoughts of the room was interrupted when Liam cleared his throat.
Bella's gaze averted from the room to Liam.
He took a deep breath.
"Bella, I already told you what happened to Chris all these years. And you know yourself and your parents too, right?" Liam looked serious, opposite to his normal personality.
Bella had never seen Liam so serious, he always had a playful nature. But right now he looked serious.
Bella nodded.
"Bella, I want to request you, I am not even telling you. I can even beg you but please don't give Chris a hard time. I can't force you to love him, even Chris himself doesn't want you to. But can you at least treat him as a friend? If being friends is too much, at least a normal person?"
"I know he will not be able to survive with your hate, Bella. And even you know your parents deserved that. He is kind enough to let them live after what they did to him. The mafia group which was involved in this with your family is already into ashes. He destroyed them, he could've done the same with yours too."
Liam looked scared for the first time to Bella. His gaze softened for a moment. He sat on a couch and patted near him gesturing Bella to sit beside him.
She took a step and sat beside him.
"You know Bella we used to drink until we passed out after a successful meeting. We both used to become so drunk that we forget who we are. Chris always forgot what he did after he became sober but I remember everything. He used to be jealous that I remember everything and he dont. So I sometimes tell him fake stories that he danced like a monkey after been drunk and he always used to be annoyed."
Liam smiled genuinely and Bella too, she was glad that at least Chris had a good friend like Liam beside him.
Liam continued, "So one night before he kidnapped you, we were drunk. So I asked him why won't he just kill you and your whole family like he did to others."
Bella narrowed her eyes.
"Hey! I was just curious and besides I was drunk too."
Bella nodded, looking at him with a side eye.
Liam chuckled and continued.
"So you know what he said?"
Bella lifted her eyebrows, gesturing to him to continue.
"He said that he can never kill you. And if he killed your family you'll break apart. The shine in your eyes will be lost and something in him can't bear to see that."
Tears started rolling down Bella's cheeks.
"He didn't remember this after being sober but I do and I didn't discuss this with him. But I just want to tell you that he was capable of doing much more harm, but love for you was always there. That stupid just realised it too late."
"Who the hell did you call stupid?"
Both snapped their heads towards where the sound came from.
It was Chris.