Earlier that morning...
"You know that's not true," Chris said, his voice low, following Bella down the corridor. But she was too quick. She slipped into her room and slammed the door, locking it behind her.
Chris pressed his forehead against the wood, sighing. She had misunderstood him again. When he'd said it wouldn't be good for business if reporters saw her at work, he hadn't meant her he had meant them, the vultures outside.
But now she thought the worst of him.
He knocked gently. "Bella, please. Just open the door. Let me explain."
No answer.
Minutes dragged into nearly an hour. He had heard the bathroom door open earlier, but since then nothing. No sound of water shutting off, no footsteps. A flicker of unease prickled in his chest. She can't still be in there... can she?
Trying to shake off the worry, he called Elliot. "I won't be at work today. Handle the meetings." His voice was firm. He couldn't leave her. Not like this.
Still, the silence from behind Bella's door gnawed at him.
He thought of her family how Vera and the twins were likely being swarmed by reporters. He had already deployed some of his men to guard them, but worry pushed him to dial Vera's number.
She picked up on the second ring.
"Christian, how are you? Is everything alright? How's Ella?" Vera asked, her voice tight with concern.
Chris exhaled. "Good morning, Aunt. I'm fine... Bella's fine too. I'm so sorry for dragging her and your whole family into this mess."
"You don't need to apologise," Vera said gently. "This scandal was inevitable. I've been expecting it."
Her calm steadied him, but not enough. "She hasn't answered your calls?" he asked.
"No," Vera admitted, worry deepening. "I've been trying all morning."
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "We argued earlier. I told her not to go to work. She got angry because I called her boss instead of letting her handle it."
Vera sighed. "Christian, you know she's sensitive about her independence. She's already carrying so much stress from this scandal. You calling for her must have felt like you were taking away the little control she still has."
Chris's chest tightened. He hated that she was right. "She locked me out. She's been in the bathroom for an hour now. I thought maybe she was on call with you."
"No," Vera replied. "Kayden call Bianca. Ask if she's spoken to your sister today."
Chris listened as Vera put him on speaker. A moment later, she said grimly, "Bianca hasn't spoken to her either. She's been trying too, but Bella's not answering."
Panic spiked in Chris's veins. He pounded harder on the door. "Bella!"
Still nothing.
"Claret!" he barked. "Bring me the master key. Now!"
Within seconds, the maid rushed over. Chris jammed the key into the lock and shoved the door open. The sight before him froze his blood.
Bella lay unconscious in the bathtub, the water nearly over her face.
"God, no." Chris surged forward, pulling her limp body into his arms.
"Sir!" Claret gasped, throwing a towel over Bella's bare skin as Chris carried her out, cradling her as if she were breakable glass.
His phone, still connected to Vera, buzzed with her horrified gasp. "Text me your address now," Vera commanded. Her voice was sharp, unshaken.
"I'll send a driver to collect you," Chris said, his voice trembling. "The reporters are everywhere. Don't try to drive yourself."
"Make it fast," Vera ordered before hanging up.
Chris laid Bella on the bed, covering her carefully. Her skin burned with fever. He thrust one of his shirts and a pair of shorts into Claret's hands. "Get her dressed," he said quietly. "She won't want me to be the one who touched her when she wakes."
Then he bolted downstairs, grabbing a bowl of cold water and a cloth, desperate to bring her temperature down. His hands shook. He had almost lost her.
His phone rang again. This time it was his mother.
"Hello, Mum," Chris answered, forcing steadiness.
"Christian," Cassandra's sharp voice crackled down the line. "I just saw the news. Who is this Christabella Walter?"
Chris clenched his jaw. "She's the woman I love. And everything they're saying about her is a lie."
"Oh, please," Cassandra scoffed. "That girl probably tipped off the media herself. What does she want from you?"
"Mum, no," Chris said firmly. "Bella would never. She's not like that."
"You trust too easily. Don't be stupid, Christian. Women will do anything for attention. This isn't your first scandal. Why haven't you released a statement yet?"
"Because Bella and I are together," Chris admitted.
There was a sharp intake of breath, then Cassandra snapped, "I reject her for you in Jesus' name. She's from a middle-class family!"
"I don't care," Chris shot back. "I love her. That's what matters."
"Is she pregnant? Is that why she's clinging to you?" Cassandra pressed.
"God, no! Mum, listen to me, she's not pregnant. And I knew her before I was a billionaire. She isn't after my money."
"Then why approach you now? Why hit your car? Why show up at your company? The news said"
"Not everything you read online is true," Chris cut in, his tone hard.
"Let the boy breathe," his father's calm voice interrupted. "Middle class or not, what matters is love."
"Hi, Dad," Chris murmured, relief flooding him.
"I'd like to meet this girl who stole my son's heart," Frederick chuckled warmly.
"Over my dead body," Cassandra muttered.
Chris almost smiled through the exhaustion.
Then another voice chimed in...his sister.
"Hey, my not so little brother."
"Hailey?" Chris blinked in shock. "You're back from Los Angeles? How's Seb?"
Her laugh came lightly. "Seb's fine. And no, I'm not in London. Mum and Dad are visiting. They didn't tell you?"
"He's always too busy," Cassandra muttered.
"I'm sorry, Mum. I'll try to do better," Chris said.
"You've said that a hundred times," Frederick teased.
Hailey jumped back in. "Anyway, I want to meet your girlfriend. I need to know how she managed to steal Christian Hampson's heart."
"Not happening," Cassandra snapped.
"But I do," Hailey said stubbornly.
"And me too," Frederick added.
"That's two against one," Hailey sang, giggling as she high-fived their dad.
Chris shook his head, torn between laughter and despair.
The sound of a car pulling into the compound made his heart jolt. Vera. She was here.
"Okay, Mum, Dad, Hails I've got to go. I'll call you later." Chris hung up and ran for the door.
Christian rushed back upstairs, his chest pounding. Bella lay pale and weak on the bed, her skin still too warm. He rolled up his sleeves, filled a bowl with cold water, and pressed a damp towel against her forehead again and again until, finally, her fever eased.
By the time Vera and the twins entered, Bella's breathing had steadied. Vera's face softened with relief, but the twins stood frozen in the doorway, their eyes wide with fear. Chris didn't move from Bella's side. He couldn't.
"It's been almost four hours since she passed out," he murmured.
"I'll get something for her to eat," Vera said quietly. "She'll need food in her stomach when she wakes."
Chris nodded, unable to tear his gaze from Bella's fragile form. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, clinging to it like a lifeline.
Then she stirred. Her breathing hitched, her body tensed. Chris leaned forward, shaking her gently. "Bella. Wake up. It's just a dream. I'm here."
Her eyes flew open, wild and terrified. Chris pulled her into his arms, holding her as if he could shield her from whatever haunted her sleep. "You're safe now. Everything's fine."
But she pulled back suddenly, her expression guarded.
"The event centre where we met... it was Cedar Events Centre, wasn't it?" she asked.
Chris froze. No one had told her that...not since the accident. His throat tightened. "Yes. Why?"
"The hotel was River Valley Suites. Room 1109," she continued, her voice steady but her eyes searching his.
Shock slammed into him. He had never told anyone those details. Slowly, he nodded. "You remember."
"I remember everything," Bella whispered. "How we met. The accident. My eightheenth birthday. Grandma gave me Dylla that night, but after the crash, they kept it from me so I wouldn't ask questions."
Chris's vision blurred with sudden tears. He smiled through them, unable to contain the joy surging in his chest. "Bella... I'm so glad. So glad you finally remember." He wrapped her in his arms, clutching her to him as though he'd been waiting years for this moment.
But she stiffened again. "I need to call my mum."
"She's here already," Chris said softly. "Downstairs."
Bella's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Chris hesitated. He hated the anger rising in her expression. "You fainted, Bella. I was on the phone with her when I found you unconscious. I had to use the master key to get in. You almost drowned. I called her because... because I didn't know if you'd wake up."
She went quiet, glancing down at her clothes. Her hands tugged self-consciously at the shirt and shorts she was wearing.
"Claret dressed you," Chris explained quickly. "I only pulled you from the water."
The tension in her shoulders eased, but only a little.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Chris said, sitting on the vanity chair across from her. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You didn't go to work?" she asked flatly, reaching for her phone.
"No." His eyes flickered to her hand. He knew what she wanted to check the news. To scroll through the venom that had broken her heart hours ago. He rose instinctively, trying to take the phone.
"Oh, so I can't use my phone now?" she snapped, glaring at him.
"No, that's not what I meant," Chris stammered. "I just don't want you to see"
"You don't get to tell me what to do, Hampson." She yanked the phone back, her voice sharp with venom.
"Bella"
"Get out," she hissed.
Chris's jaw clenched. He couldn't leave her like this, not when she was hurting. "No. Not until I clear this misunderstanding."
She laughed bitterly. "Of course you won't. It's your house. I should never have come here." She bent down and dragged her box closer, flinging it open.
"Bella, stop twisting my words," Chris said, frustration breaking through.
She ignored him. Her hands moved with cold determination, pulling out a bra and slipping it on, not caring that he was watching. Then a top. Then lace panties. The sight of her baring herself in anger made his chest ache, this wasn't desire. This was pain.
Before she could finish dressing, Chris moved. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her tightly against him. She struggled, but he didn't let go.
"Please," he whispered against her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
She stilled, and that's when he felt it...her tears. Chris turned her gently, cupping her face. Her amber eyes shimmered with hurt, and it tore him apart.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, his thumb brushing her cheeks dry. "Not today, not ever."
Her body sagged against him, the fight draining away. He pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead, wishing he could erase every wound physical and emotional.
Chris lifted her easily, guiding her to sit on his lap as he settled on the edge of the bed. Her box slid forgotten to the floor. His arms stayed around her, holding her as though letting go meant losing her forever.