Chapter 126: Love in her eyes
Selena’s heart clenched, dread gripping her like a vise. "Bella is injured?" she repeated, her emotions threatening to choke her.
"Poor girl," Claudia continued, her expression softening into an imitation of sympathy. "She has been through so much. Thankfully, she was rescued in time. Who knows what that monster might have done if he hadn’t been stopped? You should think about my suggestion and leave far away from here – away from your abusive husband."
Selena’s breath came in shallow gasps as the room closed in around her. The horror of Claudia’s words sank in, each sentence twisting the knife deeper. The thought of Bella suffering at the hands of her stepfather was unbearable.
Selena’s mind reeled as she reflected on the years of hardship she had endured. The echoes of Lionel’s verbal and physical abuse haunted her, a constant reminder of the painful past she had tried to endure for Bella’s sake.
She had clung to the hope that, once Bella was secure, she could escape Lionel’s grip. But now, all she had gained from this relationship was a legacy of trauma and suffering. And now, her daughter was caught in the same cycle of abuse.
The realization hit hard, fueling a simmering rage beneath her despair. The idea of Lionel kidnapping and torturing Bella ignited a fury within her that burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. Selena could no longer tolerate the thought of being connected to such cruelty.
Claudia watched Selena’s anguish with satisfaction, knowing that her words had hit their mark.
"With a family background like this, Bella is not fit to be Theodore’s wife," she said with a menacing edge. "Take her away and never come back."
With that final command, Claudia turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her chin held high in a show of triumph.
Selena was left alone, her shoulders slumped in defeat. The tears she had held back finally broke free, streaming down her face in a torrent of grief. "Bella, I’m so sorry," she sobbed, her body shaking with the intensity of her sorrow. "Mamma couldn’t protect you."