TAINTED LOVE

Bella tried her best to hold in the tears that threatened to drop from the corner of her eyes, while she lay in bed thinking of everything that had been going on in her life. She was getting older and had begun to understand what was happening around her. She knew that her parents were doing the best they could do for her as an only child, they made sure they provided everything she needed. Once she suggested that she should get a job to assist them, they refused saying that, she should leave everything for them to handle and just focus on her studies.

Few days ago, she found out that her dad had told his younger brother, Noah, to help him borrow some money from the bank for her college tuition, her uncle was the only sibling her dad had and he trusted him with his life. She overheard their discussion in her Dad’s study, but pretended not to know anything about it.

Bella’s family was a middle-class family living in the city of San Francisco but her parents made her go to an elite school for the rich, and her dad insisted that she studied business education in college, because he planned to open his own company and was going to hand it over to her once she graduated from college.

Her dream had always been to become an engineer, but her dad discouraged her, saying it was a man’s job and not meant for women. She complained to her mom once but she told her that her dad was doing it so she would have a bright future. She never questioned their decisions anymore because she knew that they had her best interest at heart. Her dad worked in a small hospital as a manager and her mom owned a bakery just across the street from where they lived. Bella was closer to her mom because she was carefree, and always ready to listen to whatever she had to say. Her dad on the other hand was a bit distant, he was a man of few words and only talked when necessary, like during a meal or when he needed to ask her a question, but he always provided for her, that was his own way of showing that he cared.

Bella was in her room, sprawled out on my bed, she couldn't seem to focus on anything. Just then, she heard a soft knock on her door. "Bella?" Her mom called. "Dinner's ready. Come on down."

She took a deep breath, trying to push away her worries. She got up and went to the door. As she opened it, she gave her mother a weak smile.

"I'll be down in a minute," she said and her mom nodded and walked away, but she could tell that her mom was worried about her.

As she took her seat at the dinner table, she could feel her heart racing and she didn’t know why. Her father sat at the head of the table, his expression was unreadable as usual. Her mother looked at her, but she just shrugged, trying to pretend that everything was fine. Her dad cleared his throat and asked,

"So, Bella, how was your day?" She tried to sound casual as she replied,

"It was okay, nothing too exciting." She knew she was being evasive, but she didn't want to give anything away.

As they began to eat, her mother began to talk about her day at the bakery. She was always excited to share her stories about the customers and the cakes she made. Bella could barely focus on what she was saying, but she could tell her mom was happy.

She kept an eye on her father as they ate. He barely spoke, only grunting in response to her mother's stories as usual. His face was unreadable, and she couldn't tell if he was angry or sad. Her mom had been talking animatedly about her day, but suddenly, she stopped mid-sentence. A deep, hacking cough erupted from her throat, and she reached for a glass of water, her face turning red.

Bella jumped up from her chair, her heart racing.

"Mom, are you okay?" She asked, with a trembling voice.

Her mom managed to take a few sips of water, but the coughing continued.

"I'm okay, I just swallowed wrong," she said, but her voice sounded strained.

She coughed again, and Bella saw a small splatter of red on her hand. Her blood ran cold, and she began to panic.

"Mom, you're bleeding!" She cried.

"We need to call a doctor!" Her mom waved her off, still coughing.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she said, with a weak voice. But Bella could tell her mom was in pain, and she was terrified.

Her dad helped her mom to her feet, supporting her as she leaned against him. He looked at her eyes full of regret and sadness. "I'm so sorry," he whispered,

“you’re going to be fine we’re taking you to the hospital okay,” he said to her as he picked her up and carried her in a bridal style to the car.

Hannah, managed to touch Bella’s face with difficulty.

“I love you, my angel, just know that anything we do for you is for the best, Listen to your dad and be a good girl, okay?” She said forcing a smile.

“Mom, don’t say that, we’re almost at the hospital, the doctors are going to take care of you, you’ll be fine,” Bella said hugging her.

Her father was driving as fast as he could without breaking the speed limit. He pulled up in front of the emergency entrance at the hospital, and raced around to the passenger side, opening the door to carry Hannah out. "Come on," he said, his voice tense.

"We need to get you inside." He helped her out of the car, supporting her as she took a few wobbly steps toward the entrance.

They sat in the waiting room, the minutes stretching on like hours. Her mother was struggling to breathe when the nurses took her away. Her father kept on asking the nurses what was going on, but they kept assuring him that they were doing everything they could, but it didn't feel like enough. Bella felt like she was in a nightmare, and she just wanted to wake up. Finally, a doctor in scrubs appeared.

"Mrs Hannah Smith’s guardian?" he asked.

The doctor's words hit Bella like a punch to the gut.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his eyes filled with compassion.

"We did everything we could, but the cancer had already progressed too far."

Her father's face crumpled, and he let out a sob. Bella felt like the world was ending like she was never going to be happy again. The doctor gently placed a hand on her father's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he said.

Bella felt like she had been hit by a truck. She couldn't believe that her mother had been sick, and she had no idea. How could they have hidden something like this from her? She thought. She felt betrayed and confused like the ground had been pulled out from under her. Bella looked at her father, who was staring at the floor, his eyes red and puffy. She wasn't sure what to say or do.

“Dad, what does he mean? Mom was okay the whole time, wasn’t she? She was always happy, she wouldn’t just leave me like that. I would have known if something was wrong with her.” When he didn’t give her a response, Bella took a deep breath, trying to get a grip on her emotions. She looked at her father again,

"Why did you lie to me?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"You should have told me. I deserved to know." Her father looked up at her, his eyes filled with remorse.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

"I just didn't want to worry you. I thought I was protecting you." Bella felt a wave of resentment wash over me.

"How could you think that?" She asked raising her voice.

Her father's voice was soft, his words carefully chosen.

"Your mother was very private about her illness," he said.

"She didn't want you to worry about her. She thought you had enough on your plate already." Bella felt conflicted. She understood what he was saying, but she still felt betrayed. "I still should have known," she said, her voice breaking.

"I'm your daughter. I deserved to know." He reached out and took her hand, his eyes full of sorrow.

"You're right," he said. "I'm sorry."

As her father spoke, She felt her resolve break. Tears started to flow down her cheeks, she leaned into her father, and he wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder, and let herself cry. She felt like she had been holding everything in for so long, and it was finally breaking through. She cried until I had no more tears left, and her father held her the entire time.