Chapter 28 They’re Truly Back
BELLA
My heart hammered as I cradled Jasper on my lap, his little head already drooping with exhaustion. Had I really seen her? That smirk… the chill it sent through me still lingered. Lizzy. Here. I glanced out the window, as if I’d spot her lurking in the shadows. I just needed to get home, to feel safe, to call Elowen and unravel this dread coiling inside me. She’s the only one I can talk to.
As soon as we stepped inside, I saw David. Normally, his presence threw me off, made me feel… watched, almost. But now? My focus was on Jasper. Without a word, I let him go as he dashed to David, throwing his arms around his father’s legs.
I barely glanced their way as I slipped upstairs, my hands shaking as I grabbed my phone and dialed Elowen’s number.
"Babe, what’s up?" Her voice was a balm of familiarity, though her tone held a tinge of worry. "I’ve been trying to reach you! Your number wasn’t going through. I was about to storm your house, but, you know… your husband.”
“Elowen, it’s Lizzy,” I whispered, pacing as I clutched the phone. “I think I saw her today. While Jasper and I were waiting for the bus, she… she looked right at me. Smirked. Like she knew exactly what she was doing to me.”
“Wait Lizzy? Are you sure? She’s not even in the country. How could you have seen her?” Her doubt cut through my panic like ice water, grounding me for a moment.
“Elowen, I swear, it was her. The same piercing look, the same smug little smile. What if she’s back to… to hurt me?” My voice cracked.
“Okay, calm down. If she’s really back, she’s probably after something else, something specific. She wouldn’t be here just to mess with you.” Elowen’s voice softened. “We need to make sure it was her, though. Maybe you’re just… I don’t know, imagining things?”
I sank onto the edge of my bed, gripping the phone. She’s right. I hadn’t hurt Lizzy. Why would she come after me?
DAVID
I glanced at the necklace in my hand, fingers tracing the delicate chain. Bella might feel something for me, but I can’t let her. Not her, not anyone. The reminder I tried to give her may have been too harsh, but she needs to remember her place.
When I got home, she was gone, her and Jasper both. Just as I felt irritation rising, the front door swung open, and they stepped in. I barely had time to register her pale, shaken face before she bolted up the stairs, her eyes fixed on anything not me. Jasper ran into my arms, his small arms clinging to my neck. But I couldn’t shake Bella’s expression from my mind.
Something was wrong. The worry etched across her face wasn’t just from being out. My fingers tightened around the necklace as I followed her up the stairs, stopping just outside her door.
I caught her voice through the crack of the door.
“It was Lizzy, Elowen. I swear, I saw her at the bus stop. She’s here, back in the city. She looked right at me, like she knew exactly what I was thinking.” Her voice was edged with fear.
Lizzy? Here? I felt a chill settle over me, and a familiar dread crawled up my spine. If it was true, then Bella and Jasper weren’t safe. Neither was anyone else close to me. And if Eden’s with her… My mother. My grandfather. They’d be in danger too.
I backed away from Bella’s door, pulling out my phone and dialing my assistant.
“Check if Lizzy’s back in the country,” I said the moment he answered, my voice low.
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
The thoughts tumbled over each other as I paced my room. Mike had been oddly persistent about that investment deal recently, hadn’t he? Could it be tied to this? Could Eden and Lizzy be working together?
My phone buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Sir, it’s confirmed. Lizzy is back. She’s keeping a low profile and doesn’t want you to know.”
“What about my brother?” My voice tightened, each word sharper than the last.
“He’s also back in town, sir,” came the answer, quick and certain.
I ended the call, my jaw clenched. They weren’t back for a friendly visit. Whatever they were after, it was something they didn’t want me to know about until it was too late.
rang.
Sir it true Lizzy is back but in hiding and don't want her arriver to be known to you he said as I picked the called
What of my brother I asked
He is also back he replied as I caught the called
I don't know why they're back but it not for good.