Bella's POV
Another morning, another shitty nightmare.
I jerked awake, breath shallow and skin damp with sweat. My eyes darted to the wall clock—5:15 a.m.
Of course.
Dragging myself out of bed, I headed to the bathroom to freshen up. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I got dressed in a black pair of pants and a purple hoodie. I tied my hair into two messy braids. Practical. Comfortable. Done.
Once I was ready, I made my way to the kitchen and fixed myself the only thing that made mornings remotely tolerable—a grilled mac and cheese sandwich. With my plate in hand, I wandered into the living room where I spotted Luca, glued to his laptop, working on something.
“Good morning,” I greeted, sitting beside him.
“Morning,” he replied without looking up, fingers still flying over the keyboard.
I took a bite and asked, “Where are Alex and Leo? They said they were early birds, right?”
“Yeah, they are,” Luca replied. “But there was an important meeting this morning. They left pretty early.”
“Huh.”
A quiet moment passed before I asked the real question. “So, what do you guys do for a living?”
Luca hesitated—clearly not expecting that. “We… we own and manage several hotels and clubs.”
He was nervous. Too nervous. His tone, his fidgeting, the way his eyes wouldn’t quite meet mine—it all screamed liar. Or maybe not a full-on lie. More like a half-truth.
There was more to it. And I was going to find out.
“Okay,” I said casually.
“You’re in college, right? What field are you in?” I added, surprising myself with how talkative I was. I don’t normally do small talk. But Luca’s aura… it was different. Calm. Soothing. He gave off a kind of motherly energy that made it easy to open up around him.
“Yes,” he nodded, smiling softly. “I’m pursuing BBA. After I graduate, I’ll be joining the family business.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Best of luck.”
He smiled again—warm, genuine. One of the few real smiles I’d seen in this house.
“Where are Ethan and the twins?” I asked, finishing my sandwich.
“Still sleeping,” he replied with a shrug. “Their holidays are on, so they pretty much sleep all day. You’ll be joining their school after the vacation ends, by the way.”
“Nice,” I said, though the idea of going back to school made me want to scream into a pillow.
⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺
After breakfast, Ethan gave me a tour of the entire mansion. And by tour, I mean a full-fledged expedition. This place was a damn palace, and my legs were officially filing for divorce.
“And finally,” Ethan said, “this is our backyard. We do barbeques here—only when the whole family is over.”
“Whole family?” I asked.
“Yeah. Our grandpa and cousins usually come down when there’s something important.”
“Oh. How many cousins do we have?”
“Six.”
“What about your uncles, aunts… grandma?”
“They’re not around anymore. They died in a car accident, a long time ago.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺
Out of this massive house, I’ve only fallen in love with three places:
One—the balcony attached to my room.
Two—the library on the second floor.
And three—this backyard.
After the tour, I made my way to the library. My sanctuary. I curled up in one of the cozy chairs and picked out a murder mystery novel, getting lost in its pages. Time melted away—until I heard someone’s voice.
“I guess you like this place.”
I lowered the book and looked up. Leo stood at the entrance, looking as exhausted as I felt.
“You’re back?” I asked, rising to my feet.
He nodded, and before I even knew what I was doing, I walked up to him… and hugged him.
I hugged him.
I don’t do hugs. Physical touch isn’t my love language—it’s not even in my vocabulary. But something made me do it.
And to my surprise, Leo didn’t pull away. He wrapped his arms around me gently.
His cologne was subtle but comforting. There was something in the way he held me… like a silent promise that I was safe. Like nothing bad could touch me when I was there. After him, Leo was the only man whose arms didn’t feel threatening.
There was peace in that hug.
“Let’s go. Dinner’s ready,” he murmured, pulling back slowly.
As he turned to leave, I noticed he wasn’t heading toward the living room.
“You’re not coming to dinner?” I asked.
He paused, turned slightly. “I am. Just need to freshen up first. I came straight here to check on you. You go ahead—I’ll join you in a bit.”
“Oh… okay.”
I went to the dining room and slipped into the empty seat next to Ethan.
“Look who finally decided to bless us with her royal presence,” Xander said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Principessa graces the peasants.”
I rolled my eyes and ignored him completely, turning to Ethan instead.
Soon after, Alex and Leo joined us. Dinner was mostly quiet—occasional small talk, some teasing. Xander kept throwing his usual bullshit comments my way. Sometimes I clapped back. Most of the time, I just pretended he didn’t exist.
Which honestly annoyed him more, so win-win.
As we finished eating, Alex cleared his throat.
“Tomorrow, we’ll have a guest coming over,” he announced. “I want everyone on their best behavior—especially Xander and Bella. No drama. And Bella… please wear something appropriate.”
I blinked. Excuse me?
What the hell did he mean by that? I always dress appropriately. Just because I’m not walking around in pearls and skirts doesn’t mean I dress like trash. And drama? I don’t start it—Xander does. Every single time.
Ugh. Bloody motherfuckers and their mysterious ass guest. I swear, if I stay in this madhouse long enough, I will go insane.
YOU ARE READING
The Hidden Pain
Teen Fiction"Blood may bind them, but secrets could tear them apart." --- Separated at the age of two. Raised in shadows. Loved by no one. She spent her life behind walls she built to survive-walls no one has ever dared to break. Until the day her stepfather di...
