The Bellingerre Series Book #1: The Billionaire & The Trophy Wife

Chapter Twenty Seven: Do tell

"Chocolate or Vanilla?"

Blood... Red red blood on the side of the road beneath her body... she was lying in a pool of blood.

"Miss Buchanan?" The pastry chef touched my arm and I jumped dropping the plate of cake. If Tony hadn't caught it right before it hit the floor, I would have broken it.

"Can I have a white forest?" I suddenly felt the urge to demand something clean void of colour. "I don't want the red velvet on the menu! Get it off!"

I pointed my finger repeatedly at it like it is an alien bug feeling irritated by how that colour is so deep... like her blood.

I suddenly started to notice little bits of red all around me. Rose petals on the table, red rose stems arranged in vases, my mother has a red scarf, Tony is wearing a tie with red pin stripes... even my nail polish is red. It is like I am seeing for the very first time! I backed away slowly slapping Tony's hand away when he wanted to touch me.

At some point of my backwards walk I fell on my butt. I got up as quickly as I fell and everything is suddenly a blur. I felt the strongest urge to shout and to pull my hair.

"Get everything red out of my sight! Get it out of here! Get everything red out! Now!" I screamed at the top of my lungs stumping my feet repeatedly like a little girl throwing a bloody tantrum. The shocked faces only made me feel worse.
"Get it all out!" I had lost my resolve, I had lost my voice. It was a broken whisper. I feel tormented. I killed a woman and I drove away.

I started to feel breathless, a choking feeling with my heart pounding so hard I feared it would explode. I quickly ran out of the formal dining room racing through the hallway barely seeing anything that was in front of me. I suddenly stopped holding my neck and gasping for air as Tony's voice sounded so faint and distant and fading...

My vision is fading. It feeks like I am dying.

*
"Bea... Bea look at me." I can feel his hand firmly gripping my chin. My vision slowly cleared up and that's when I realized I am lying in his bed. "There we go love... that's my girl, there we go. Can you hear me?"

"Yes." I whispered sitting up slowly and folding my knees to my chest.

"What is going on?" I asked holding the side of my head.

"You had an anxiety attack." Marianna spoke up. "We can't have you getting an anxiety attack on the aisle while saying your vows!"

"Mom that's enough. Not now."

"No seriously! What has red got to do with it? If you're the bull where is the matador waving the red cape?"

"Mother!" Tony shouted.

I hadn't even noticed her red pendant. I suddenly felt agitated.

"I've never been a victim of anxiety attacks." I remarked accepting a glass of water from Simon.

We waited for him to leave the room before Marianna smiled at me, fleetingly but I'll accept it.

"I will leave you and Tony to discuss whatever it is you're both hiding from me while I make sure there's no red downstairs or on me." She glanced at her pendant and covered it with her hand.

She kissed my cheek and gave us our privacy. We waited for the door to close shut before I gripped Tony's arm.

"I saw her again." I whispered barely able to get the words out. "She's haunting me in every other dream! She lurks in the dark! She has no face and she does say anything!"

"I know it isn't easy to get that thought of your mind but you have to. Otherwise I'm getting you a shrink."

"Maybe I should turn myself in and confess to killing her. I need to tell the police what I did."