My first crush (COMPLETED)√

PART 2: Chapter 83: He's mine

The hospital corridor felt too bright.

Too clean.

Too unforgiving.

Bella stood still after I told her.

She didn't slap me immediately.

She just stared.

"You... what?" she asked quietly.

That quiet was worse than yelling.

"I—"

The slap came suddenly.

Not hard enough to injure.

But hard enough to wake me up.

"You scared me," she said — and her voice cracked.

I blinked, holding my cheek.

"You think this is some game?" she continued, stepping closer. "You almost threw away everything. Do you even understand what you're doing?"

"Bella—"

"No. Listen." Her eyes were glossy now. "You fight for him for years. You cry over him. You defend him when everyone calls him toxic. And now when things get complicated, you walk away?"

"I didn't walk away," I whispered.

"You did," she said softly. "And you're pretending you didn't."

Her shoulders dropped.

"Are you with Aaron again?" she asked, but this time there was fear in her voice.

"No."

"Are you self-destructing?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing?"

I didn't answer.

Because I didn't know.

Bella's voice lowered.

"You can't keep punishing him every time you're scared, Sharon. That's not strength. That's sabotage."

That word hit.

Sabotage.

"And if you think Patricia is waiting quietly, you're wrong," Bella added. "You're making this easy for her."

My fists clenched at the name.

"He's not hers," I muttered.

Bella looked at me carefully.

"Then stop acting like you're handing him over."

Stephen's POV

Glass shattered against the wall.

The sharp crash echoed through the apartment, fragments scattering across the floor like tiny mirrors reflecting my anger back at me.

"Stephen, you need to calm down!" Stiles shouted, grabbing my arm before I could throw something else.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I snapped, wrenching away. "Don't you dare tell me that!" My chest heaved, eyes stinging as emotion blurred my vision. "She did this to me! How could she?!"

I paced the room like a caged animal.

"I need a cigarette," I muttered. "Or something stronger."

Stiles handed me a glass instead. "Drink. No cigarettes."

I downed it in one swallow, barely tasting the burn.

"Stephen..." He hesitated. "You don't give up on her. That's not you. Sharon was crazy about you — everyone saw it. She's probably just hurting and acting out."