The One That Got Away (GIRLXGIRL)

Chapter Twenty-eight

Belle's POV

A/N : The italics are because these are the flashbacks/Dreams that Belle is having.

"Mom, mom I miss you. I hate the fact that you're not here but I also know it's not your fault. But I was young and I relive that day every single time and it hurts...it fuckin' hurts. I'm growing up without parents, living with the knowledge that my father is evil, that he took you away from me then took his own life leaving me behind in this shitty world. I love grandpa but...he's irrational sometimes. He wants me to be who he wants me to be and not who I want to be, he needs me to live a life that goes according to his will and not mine.

I met a girl years ago, at first I thought it was wrong. I thought maybe it was my young age but nothing has changed, only that I feel even more attracted to her than before. I love her, I love a girl mom. Grandad hates it, dad probably would have felt disgusted but I know you would have accepted me for who I am. I need you, I need you to tell me everything is okay, to tell me grandpa will accept me and not force me to change, to tell me what I think is wrong is right. I really ---"

A knock on my door cut me short, I rolled my eyes knowing exactly who was summoning me.

"I really need you mom, I know somehow you're watching over me and you're listening to every word that escapes my mouth. If only ---"

This time the knock was loud, I gritted my teeth out of frustration, got off my bed and stormed to my bedroom door.

"What!?" I croaked. My mouth felt bitter, my throat hurt and my eyes burnt. I'd been crying for hours whilst talking to my mom and I didn't want to see anyone. Reason why I was shutting them out, but it's either my grandpa was acting oblivious or he was set out on making my life a living hell.

"Your grandfather said I should call you," Macy said, "And you should come now," she added.

I let out a ragged sigh and internally screamed. Seeing my grandad would add torture to my soul and I dreaded it with all of my might.

I looked at Macy and just nodded okay before leaving my room and making my way to my grandfather's office. Before I could climb down the stairs Macy called my name, I halted but didn't turn back to look at her.

"Speak your heart child," she said, "I know he's going to try by all means to push you to do what he wants but please don't allow him to."

After she'd stayed a few seconds without saying anything else, I took a step down the stairs but her voice stopped me again.

"I know you're normal, I accept who you are but I guess it doesn't matter since I'm not family enough."

Just as those words left her mouth, I turned and ran back to her. I wrapped my arms around her and cried into her shoulder. Her body was warm, and her voice soothed my heart.

"It's okay to let it out Isabelle, it's alright to cry," she murmured kissing my forehead.

"I'm sorry Macy," I chocked on my own tears, "I'm sorry that you don't feel like you're family enough. You've always been family to me, I might have not shown you how much you mean to me but that's because I was scared, scared that I'll feel comfortable enough and start making you my second mother but then you'd leave. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault Isabelle."

I cried for a few more minutes until I felt like I had ran out of tears. Sniffling, I peeled myself off of Macy's body.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Go show your grandfather that you're the boss," she smiled and I nodded my head, hugging her before going to my grandpa's office.

"You took your time," my grandfather's deep voice echoed in his office. I stood still, but my posture remained confident.

"I was busy," I replied firmly.

"Busy doing what Isabelle?"

I looked at him straight in the eyes. He'd changed in the past few years. He wanted to change me, make me an Anderson but his ways of doing that hurt me and it hurt more that he didn't even care to realise it.

"I was crying, I was hurt but most of all I was missing my mother because it's times like these that I need her," I spoke not breaking away from our stare contest.

"Isabelle, you're my only granddaughter. You're the heir to the Anderson legacy and this...," he said the last statement motioning to me with his fingers, "This game you're playing doesn't sit well with me. You're a woman, you need a man."

"I'm a girl and I don't need a male figure to define who I am. If it doesn't sit well with you that I'm me then throw me out."

"Isabelle!" he hissed.

"Jesse!" I challenged, I never call my grandfather by his name but he was getting on my nerves. He looked at me with shock written all over his face. He slowly stood up from his chair and made his way to me slower than a snail. His face held no emotion at all and unexpectedly I felt his huge hand land on my face. Stars, I saw stars. I stumbled back due to the force of the slap and was slightly dazed.

"How dare you!?" he spit, his voice dripping with fury.

"How dare I what!?" my tone matched his, "How dare I challenge you? How dare I choose to live my life without following your fucked up commands? How dare I miss my mother, the only human being that ever truly, deeply, madly loved me for who I am? How dare I hate my father so much because he murdered my mother in front of my eyes? How dare I what? Have you no shame Jesse?"

Another slap burnt through my cheeks and tears trickled like blood from my eyes. My grandfather's chest heaved and his eyes were furious.

"Watch your language young lady, don't, in fact never forget who you're talking to. All you want to do is disgrace this family with your sickly life choices. Choices that make you ugly, choices that'll destroy you and don't you ever speak about your father like that, he's the reason why you're here, my son is the reason that you live such a glamorous life. Watch your tongue or else the poison you spit out will accidentally kill you instead," his words cut through me like a sword.

"Disown me, you hate me that much. Give whatever bullshit you have of a legacy to Lucy, I don't give a fuck what you do but don't you ever justify what your son did. If you didn't want me then why didn't you throw me out, fuck you, fuck you for breaking my heart, fuck you for treating me like trash. I'm done with this shit," I shouted, "And I'm so damn beautiful, I'm broken, I'm messed up and I've made choices in life that you don't live by but I'm beautiful and you can never take that away from me. So don't tell me the choices I made make me ugly, cause you don't know half the shit I've been through in this damned house. You're so blind and you disgust me."

And just like that I stormed out of his office. I didn't look back and I didn't care how he felt. I left the mansion, jumping inside my car and driving to nowhere in particular. I needed to breathe, I needed peace, I needed freedom, above all, I needed to feel like I belonged.