[ Bella's Point of View ]
"It's okay, Bella. I'm here. I'm sorry."
I calmed down as soon as I heard that voice. That voice rescued me last night.
So, it wasn't a dream? Or is this a dream again?
"Jameson?" I cried and hugged him as soon as I looked at his tantalizing blue eyes.
"Shh, it's aright. You are Bella. You're strong, right?" He uttered while patting my back.
As soon as I came back to my senses, I pulled myself away from him and glared at him.
"Are you real? Didn't you die?" I asked.
He looked so confused and said, "Well, I thought you knew I wasn't dead. I kept a distance from you because Niana said you didn't want to see me. But, I realized I was wrong. Niana has been doing it on purpose, so you won't see me. I was so dumb to just realize it last night. I'm sorry."
Huh?
"Mind explaining everything?"
"I didn't die, Bella. The doctors announced I was dead that time, but I kept my heart beating for you. When I was out of the hospital for several months, Niana came to see me. She was a friend of mine back in the orphanage when I visited them. She was so sweet and kind. But, throughout the years, I knew she liked me. Or should I say, she was obsessed with me? I didn't think about it much because it was normal. Just like how I'm obsessed with you..." he looked at me and winked.
He still had the guts to flirt?
"and then, she told me she was friends with you. Of course, I was happy that time because you finally got yourself a friend, and it's Niana. I'm always watching you, but I get nervous every time you look at the window and shout that I'm a killer..."
"WHAT?! YOU WERE THE ONE CLIMBING AT MY WINDOW EVERY NIGHT? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
"Because I wanted to see you. Sorry. Anyway, Niana told me that you didn't want to see me and despised me a lot because I left you. And of course, I understood that, so I kept a distance. Not realizing that Niana has been manipulating me all these time. I've always been watching you, Bella. I wonder why you never noticed me," Jameson finished and looked at me with sorry and miss.
I thought Niana saw a ghost before, it turns out that the person she always sees was Jameson. Of course, I wouldn't pay attention because I thought Jameson was dead.
That brat, I knew it! So she's been with Jameson all these times, and she didn't even bother to tell me that Jameson is alive! She's going to pay for this!
I stood up and went outside of the room. I looked for Niana around, but she wasn't anywhere yet. What could she probably be doing this time?
"I followed Niana yesterday at the bar. She told me she was going to fix something, but it turned out that she went to a bar, which made me suspicious of her. And there, I saw her looking at you being dragged by a man," said Jameson.
"Like, she didn't even bother to help you. I'm sorry, I lost sight of you yesterday that's why I was late. If I was a little earlier, nothing could've happened." He lowered his gaze and breathed heavily.
"Don't worry about it already. We have to keep going no matter what the past did to us. It won't change that what happened is already finished, and we can't do anything about it already. I'm fine, Jameson. For now, let's find Niana," I replied and cupped his face.
"Thank you, Bella."
*Knock. *Knock. *Knock.
We both looked at the door. Someone's knocking. Could it be Niana?
I grabbed a knife from the kitchen, but Jameson stopped me.
"Bella, please," he begged.
Immediately, I dropped the knife and just opened the door.
"Bella, I'm so sorry." Ivan, with a messed-up look, suddenly barged inside and hugged me. He reeks alcohol.
"Ivan, are you alright?" I asked. He kept crying.
I looked at Jameson, who just smiled at us. He probably knows I'm dating this guy because he's been stalking me for years.
If only I haven't let my guard down and become more observant, all these things wouldn't happen.
But for the first time, I'm glad Jameson is back here with me.
"Bella, you need to stay away from Niana," Ivan said as he calmed himself down.
The three of us sat on the couch.
"Niana is not a friend, Bella. I don't know the reason why she hates you so much, but I'm sure she's jealous of you," Ivan spoke in a low husky voice.
Ivan looked at Jameson and looked back at me, "Who's this?" He asked.
"Oh, hi, Ivan. I am Jameson. Bella's first love," Jameson said and shook Ivan's hand.
What is he talking about?
"Huh? But Bella said she doesn't have any ex-boyfriends," Ivan replied.
"Maybe she was lying," Jameson responded with a big fake smile plastered on his face.
"HEY, STOP THAT NONSENSE! We're talking about Niana here, and you two should stop bickering."
They both paid attention to me and intently looked at me.
"So, Ivan, you were saying?"
"Oh, right. Niana forced me to date you, Bella, and I'm really sorry. But that doesn't mean that I don't love you! I mean, I learned to love you as we spent more days together, you know?" Ivan said and was clearly blushing.
Jameson glared at him and clenched his fists.
These two, I swear.
"Okay, so, do the both of you know where Niana could be right now? I mean, you've been secretly meeting her, so I think you might know where could she probably be," I said and crossed my arms.
I can't wait to see that brat and shave her hair off.
"For me, we've just been meeting anywhere secretly. Sometimes, Niana asks me to meet her in a cafe after school," Jameson spoke.
"The same goes with me," added Ivan.
Where could she probably be?
"What are you guys talking about when you meet with her?" I asked again.
"Of course, what else? We're talking about you and her plans on hurting you," Ivan said.
"Sometimes, she tells me about you and how you despise me. I also ask her about you, and she never fails to answer me. Still, most of the time, she avoids talking about you when we are together," Jameson, on the other hand, said.
"We don't have any way to contact her, so we must wait for her until she comes back," I said, finishing the conversation. I'm just so tired of everything already. I don't know what to do and where to start.
I entered my room and sulked on my bed. For the nth time, I got betrayed again.
"Bella." I heard Jameson enter my room.
I looked at him walking towards me.
"I'm really sorry I was dumb not to realize. That girl, Niana, I trusted her. I believed every word she said because I thought she was really treating you as a friend. But, Bella, did you really burn Sewol High?" Jameson asked.
Why? Is he also there during the arson?
"No, it's not me. It was Niana," I replied.
"I'm relieved." He breathed heavily and held my hand. When did he become so clingy?
Ivan barged inside my room with a deadly gaze. He was looking at Jameson while holding my hand. Instinctively, I pulled my hand away because, after all, Ivan was still my boyfriend.
"What are you doing with the hand of the love of my life?" Ivan spoke with a deadly tone.
"Nothing. I was just comforting Bella."
"Oh, yeah? I can comfort her myself, so you may now go home."
"I don't want to. It's been years since I last saw Bella, so let me stay with her."
"I should get rid of you first."
They started catching and teasing each other. A pair of idiots running around my place.
I sighed heavily and thought about Niana. I've been living with a traitor all these years. She acted like she was weak and fragile because she didn't want to show her strengths to me.
She could win Oscars for her fantastic acting. It made me almost fall for it.
...
Three days have passed, and Niana hasn't returned to the dorm yet. She probably knows that I figured out everything about her. I still go to school, but Jameson enrolled in the same class as me, so we're always together. Some kids talk about us behind our backs, but it doesn't matter. I don't want to lose him again.
Jameson also walks with me and Ivan every after class. They always walk me back to the dorm.
I just can't believe I'm surrounding myself with two men.
I tried to forget what happened that night, but I just couldn't. It haunts me. It's bringing back all the abuse I experienced from people.
Everyone will pay for what they've done.
Everyone.