Chapter Twelve:A Wish By The Sea
1487 Words
Bella opened the bag.
Inside was a small box wrapped in velvet.
She frowned and picked it up.
“What could be inside this?”
Curiosity got the better of her, and she slowly opened the box.
Her eyes widened.
Inside lay a delicate diamond pendant.
Bella stared at it in disbelief.
“Is that real?”
She picked it up carefully, turning it between her fingers as the light caught the stones.
“Seriously?”
She looked back inside the bag and noticed something else.
An envelope.
It was slightly heavier than she expected.
Bella pulled it out and opened it.
A small collection of photographs slipped into her hands.
Her smile appeared almost instantly.
They were pictures of her and Noah.
Pictures they had taken together over time.
Bella slowly went through them one by one, remembering the moments behind each photograph.
A quiet smile remained on her face as she placed them across the bed.
Then one picture caught her attention.
She picked it up.
It was a photograph of Noah fixing her dress while Bella looked at him.
For some reason, she couldn’t look away from it.
“This one is beautiful…”
She stared at the picture for several seconds before placing it on her desk.
Right beside the framed photograph of her family.
She sat down in the chair, rested her cheek against her palm, and continued looking at it.
For a few quiet minutes, she seemed to forget everything around her.
She was lost somewhere inside the memory.
A knock never came.
Instead, Lisa’s voice sounded from outside the door.
“Bella? I’m going to the market for a while. I already prepared dinner. Do you need anything?”
Bella didn’t get up.
“No, I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
“Alright.”
Lisa’s footsteps slowly faded away.
Bella remained in her chair.
Then she suddenly blinked and looked at the photograph again.
Her expression changed.
“What am I doing?”
She immediately stood up.
She grabbed the photograph from the desk and hurriedly placed it back with the others.
“No. Stop thinking like this.”
She took a deep breath.
“He’s my best friend’s father.”
Bella closed her eyes for a moment.
“That’s all.”
She tried to convince herself that was all it was.
Then she noticed something else on the bed.
The pendant.
She had almost forgotten about it.
Bella picked up the velvet box and stared at the necklace for a long moment.
The words she had just told herself slowly disappeared from her mind.
She carried the pendant to the mirror.
After putting it around her neck, she looked at her reflection.
It was a delicate, star-shaped pendant.
Bella touched it gently.
Once.
Then again.
A small smile formed on her lips.
She couldn’t explain why the simple gift made her feel so happy.
How long could she keep pretending she didn’t feel anything?
Bella quickly turned away from the thought.
She connected her phone to the speaker and started playing music.
Within moments, she was moving around the room, letting the music carry her away.
She laughed softly at herself.
For the first time that day, she felt completely carefree.
Eventually, she wandered toward the balcony.
The sky was painted in shades of pink and purple as evening settled over the horizon.
Bella stepped outside and leaned against the railing.
The ocean stretched endlessly before her.
It was beautiful.
She touched the pendant around her neck again.
“My life feels so beautiful today,” she whispered with a smile.
“I’m really happy.”
Then something caught her attention.
Across the road, directly opposite her house, a black SUV was parked.
Bella’s smile faded slightly.
She stared at it.
The windows were dark.
No one stepped out.
No window rolled down.
The vehicle simply remained there.
Bella narrowed her eyes.
Is someone inside?
She waited for a few seconds.
Nothing happened.
Eventually, she shrugged it off.
Probably just a random car.
She returned inside.
⸻
Bella sat on the edge of her bed and picked up the necklace again.
She couldn’t stop looking at it.
After a moment, she took a picture of it and uploaded it to social media.
No caption.
Just a single red heart.
She placed her phone beside her and lay down.
A strange happiness lingered inside her.
Then her phone rang.
Without checking the screen, Bella picked it up.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Bella frowned.
“Hello? Who is this?”
A familiar voice finally came through.
“Bells?”
Bella immediately sat upright.
Every trace of happiness vanished from her face.
Her heart skipped.
“No…”
Her voice trembled.
“Noah?”
There was no answer.
Bella swallowed.
“You said your maid was sick…”
She hesitated.
“Why did you lie to me?”
Before she could say anything else, Noah finally spoke.
“Don’t come out to the balcony again at night.”
Bella froze.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
Noah’s voice remained calm.
Then he added,
“And yeah…”
A brief pause.
“You look really good wearing it.”
The call ended.
Bella stared at her phone.
“Noah…?”
Nothing.
“Hello?”
She looked at the screen.
The call was already disconnected.
For a moment, she considered calling him back.
But she couldn’t bring herself to press his name.
Her heart was beating too fast.
How did he know?
She slowly touched the pendant around her neck.
⸻
Her phone rang again.
This time, it was Ammy.
Bella took a deep breath before answering.
“Hey, Ammy.”
“Are you okay?”
Bella frowned.
“Of course. Why?”
“I’m just checking. How’s Lisa?”
“She’s fine. I’m fine too. Why are you worrying so much?”
Ammy laughed.
“Who else am I supposed to worry about if not you?”
Bella smiled faintly.
“Mom’s been saying she misses you all day.”
Bella’s expression softened.
“Tell Maria I love her.”
Ammy laughed again.
“By the way…”
Her tone suddenly became teasing.
“Who gave you that diamond pendant?”
Bella’s smile disappeared.
“What?”
“I saw your post.”
Ammy giggled.
“Is it from your boyfriend? You told me you didn’t have one!”
Bella immediately cut her off.
“No! What are you talking about?”
She touched the pendant unconsciously.
“My dad sent it. I just got it today.”
“Oh.”
Ammy sounded slightly disappointed.
“But it looks really good on you.”
Bella forced a laugh.
“Thanks.”
She quickly changed the subject.
“Listen, I have something to do. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Alright.”
Bella ended the call.
She placed her phone down and released a long breath.
“I’m seriously going crazy.”
She stared at the ceiling.
Then the thought returned.
Wait.
Her expression changed.
Noah.
How did he know she had been on the balcony?
Bella immediately got up and hurried outside.
The balcony looked exactly as it had before.
She looked across the road.
The black SUV was still there.
Her eyes narrowed.
The windows were too dark for her to see inside.
She couldn’t make out anyone.
Nothing moved.
After several seconds, Bella reluctantly went back inside.
Her phone buzzed.
She picked it up.
A new message.
From Noah.
Bella’s blood ran cold.
You changed the subject pretty well, Bells.
She stared at the screen.
She didn’t reply.
She simply locked her phone and placed it face down on the bed.
⸻
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Bella went downstairs.
Lisa stood outside with several grocery bags.
“Bella, you’re back. Give me a minute. I’ll put everything away and get dinner ready.”
Bella took the bags from her.
“You put these away. I’ll set the table.”
Then she paused.
“I think I’ll take a walk along the beach first.”
Lisa stared at her.
“Now?”
She glanced at the clock.
“It’s eight.”
Bella shrugged.
“So?”
“The beach is right in front of the house. I’ll just walk for a little while.”
Before Lisa could argue, Bella stepped outside.
She crossed the road and made her way toward the shore.
The cool evening breeze brushed against her face.
She walked until she reached the edge of the water and finally sat down.
The sound of the waves slowly calmed her.
Above her, the moon hung beautifully in the night sky.
Bella looked up.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful again.
She touched the star-shaped pendant resting against her chest.
Then, almost like a quiet prayer, she whispered,
“God…”
She looked toward the endless sea.
“Please make my wish come true.”
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