After Love

Dakota Stelter and I tumbled down that steep ravine together. I lay there bleeding and broken, only to watch my boyfriend scoop her into his arms and walk away without a backward glance. He left me. In that moment, in every way that mattered. While everyone fussed over Dakota's scratches, no one even checked if I was still breathing. When I was finally rescued and recovering at the hospital, my boyfriend didn't even visit. I was hurt. So I moved on. Piece by piece, I rebuilt myself without him. But then he became distraught. Suddenly, he was sobbing, telling me he had always loved me. Chapter 1 Bella Valdez should not have gone down that steep slope. Dakota Stelter, however, had grabbed her hand as she fell, effectively dragging her into danger. It took a tree to break their roll. Bella crashed into the trunk hard. Sharp twigs sank deep into her feet. Dakota, meanwhile, had Bella to cushion the impact. So all she got were a few shallow cuts. By the time Damian Fox arrived, Bella was crying as profusely as she was bleeding. Before she could call out to him, though, she saw Damian carry Dakota in his arms and turn his back against her. He vanished into the horizon. He hardly acknowledged her existence. She was later rescued by park rangers after they were notified by her best friend, Claire Jenkins. By that point, she had already blacked out. - Bella opened her eyes groggily. She could make out a man's blurry silhouette on the chair next to her sickbed. Sunlight illuminated his profile, cluing her in on his identity. Her heart skipped a beat in surprise. "Damian?" she asked softly and in anticipation. He responded with a glance. He frowned worriedly. "Bella, you're up?" She nodded and pursed her dried lips. "A glass of water, please…?" He was about to pass her a glass when his attention turned to his phone. He started texting instead, as if it were an urgent message he had to respond to immediately. "Hold up. I need to answer this right now." Bella gritted through the pain from her foot and considered him. Suddenly, she felt anxious. "Say… What's so important?" she asked tentatively. He did not look up from the screen. "It's Dakota. She's coming to visit you." Bella furrowed her brows. "What's she doing here?" she sneered. Damian frowned and put his phone down. "To apologize to you. She didn't mean to drag you into that accident." "Oh, she 'didn't mean to?'" His expression hardened a little. "Yes! It was an accident! Can you not hold a grudge against someone who didn't mean to? Jeez." Bella took a deep breath. The pain in her chest felt worse than her injury, somehow. She closed her eyes and lay down. "Fine. She can come if she wants." A while later, someone knocked. A figure made her way inside slowly, her walk aided by a stick. Dakota's eyes were red with remorse. "Bella? I'm really, really sorry for what happened. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if it weren't for me…" Bella glared at her. She avoided her gaze. "I panicked, okay?" She added, her voice thick with tears. "I didn't know what to do! I didn't know I'd hurt you so badly—" "Get to the point," Bella interjected coldly. Damian's frown deepened. "For Christ's sake, can't you show some empathy? She's a survivor of the accident, too! And she's apologetic enough as it is!" "Excuse me?!" Bella scoffed. The pain in her chest intensified with ire. "She's a survivor because she got some scratches? A branch ran deep into my foot!" "Yeah. You're a survivor, too. So what?" Bella was at a loss for words. The weight on her chest was crushing. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do this!" Dakota mumbled, her face pale. Her hands were shaking. "Dakota!" Damian leaped to his feet and held her hands. "Are you okay?" Dakota rested her head on his shoulder as she gasped for breath. "I… I'm feeling a little faint…" Worry filled his face. He carried her in his arms immediately. "I'm bringing you to a doctor. Stay with me, okay?" Bella squared her jaw and tried to get down from her bed. Unfortunately, an overwhelming pain shot up from her foot. Cold sweat potted her forehead from the effort. She gritted her teeth and groaned shakily, "Damian, I…" He had already left. It was as if he had not heard her. He did not even notice the dripping blood on the floor around her bandaged foot. The room was quiet again. Bella lay down again. Her eyes lingered on the door. It felt like someone stabbed her in the chest. She considered the bloody bandage and smiled mirthlessly. Her eyes were dry. This was the second time he’d abandoned her for Dakota when she needed him. Damian used to treat her as the queen of his heart, but things were different now. A coup had come for that throne, and he had willingly supported it. Chapter 2 Poor Claire could never stop crying every time she came to visit. "This was my fault, Bella! I went away to look for help because I thought… I thought Damian was going to save you! "Then, when I returned with the rangers, I really thought the girl he was helping to get into the ambulance was you… I didn't know it wasn't," she sobbed. "I shouldn't have taken things for granted!" Bella forced a smile and patted Claire's head. "It's okay. You're not at fault." A month went by in the hospital. Bella's condition improved, but Damian had never returned to visit her ever again. The only thing he left was a message: [I have to be away for work over a few days. Will return to see you after that.] Then, on the same day, Bella found an updated status on Dakota's Instagram. The girl was beaming in her photo while Damian was right next to her, passing her something as though they were living a happy domestic life. The caption read, [Always appreciate a busy man like you lending me a hand at work!] "Lend her a hand at work? More like lending her a good time! I bet they had an expensive candlelight dinner too!" Claire sneered. Bella simply gripped her phone in silence. "Hey, Bella? Are you okay?" Claire asked. "Look, I just think he's—" "I'm fine," Bella interjected quickly. She sounded unfazed. After Claire left, Bella lay down and closed her eyes. - Damian had come to receive Bella on the day she was discharged. The man had looked rather gaunt as he carried Bella in his arms tenderly, as if she were a piece of rare, fragile treasure. Bella went to his home only to find Dakota, of all people, working in the kitchen. It shocked her. Bella's fingers curled imperceptibly despite her calm facade. Bella's house was opposite Damian's—she had bought it because she enjoyed being in Damian's company and wanted to do so as much as she could. Now, though, she just felt like an outsider among the crowd that had gathered at his house. "Look, Bella. Everyone's here to celebrate your recovery," Damian said gently. He was about to explain more when a sickly, sweet voice rang out, "Hey, Damian? Where do you store your spices?" He immediately started toward the kitchen. "Hold on. I'm coming! You won't be able to find it on your own even if I tell you, trust me!" he chuckled. "Ugh, rude!" Dakota replied, her tone too cutesy to be anything but flirtatious. "Oops! Just telling you the truth." "Oh, if I managed to locate it myself, you're eating your words!" Damian's friends immediately seized on the drama. "Oh my God, can you guys stop doing these pretend fights in front of us already? Get a room, you guys!" they chuckled. "Come on, do y'all need us to help? We're happy to!" Some of them entered the kitchen. Bella could hear their laughter all the way from the kitchen. She watched the rest of his friends play video games listlessly. So many people had shown up to "celebrate" her recovery, and yet not a single one of them talked to her or asked about her. A white ball of fur emerged from next to her foot. A ragdoll cat was rubbing itself against her leg. Claire had given the cat to Bella. When she excitedly declared that she would "henceforth be its mom," Damian laughed and ruffled her hair. "You're not even taking care of yourself right, my lady. Are you sure you can take care of this little angel on the side?" "Well, if I couldn't do it well… I could at least get you to help!" Bella had chirped. She watched the cat rub circles around her legs and sighed. Chapter 3 Bella picked the cat up in her arms and stared blankly into space until Dakota emerged from the kitchen. "Bella? It's time to eat. Wash your hands, will ya?" she said while taking the cat away from Bella's arms. The cat relented and accepted its new host. It even rubbed against Dakota's chest docilely, purring. Bella's heart sank. The cat was not known for being friendly to strangers. She had to spend a lot of time convincing it to befriend her. Now, though? The cat acted like it had known Dakota for way too long. Bella watched her feed the cat with inexplicable dexterity, her gaze hardening. "Did you know how aloof this lil' cutie was? I wouldn't have been able to play with it if it weren't for Damian teaching me the ropes!" Dakota said, her tone almost too smug. "And now we are buddies." Bella clenched her fists. "That's my cat," she stated icily. Dakota carried it in her arms and smiled innocently. "Oh, I didn't know! He didn't tell me. He just told me to take care of it from time to time." She looked down and combed its fur with her fingers. "It really likes me, you know? It never throws a fuss when I'm around. That's why Damian gave me a spare key to his house! It makes feeding it easier, too." Bella froze. The weight on her chest grew heavier as she asked, "A spare key? When did he pass you that?" Dakota chuckled softly. "I've had it for a while. Didn't he tell you?" She paused, then added with just enough sweet innocence, "You don't mind, do you? I'm only using it to cook for him. You know him—that man forgets his meal when he's busy! But really, I'm just a glorified helper." Bella smirked. "Oh, a glorified helper?" Damian came out of the kitchen just in time. He frowned. "What are you two talking about?" Dakota put the cat down and blinked at him innocently. "Hey. I was… I don't know what I said, but Bella seemed upset. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the spare key." Damian shot a quiet glare at Bella. "What now?" "Nothing," she replied. "I've just decided I'll skip this meal." "Hey, how about we stop this tantrum right now and just behave like adults? Everyone's waiting for you in the dining room already. Show some restraint," he grumbled quietly. He was clearly suppressing his ire. "You're the last person to talk about restraint, Damian," Bella rebutted. "Was this party even for my sake?" "Yes! Obviously!" "Then who are those people? None of them are my friends! They are all members of Dakota's clique!" Before Damian could answer her, Dakota interjected, "Hey now, it's not like that. Damian worked really hard to get this party in order, okay? Everyone was really excited to throw you this surprise!" Damian's frown deepened with impatience. "What the hell are you on about again, Bella? Her friends are here to celebrate your recovery, period. Why are you kicking up a fuss now?" Bella blinked. Her eyes were red, but she kept her tone cold. "Excuse me? Maybe you should ask yourself what the real purpose of this party is." With that, she turned on her heels and left through the front door. Damian's face turned stormy. Dakota stood next to him and remarked feebly, "I think I did something wrong, Damian. She's really upset…" "It's not because of you," he snapped coldly and stormed out the door. - Bella had just made herself comfortable on her couch when someone rang her doorbell. She opened. It was Damian. His glare belied the rage he was trying to hold back. "What the hell do you want, Bella?" He growled, his voice strained from his self-control. "Do you know how exhausted I am from work and everything else? Can you just be an adult and stop these overdramatic tantrums for my sake?!" Bella leaned against the doorframe and met his eyes. "Me? Overdramatic?" "Yes!" He snarled. He sounded tired. "You have no idea how much I have to put up with lately. But I still took some time out to plan this celebration for you! Would it hurt you to be just a little more grateful?!" She was stunned. Then, quietly, she chuckled bitterly. "Say, do you remember how it was like when we first started being together?" He furrowed his brows silently. "I asked if you'd ever be annoyed by my mood swings. You said you would never." She looked at him calmly. "But it's only been a few years, and already I'm tiring you out." Damian opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Bella smiled tiredly and closed the door slowly. "Go home, Damian. I don't wanna fight." Silence returned. Damian remained outside the door with his frown, but he did not knock. Bella had her back against the door as tears rolled down like gliding knives against her cheeks. Nothing was eternal. Even the things she thought would never change. Chapter 4 The next morning, after Damian had gone to work, Bella showed up at his home. The house was pretty empty, save for the ragdoll cat that had curled into itself on the couch. It happily ran toward Bella and rubbed against her feet in welcome. She picked the cat up and ran her fingers through its soft, fluffy fur. "Come on. Time to get you a new home now that I've made up my mind." She brought the cat back to her place and started browsing Amazon for some pet supplies and a house for the new owner. The cat rested on her lap, occasionally looking up at her, as though it suspected something. After a while, Bella thought she should just buy those things from a pet store. She took the cat with her and drove to a nearby pet store. A board was erected outside. Curious, Bella approached it to take a good look. One of the pictures immediately grabbed her attention. It showed none other than Dakota and Damian standing close to each other, their smiles as natural and cheery as they could possibly be, with a cat nestling in her arm. It was the picture of a happy family. Bella squeezed her arms a little. The cat cried out a little, sensing the change in her mood. The shopkeeper noticed her standing outside and came to greet her. "Good morning, ma'am. Oh, fancy seeing you again, kitty-cat!" Bella reeled. "Huh? I mean, when was this photo taken?" "Hmm… Probably last summer. They were here to get something for Lil' Buddy over here. The man said this was their cat and the family's most precious little baby." Bella's heart sank. She hung her head, deep in thought. She was abroad last summer. The days were always so back-breakingly busy, and yet the nights stubbornly stayed sleepless for hours. She had missed home. She had missed Damian. She had asked if he could take a picture of himself with the cat. He replied, "For real?! I don't have the time for childish things like this, Bella! Please respect my time!" He was impatient. "Would it kill you to be a little more mature, Bella? I really have no time for this juvenile request." As it turned out, he did take that picture with the cat. He could not send it over because he took that picture with Dakota. Bella felt a pang in her chest. "Um, ma'am? Are you alright?" The shopkeeper's voice snapped her out of her trance. Bella shook her head and forced a smile. "Sorry. I spaced out there. I'm fine." She left the store and drove to visit a friend who had been clamoring to keep a cat as her pet. Seeing the ragdoll sent her over the moon. "Really, Bella?! I can keep it?! It's sooooo cute!" Belal grinned and patted the cat's head. "Please take good care of it." The cat burrowed itself into her chest. It did not want to leave Bella yet… But this was it—Bella had made up her mind. She gave the cat one last, longing look before placing it on her friend's arms. She left. Bella buried herself on the couch as she cried wordlessly. Tears broke out of her closed eyes like water from broken dams. It took her this long to realize that the sweet, cherished memories of two had always just been the dreams and delusions of one all along. Chapter 5 Bella packed up her things and went to her parents' home. The place was as she remembered: a lavish villa boasting grandeur and elegance. The villa next door, meanwhile, belonged to the Fox family. Damian and Bella were childhood sweethearts. Everyone who watched them grow up knew he treated her as royalty—the queen of his heart. Bella, for her part, was never seen apart from Damian. Her mom had said that even as a toddler, Bella was laser-focused on Damian alone. She would hug him tightly and would not let go. Damian, who was five when she first did that, simply reciprocated her hug. He did not even push her away. The families had joked that this was the first time Damian looked so serious. He had always been a perpetual frowner even as a kid, but he had never looked so protective until that day. It was such a cherished memory that their families still mentioned it from time to time. Her parents were pretty jealous of the bond between Bella and Damian, too. The first word Bella learned to say, incidentally, was not "Mama" or "Papa." It was "Damian." The entire house was a memory capsule. Every little thing here reminded Bella of him. Rodrigue and Stella Valdez were surprised to see Bella home, but pure joy at seeing their daughter supplanted it soon. Stella made a feast boasting all of Bella's favorite foods to commemorate her visit that evening, and it was a genuinely happy dinner. However, Bella spoke precious little during the meal. She sat in sullen silence most of the time. She visited Rodrigue's study after dinner. He leaned against his chair and affected a cheery tone, but his eyes showed curiosity. "What's wrong, darling? You look despondent." Bella rummaged through her bag and presented a photo of Damian and Dakota together. Rodrigue examined it carefully. His easy smile faltered. He could read the subtext of the photo way too fine: Damian was giving his heart to a different woman. He also knew that Bella hated sharing her favorites with others. He looked up at his daughter. "What are you planning to do?" Bella cast her eyes to the floor. "Call off our engagement." Bella and Damian had only gotten together after they finished high school. Then, on that very same day, Damian and his family came to propose their engagement. It was so abrupt that it didn’t sit well with Rodrigue. Rodrigue nodded. "Got it. Once the Foxes are home, we'll bring this up with them." Silence. Warm tears rolled out of Bella's downcast eyes and splashed onto the backs of her hands. Pained, Rodrigue tried to pry open Bella's clenched fingers to comfort her. He discovered her nails had dug so deeply into her palms that they'd broken the skin. "Oh God!" he whispered. Carefully, he tended to the wounds. Bella gritted her teeth in silence. When he finished, she finally looked up. "I'm fine, Dad." Chapter 6 Damian called her that night. He was panicking. "Kitty's gone, Bella! I came home and it's not where it should be!" "I gave it away," Bella said coldly. He froze. In that silence, she heard an angry female voice crying out, "How could you, Bella?! How could you give Kitty away?! Who do you think you are? This is irresponsible!" So, Dakota was there, too. She continued sharply, "You've had Kitty for a long time! How could you be so heartless to give Kitty away just like that?!" Bella's grip tightened around her phone. Her chest undulated in pain. Was she upset that Dakota was shouting at her through Damian's phone, who passively allowed her to do so while saying nothing? Or was she upset that these two were still together? "Dakota, enough," he finally spoke up tiredly. "I'll buy you a cat, alright?" Bella hung up the call and bolted into the bathroom. Her stomach was churning. After some retching, she threw up. She had to steady herself with the sink after that before blacklisting Damian's number. - Claire could tell Bella was in a bad mood. She decided to drag her unhappy friend out of the house to go shopping. Bella was not that interested, but she relented. It was a warm, sunny day. The streets were bustling. Claire had always loved decking herself in all kinds of accessories. She was especially defenseless against expensive jewelry, so as usual, Claire brought Bella into one of these shops. Seeing the blinding light reflecting off the jewelry display across the glass cabinets made Bella feel a little relaxed. Growing up as the lonely child in a super wealthy family, Bella was never left wanting for these things. Damian also loved buying all sorts of delicate gifts for Bella ever since they were children. Once they got older, he would buy her things that would only number in millions of dollars. Bella used to think these were all representations of his undying love for her, but now? It just made her feel bitter. Claire got what she wanted. They were about to return happily when Claire froze and asked quietly, "Is that Damian?" Bella followed her gaze. Damian and Dakota were holding hands as they perused a row of bracelets. Claire pursed her lips, frowning. "Those two are disgusting. Let's get outta here!" Unfortunately, Dakota had already noticed them. She made her way to them, beaming. "Oh my, is that you, Bella? Fancy seeing you here, too! Wanna join us on our shopping? Damian's buying me a necklace." "Oh, I see," Bella replied icily. "It's not what you think," Damian added quickly. "Dakota was crying the entire night because of Kitty, so I originally wanted to buy a new pet cat to make her feel better…" "Sure," Bella remarked quietly. She looked at him as though he were a stranger. "Well…" Dakota interjected sweetly, "Damian thought it might not be a good idea to buy a cat. I mean, what if it dies or goes away someday? I might feel bad and cry the whole day again! So he decided to buy me a cute cat-shaped necklace instead! Isn't he just the sweetest?" She raised her hand. A silvery necklace dangled from her palm. A cat-shaped pendant gleamed softly. "It looks good," Bella remarked flatly. Damian could tell something was wrong from her tone. "Look, this was nothing, okay? It was just… whatever." "Oh, really?" Bella scoffed. "What happened to being busy with work? I wouldn't expect you to have enough free time to spend hours on a 'whatever' gift." "It's not like that! Dakota's feeling upset, okay? I just wanted her to feel better." Bella glared at him icily. "So, when she's upset, you wanna do things to make her feel better. When I'm upset, you want me to shut up and stop throwing tantrums." He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Save your breath," Bella continued. "Come on, Claire. Let's not waste time over here." She circled around Damian and Dakota and left the shop. Damian watched her darkly. Dakota, meanwhile, caressed her necklace with a small, satisfied smile. Chapter 7 Bella and Claire decided to shop at an establishment owned by the Valdez family. Unfortunately, they met another person they would rather not see at all, who asked, "Why are you here?" It was Daryl Stelter—Dakota's younger brother. Annoyed, Bella ignored him. Daryl was irritated by her sullen treatment and tried to grab Bella by the wrist. Claire caught it before Daryl succeeded, glaring and questioning him, "What were you trying to do?" He swung his hand away from her grip with a glower of his own. "Why are you putting on airs, Bella? Because your daddy's filthy rich? Is that why you're ignoring me?" Bella glared at him icily. "Why should I give a nobody even a second of my time?" she snarked. The shopkeeper noticed the hostility between her boss and the customer and stepped in. "Excuse me, sir, but please leave our shop." It was humiliating to be booted out of the shop while everyone watched. An angry Daryl stepped closer to Bella, but before he could do anything to her, security was already blocking his path. Even more irritated now, Daryl shouted, "Why are you doing this to me?! What the hell is this even for, huh? No wonder Damian calls you 'A Drama Queen.' You seriously think you're some hot shit!" Claire turned to Bella instinctively. She was worried about how Bella would feel about this. Bella shook her head at her and patted Claire's hand comfortingly. Then, she turned to Daryl, hardening her gaze. "Do you honestly think you deserve to talk to me at all if it weren't because you're one of Damian's associates?" Daryl's face was red from rage, but security effectively blocked him from any physical response. In the end, he was forced out of the shop. No one could hear whatever verbal vomit he threw out as he was taken away. Bella returned home and received a text from an unknown account. It was a video taken by someone who was filming in secret. It appeared to be in a club or a bar. Damian was the subject of the video. Dakota sat so close to him that their skin touched. "Looks like it's from Bella. Are you sure you don't wanna pick it up?" she asked, eyeing his ringing phone. "Hell no. She never stops pestering me. She's so unbelievably self-centered," Damian replied. His apathy and aloofness were undeniable. "I wish she were as considerate as you." To hear a voice—one that was once used to bring comfort and security to Bella—demean her like this hurt. Once upon a time, whenever Bella suffered from insomnia, Damian would call her himself, no matter how busy he was. He would talk to her and tell her tales until she fell asleep. He did not change that even when he was busy finding his footing in the company shortly after he inherited it from his family. For once, Bella realized honey could be poison. She felt as though someone had run a knife into her chest and twisted it. She remembered how many times he had refused to answer her calls these days. He would later tell her he was just busy with work and told her not to overthink it. Bella trusted him all the time. She would even tell him to take care and get some rest. She really believed he was trying to not let his work interfere with their relationship, but now she knew—he simply thought she was annoying and self-centered. Bella returned to her room in a trance. She started smashing all of the things from him she had hoped would last forever—she now wanted them broken and gone. By the time she regained her senses, her room was already filled with glass and ceramic shards. She had not even noticed the accidental cuts on her arms and legs from her rampage. She was bleeding. Stella had come rushing to her room following the commotion. She threw her arms around Bella, sobbing, "Oh God, my baby girl… What did you do? You're hurt!" Bella stared at her mom silently. All her life, she lived in Damian's shadow. When her parents were busy, Damian was her companion. When she was being picky with food, Damian was the one who managed to make her eat. Damian was the one who taught her homework. Damian knew everything she liked and disliked. He was the one who loved her the most. And now, he was the one who hurt her the most. - The next day, Robert and Margo Fox hurriedly returned from their business trip. As promised, Rodrigue and Stella took Bella with them for a visit. To Bella's surprise, Damian was there. He had even brought Dakota along. He was greatly stunned by the Valdezes' appearance. He started to panic. "B-Bella! Mr. and Mrs. Valdez! I…" "Please don't misunderstand us! I'm just here to get a work folder from Damian," Dakota quickly interjected. No one paid her any attention at all. Damian hurried toward Bella and tried to grab her hand, but she swung it away. He approached her anyway, lowering his voice in equal parts anxiety and reconciliatory, "Don't act like that, Bella! I know you're still mad, but why didn't you answer my call last night? I've been worried sick about you!" Bella took a brief glance at his face and ignored him. Instead, she addressed his parents. "Mr. Fox, I want to cancel my engagement with your son."