My Convicted Wife is My Mate (Bella and Kane) novel Chapter 23

chapter 20
BELLA’S POV

The smell of garlic and herbs filled the small kitchen as I stirred the soup. I’d been standing by the stove for almost an hour, waiting for Kane to come home. He never said much, but I could tell when he liked my cooking. He always finished every bite, even when he pretended not to care.

I was just tasting the broth when the doorbell rang. I was confused. Who could that be? No one ever came here. No one even knew where Kane and I lived.

I wiped my hands on a towel and walked to the door. The moment I opened it, my body froze.

My father. My stepmother, Yolanda. And Kathy. They were all standing outside.

For a second, I thought I was imagining things. They had no reason - no way - to find me. And yet, there they were.

What the hell was going on? I meant it when I told them they would never see me again.

They barged right past me without a word, like they owned the place.

My father’s voice hit me before I could even shut the door.

“Did you meet some shady people in prison?” he asked me. His voice was commanding, like he was addressing one of his pack members instead of his daughter. “I’m telling you right now, if you dare do anything that will affect our family, don’t expect me to take it lightly with you!”

I stood still, staring at him.

“What on earth did I do that would require you to ‘deal with me’?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Did you ask someone to break Assistant Director Henry’s hand? He was just asking you to have a drink with him. He didn’t do anything else! How could you be so vicious?”

Yolanda stepped closer to me.

“Did you lose your memory in prison? You think you can just do whatever you want after meeting those criminals?”

I laughed quietly. The sound surprised even me. It was bitter.

“So that’s the way you see it. It seems karma is real, because that man got what he deserved.”

His face darkened, but I wasn’t done. I kept talking.

“Also, if you think there’s nothing wrong with drinking together, then go ahead and ask your precious daughter Kathy to drink with him instead.”

The room went quiet for a heartbeat. Kathy’s lips trembled. Her eyes went wide in fake innocence.

“What did she scheme against me for this time?” I muttered.

My father slammed his hand on the table.

“This is what you owe her! If it weren’t for you, she—”

I cut him off.

“If it weren’t for me, she never would’ve gotten a role in the first place! Do you really think she’d be chosen as a female lead with no experience? That was because of me. Because of Damien. It was because I spoke to him on her behalf, long before she went around and slept with my mate. Don’t you dare tell me I owe her anything, because I never did.”

Kathy blinked rapidly. In this moment, she looked like the picture of pure innocence. I wanted to slap that innocent look off her face.

“Sister, I’ve never blamed you for your sins,” she whimpered. “You don’t need to speak to Dad like this.”

Oh, that was rich.

“Pardon me,” I said with mock sweetness. “You’re so noble, Kathy.”

Her lip quivered. As if this wasn’t a good show enough, tears filled her eyes. She started to cry.

“Bella!” my father barked. “Watch your tone!”

“I am watching it,” I said calmly, folding my arms. “I just don’t see why I should be quiet while you accuse me of things I didn’t do.”

Kathy started crying, loudly, dramatically. Yolanda rushed to her side, glaring at me like I was a monster.

“Bella, don’t take your anger out on your sister,” she scolded. “Your father just doesn’t want you to go down the wrong path again. If you go to jail again, what will happen to our family’s reputation!?”

I almost laughed again. Reputation. That’s all I ever was to them — a stain on theirs.

“What’s the point of talking to her?” my father snapped. “Bella, you will go to Assistant Director Henry immediately. No matter what method you use, ask him to forgive you. You can’t implicate Kathy because of this matter, do you understand? If you dare to ruin her future, just watch how I deal with you!”

My blood boiled. He stood there with his chest puffed out and his wolf energy radiating off him like heat. He was flexing, breathing hard like he was about to shift. It was almost comical.

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