Isabella~
"You took the wrong way, Bella. We have to go straight." When I turn left instead of straight, he directs me in the right direction.
"Indeed, I am aware." In a narrow street, I pulled over and peered into the car's side-view mirror.
"Why did you stop the car here?" He glanced at me, bewildered, utterly oblivious to anything happening around him.
"See those two black cars that are pursuing us?" I motioned for him to look into the side-view mirror.
"Oh, they must be Jordan's man. We have to be careful." Silently, we waited in our car for those cars to cross the street. Once I spotted the cars heading in the opposite direction, I decided to drive to his house instead of using the main road, I opted to drive on narrow streets.
"Bella, how did you know that they were following us?" He questioned me.
"They were constantly monitoring us, but it wasn't until yesterday's incident that I truly noticed their presence. As a result, we need to gather all the evidence covertly so that Jordan can't destroy it at the last minute." I kept my eyes on the road and drove cautiously till we arrived at his house.
After last night's incident, I felt very relieved. My son's words of support gave me such a boost that I became excited about seeking proof. When I got home, Alan noticed my swollen eyes from watching the news on television the night before and asked me about what had transpired in the courtroom.
I did my best to tell my five-year-old kid the truth about the whole thing. When I revealed the truth to him, I anticipated his reaction, but his response completely surprised me.
"Mama, you are very brave. I want you to defeat that bad lawyer uncle, and I like your friend; I know he can not murder anyone." His innocent words filled me with motivation.
"Alan, thank you." I hugged him with tear-filled eyes. I was about to give up on this murder case, but my son's optimistic eyes were enough to light a spark in me.
"Bella, I also want you to succeed in this murder case—not for Xavier, but for uphold your honor." After Alan went to bed, he came into my room to have a conversation about today's incident.
"How many times have I told you that this case is personal to me? It's not just about Xavier." I took a sip of my coffee and looked up at the bright full moon.
"You know I'm always by your side, but I'm afraid you might fall in love with him again during this time." He held my hand and looked into my eyes.
"No, that's not possible; I will never repeat the same mistake." Sharing my vulnerable moment with Xavier today served as a reminder to me not to fall in love with him.
"Promise me, Bella, you will not repeat the same mistake." He extended his hand in front of me, asking me to make a promise.
"I promise you." I reaffirmed to myself, holding his hand, that I would not let the past dictate the course of my present. I shed tears as I remembered Derrick's harsh comment about my past life, but I decided not to let my past break me down. From whom am I trying to run away? Xavier was part of my past, and that's okay; everyone has a past.
I texted him at midnight to arrange a meeting at the hotel to discuss new approaches to the case. I will exert every effort to demonstrate Xavier's innocence in this murder case, as my son now desires for me to prevail.
"Bella, are you alright?" His words burst my mental bubble.
"Yes, absolutely." I shrugged my shoulders.
"You behave differently today." His questioning gaze remained fixed on my face.
"I have come to terms with my past and no longer feel the need to flee from the brutality of Derrick Merchant." I opened the car's door and stepped out.
We entered the house, and I began to look for evidence. Despite the slim chances of finding any evidence due to the dusty state of the house, I persisted and ventured into the bedroom where the murder occurred. During my search for evidence, I mistakenly placed my hand on the side table and then applied it to my white dress.
"Bella, your dress." He pointed to a speck of dust on my dress. He signaled me to go inside the bathroom to clean the dust. As I was leaving the restroom, I saw a dust-covered shoe print.
"See what I found here, Mr. Thomson." I urged him to look at the shoe print. I cleared the dust covering the shoe mark with a blower, and now it is visible.
"I don't wear shoes that size." He gave me a startled expression. I took a picture of the shoe mark and blew it on the bathroom floor in an attempt to find more, but I was only able to locate one shoe mark throughout the entire space.
"Mr. Thompsen, there's a probable chance that the killer broke in through this bathroom window or that someone came to the house after the crime to take evidence out." I looked at the bathroom window; it's closed now, but I think we will find something there.
"Can you please help me climb on that window?" My curiosity about uncovering more evidence is growing.
"Bella, that window is on high; you will get injured if you tumble down." His voice filled with concern.
"Don't you trust in your strength?" I looked at his muscular arms and teased him.
I can tease Xavier a little to make things easier between us, even though I am fully aware of my last-night promise to him. My professional constraints have occasionally prevented me from delving deeply into this murder case, and if I were to delve deeper to prove Xavier's innocence, I would need to know every detail.
"It's not like that, but still, it's not safe." He rubbed his back nervously. I wanted to smile at his nervousness about my teasing, but I hid my smile behind a cold expression and asked him to follow me to the bathroom window instead.
Feeling his muscular arms tighten their grip on my waist, my heart began to race once more. However, I quickly reminded myself that this was only a murder investigation, so I quickly pushed the butterflies from my stomach. I looked into every crevice of the window and discovered a new puzzle piece.
"See what I found." He put me down after I completed my search. As I turned to show him the fresh evidence, I accidentally bumped into his chest due to his proximity.