"Mommy, what happened", Bella asked innocently, noticing the change in her mother's expression on viewing the package.

Helena looked down at her, sighing.

"Bella, darling, how about you go inside while mommy looks at this letter", she asked softly, not wanting her to get concerned.

"But mommy-"

"Sweetheart, please. I will be there in a minute, okay", she said as she cupped her cheek gently.

"Okay Momma", she said innocently, her head bowed low as she walked inside.

Helena felt bad. Bella had always been a very obedient kid and never threw a tantrum. She felt bad for asking her to go alone when she didn't want to. Just while she was thinking, her alarm went on. It was time to pack Bella's lunchbox.

'I will have to check on this package later. I have to send her to school first. Maybe I will be able to handle this better without Bella around', she thought and walked inside the house.

"Baby", she called out for Bella.

"Yes Mommy", her tiny voice came out of the bedroom where she slept with her mum.

Helena walked inside and saw her wearing her dress for the school. Her eyes welled up with tears, what good did she do to deserve such a pure soul as her baby? This baby was never a picky eater, did not scream, would not cry, slept easily, and was diligent. She hugged her and lifted her in her arms, swinging her. Bella giggled and hugged her tightly.

"My baby is getting ready on her own", she asked softly.

"Yes", Bella grinned.

"You are such a good girl, my baby", Helena kissed her.

Dressing her up, she moved to her hair, tying two pigtails. She walked downstairs with her, grabbed her bag, and made breakfast.

"Here you go, eat up slowly", she said, handing the plate to the girl.

"Thank you, Momma", the little one said and started to eat.

"You're welcome, Love", she smiled as she put the lunchbox in her bag.

She sent her off to school. Her heart was tense as the only thoughts revolving around her were of that strange package. What had Edwin sent now? Did he find them? Is he going to take Bella away? Her anxiety levels were increasing as her pace increased. She walked into the home and locked all the doors. Her trembling hands made their way to the package that lay on the table. She gently tore the package with a paper cutter and took out a letter. Looking at the handwriting was written by Edwin. She started to read as she took a chair.

"Hi, my Sweet.

Been a long time, right?

I hope you are doing well. I miss you so much each day. Tannie misses you a lot too. It's been three years, four months, and 27 days since we last met. I know you must be scared seeing my name on this letter but I assure you that I will never try to force you on anything. Relax and take a deep breath.

I found you out within a week of your escape. I was very angry at that time. I felt betrayed. I don't know if you would understand that but when I found you this time, I did not want to forcefully bring you back to me. I love you a lot. Your teary eyes make me feel very guilty. And that was when I realized that our relationship cannot work if you keep fearing me. So I let you go. But my heart still waits for you all the time, and I can't stop it. I am sorry.

I send a guard for a week every month to keep a check on you from afar. To make sure that you are all right and living comfortably. You know, most of them tell me that Bella looks just like me. I was very annoying as a kid. I hope she takes after you on that part. I imagine what she looks like, but it feels weird to imagine a female version of me. I hope she does not look that weird, haha. May God bless you both.

The main reason I wrote to you today is, I think it is time your questions are answered. You must have cried a lot, thinking that it was your fault I killed Sam. It is true, sort of, but what would you do if you were in my situation? I was compelled to kill him. He was not what you thought him to be.

If you look into the package, you will find a pen drive. Can you please plug it in your laptop before reading ahead?"

Helena walked to her room to get her laptop, tears flooding down her eyes. She did not even realize when the tears made their way down her eyes. She took it and walked to the living room again. She turned it on and plugged in the pen drive. Opening the pen drive, her eyes went to the letter as she focused on the letter once again.

"I want you to remember the week Sam died. You had a trip booked to Thailand with him, remember?"

Helena frowned.

"You caught my eyes for the first time at Jimin's birthday party around that time, and I grew insanely obsessed over you. I did all sorts of nonsense things a stalker would. And I am very ashamed of it. But needless to say, I found that you were dating Sam. I was jealous but did not have any ill intentions towards him. That was until I ran a background check on him and found that this guy had all sorts of illegal associations attached to him. Drugs, weapons, human trafficking, you name it. The real reason he was taking you for a trip was to sell you off in Bangkok, in disguise."

'Sam would not do something like that', she thought, her eyes widened.

"I know it is hard to believe, considering that you do not trust me anymore. Please open folder 1 from the laptop. Those are some recordings that I recovered from his phone. I found these recordings when I tabbed his phone for fun. I am so glad I did that."

Helena opened the file and opened the file. There were various audio files. The audio played, and she recognized Sam's voice instantly. Her ears went up as her breath quickened.

"Hi.... Yes...... She will be there next week. I sent you her photos. She is my girlfriend and I must say, she is the purest stuff you'll find........... Don't worry, I asked her to lie to her parents so they won't be able to track her.........Okay...... See you soon then...................."

Helena's heart broke into tiny pieces. She played the files one by one. The quality of the call and the dates were too real to be fabricated. Her heart sank, as she took in everything. Sam did not seem like that at all. She trusted him too much with everything. And this was what he did with it. He shattered her to the core.

"I am sorry. I know you are crying. I want to be there for you, but I cannot. I do not even know if you will read this or throw this package away out of fear. I could not stop myself, Helena. I could not let him be around you. I had to do something. I tried to go easy, but he was adamant. He was not only dating you but several other girls from different cities. He was a fucking player, my love. I want you to open folder 2 now, please."

Helena opened the second folder with trembling hands. It opened into several photos, each one a screenshot. Those were the chats where he had shared her photos with all the dealers. The words typed in the chats were too hard to even be read, let alone spoken out aloud. She was so numb with it that she could no longer feel her heart beating.

"Helena, stay strong, please. This was the exact reason I did not let you know anything about this. I knew this was too much to handle. Now, tell me, if you were in my place, would you tell your wife about all this while knowing that she is already sensitive from being pregnant? I should have disposed of those photos way back, but I just forgot. I had no other choice, I tried my best to stop him, but he left me no choice but to be killed. So I did that. I killed him. I made sure all those dealers were made to remove your photos. I did not want any of those filthy men looking at you. Sam was never a good guy, Helena. His law degree was fabricated too. He was faking it all to get the best and the prettiest girls, he had a lot of connections. I should have been more efficient. I never wanted you to know this. I know you loved him a lot, and I never wanted you to see his real face.

I know you might still not believe me, and I would not feel bad about that. I broke your trust, not once, but many times. I did not trust you, I forced you, and I lied, even when I knew it would hurt you in the future. I am sorry, my love. I am very sorry.

Maybe one day, we will meet again, and I will see our little Bella calling me 'dada'. You do not have to be worried, I will never try to invade your privacy, even if it means that I will never meet our daughter. I'll picture you two in my imagination till the day I die. Sorry for everything, Helena.

Take care, my love. Stay happy, healthy, and safe. I will be there for you, always.

With love,

Ed"

Helena noticed the dried tears on the page, as her fresh tears fell on top of those. She started crying very badly.

"How could I do this? How could I be so dumb? I am so sorry Edwin. I am so sorry", she broke down. "I am so selfish, I made you cry, and I was the sole reason for your loneliness. I always thought about myself. I took your daughter away from you. How will I ever face you, Ed?"

She wept for an hour, and then stared into space, emotionless. Her alarm went off, signaling that it was time to pick Bella up from school. She got up weakly.

"I need to go to him. I need Bella to meet her dad", she said to herself in her shaky tone.