Chapter 266

Bella was startled as the door creaked open. Marilyn's broad frame couldn't quite fit through the doorway, so only her head poked in. "Bella, sweetheart, Anna doesn't want to come out. She's refusing to eat too. Did you two fight again?" Bella quickly replied, "It's okay, Mommy. I'll go check on her." However, Marilyn didn't leave. Her eyes observed the room's surroundings, and she strained to squeeze further in. "Bella... what are you hiding behind your back?" Bella's grip on the journal tightened as her palm grew damp with sweat. Marilyn kept pushing against the doorframe, which groaned under the pressure, threatening to give way. "Bella, I think you're holding something—" A loud crash of a table being overturned echoed sharply from the next room, which fortunately broke the tension between them. Marilyn froze, and her head snapped toward the source of the sound. Seizing the moment, Bella shoved the journal into the gap under her bed and quickly jumped to her feet. "I'll go c