Free Web NovelChapter 49: Chapter 49 Impossible Choice
Derek’s POV
The sharp ring of my phone shattered the peace I had found wrapped around Bella. My father’s name flashed on the screen, and I knew whatever he wanted couldn’t be good.
"Why did you drag me back here?" I demanded as I stormed into his study.
The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting harsh shadows across his face. Felicia lingered by his side, playing the devoted future wife with practiced perfection.
My father had already dropped his bombshells about marrying Felicia and claimed Bella knew all along. He wanted me to believe she had betrayed me, but I refused to take the bait.
I knew exactly what he was doing. He despised our friendship and would say anything to destroy it.
"I know what you’ve been up to lately," he said with that familiar cold smile.
Felicia remained silent, but I caught the calculating gleam in her eyes. She had waited years for a married man to choose her. What did that say about her character?
"Show me whatever this is and let me leave," I snapped, my patience wearing thin.
I had left paradise for this. Bella’s warm body pressed against mine, her gentle breathing in the quiet morning. I had plans for when she woke up. Plans to tell her I wanted exclusivity, that I was ready to choose her above everyone else.
Instead, I was here dealing with my father’s manipulations.
"You’ll want to see this," he said, pulling out his phone. freewēbnoveℓ.com
My blood turned to ice as images filled the screen. Bella in one of his offices, moving through shadows like she was searching for something. The timestamp showed it was recent.
Then came the video. Bella slipping out of the office, looking around nervously.
"What the hell is this?" I lunged for the phone, but he yanked it away.
"Copies exist everywhere. Destroying this won’t help," he said with cruel satisfaction. "Your little friend broke into a restricted office and attempted to steal confidential files."
"The council will see this as espionage," Felicia added sweetly, her voice dripping with false concern. "That poor girl will face serious consequences."
Rage burned through my veins. "Nobody talks about this. She had reasons for whatever she did."
Bella wasn’t a thief. She was the most honest person I knew. If she was searching for something, she had valid reasons.
"Too late for noble defenses," my father said, shaking his head with mock sadness. "If you had listened to me about staying away from her, I might have been willing to bury this evidence."
The implication hit me like a physical blow. "What are you saying?"
"Stay away from her," he said simply. "Permanently."
The next hours blurred together in a nightmare of threats and ultimatums. My father laid out his plan with methodical cruelty. He had enough evidence to have Bella arrested and convicted. He had connections on the council who would ensure she faced the harshest possible punishment.
I wasn’t even officially declared an Alpha yet. I had no power, no influence to protect her.
The mansion became my prison. Warriors stationed themselves outside every exit, making escape impossible. Even if I decided to defy him, I couldn’t reach her.
My father had thought of everything.
The documents arrived on silver plates like a death sentence.
"Sign these if you want to keep her out of prison," he said, dropping them in my lap.
My hands shook as I read the terms. Years of complete separation from Bella. Marriage to a woman of his choosing. Living with her, attempting to produce an heir.
If I failed to give him a grandson after a reasonable time, I could leave the marriage but find another suitable woman for breeding purposes.
The water I had drunk earlier made my head swim. Drugs. Of course he had drugged me to keep me compliant.
I slept fitfully and woke to the same threats, the same impossible choice.
Desperation drove me to consider my friends. Hugo would protect her if I asked. At least Hugo would step up. Maybe that would be enough.
Maybe she would be better off without me anyway. My father’s hatred for her ran soul-deep, and as long as I was in her life, she would never be safe.
I tried reaching out to Serena, hoping to convince her not to marry me, but my father had cut off all communication.
Every avenue of escape was blocked.
In the end, I sat across from my father with a pen in my trembling hand. The papers felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.
"This protects her?" I asked one final time.
"As long as you honor every clause, she remains untouched," he confirmed.
I thought about Bella’s smile, her laugh, the way she felt in my arms. I thought about the future I had imagined for us, the words I had planned to say when she woke up.
All of it dissolved as I signed my name on the contract.
Years stretched ahead of me like an eternity. Years of marriage to a stranger while the woman I loved lived her life without me.
But she would be alive. She would be free.
That had to be enough.
The pen slipped from my fingers as I finished the last signature. My father smiled with satisfaction while Felicia beamed beside him.
I had traded my happiness for Bella’s safety, and somehow it felt like the easiest decision I had ever made.
