"Mom, my father wants to talk to you."
Natalie took a deep sigh before she responded to Bella.
"Did he trouble you?" Natalie starts to feel angry with Lucas. "Bella, if he refused, let it be. I don’t care about my status with him. I’ll be fine if he doesn’t force to return there."
"No, Mom. Dad didn’t trouble . He has actually changed a lot. Since yesterday, I’ve felt like I t soone else; he looks so different."
"What do you an he has changed a lot?" Natalie asked, confused. "A monster will never change, Bella. What you see is probably just his mask."
"Mom, I know. But he has indeed changed," Bella said. She knew it was impossible to change soone’s attitude, at least not quickly or even in the blink of an eye. However, after eting her father yesterday and today, Bella could see sothing change inside him. He is now different from what she had imagined before eting him the last ti.
"Bella, I’ve seen that side of him too often. But believe , he will definitely return to being the way he was before. A temperantal and cruel man who would lose his rationality and caring when angry."
"I understand what you’ve been through with him. That’s why I know what I asked is a lot for you. I’m sorry I had to ask this, but I hope you can at least hear what he wants to say for one last ti. You don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to...And I will be there the whole ti, Mom."
"Uhm, Bella, what do you think your father wants to say to ?" Natalie finally asked after a short silence.
"He told he wanted to apologize and speak to you for the last ti before he signs the divorce papers."
Once again, silence hung in the air.
Natalie was at a loss for words when she heard that Lucas had agreed to sign the divorce papers. "Are you sure he will sign it?" she asked.
Bella’s hand gripped her cell phone tighter upon hearing her mother’s doubt.
"Mom, if my father lies to , I promise you, he won’t be able to return ho. He will end up in the worst place he could imagine for the rest of his life. I will throw him in prison to pay for all his sins." Bella answered calmly and softly, yet her eyes glowed with fire.
Natalie felt doubtful and confused. ’Should I talk to Lucas?’ she wondered. She was too afraid to talk to him now, not even just hearing his voice.
Hearing her mother seem reluctant to speak to her father, Bella smiled. She fully understood her, and she had predicted this.
"Mom, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk with him. My father promised to sign the paper even if you refused to see him. So, his request to see you is not a condition. He tried to convince more than once that his request was nothing but to show his regret for ever hurting you, and he was ready to pay the consequences."
"What does he an?"
"Father said he punished himself for hurting you and , and the punishnt would be that he would disappear from our lives forever. He says he will move to a remote place... far away from us and far away from any convenience in life," Bella explained briefly what her father said yesterday and today, which shocked Natalie.
"Is that so? Okay then, I will talk to him."
"Mom, I will be beside you and listen to anything he says. I will stop him if he says anything that hurts or guilt-trips you or if he tries to force you to return to him!"
Hearing her daughter’s words, Natalie chuckled. "Don’t worry, Bella. Your mother is not stupid enough to give in to him again."
Bella smiles. She imdiately returned to the seating area while turning on the speakerphone.
However, before giving her father the cell phone, she warned him not to say anything except apologize.
"Mom, I will give the cell phone to Father," Bella said, her eyes fixed on her father. "And if my father forces you to do sothing you didn’t want to, I won’t sit silently here; you don’t have to worry." She smiled at him, but her eyes issued a silent warning to him.
"Hmm," Natalie humd. She knew her daughter was not talking to her but to Lucas.
After Bella handed her cell phone to her father, she settled in her seat. She pretended not to be interested in what her father would say, but her ears focused on their conversation.
"Na-Natalie," Lucas’s voice sounded shaky. He felt his heart racing, "I really miss you..."
"Straight to the point, Father!" Bella chid in, her intimidating eyes narrowing at him enough to give Lucas chills in his veins.
Lucas Donovan cleared his throat, clenching the cell phone before expressing his thoughts.
"Natalie, I understand what I did to you in the past can’t be forgiven." Lucas’s voice trembled. "However, for the first ti since we married, I want to apologize for what I did to you. Please forgive ."
After a few seconds, Lucas didn’t hear any reaction from Natalie; he started to feel worried.
In a hurry, he continued, "Natalie, my dear, if you can’t forgive now, I hope you can forgive in the future. Alright... I won’t say anything else, or take your ti." He paused with a bitter smile. "Please take care of your health and be happy. Goodbye, Natalie. Thank you for everything..." Tears flowed from the corner of his eyes.
After waiting for a few more seconds and not hearing anything from Natalie, Lucas wiped his tears before pulling the phone away from his ear and turning to look at his daughter.
He said nothing but handed the phone to Bella, then took a white envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table.
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