"What a lovely morning!"
One of the wooden windows she opens, before she opens the others, letting the sun enter the house. The twins still in bed, Craig slowly reaching downstairs with his sleepy baggy eyes, went to the kitchen.
Open a fridge he pulls a bottle of milk, he drinks straight from the bottle and burps. He takes a seat.
"Oh, you're always so grumpy before your morning coffee". said Belle entering the kitchen. "I wouldn't want my favorite doctor to choke". She walked to the sink.
"I called her last night, she didn't answer my calls nor reply to my text. I think we accidently broke our engagement because of her misunderstanding that I don't get it".
Snickering. "Nice try! Drink this". She brought a hot cup of herb drink for him. He takes and sips it. "Better?"
"I'm about to lose my mind". He gulped. "How I wish something would liven up this already tedious day". He looked up at her then smiled. "Thanks for trying, Belle".
She smiles with a nod. "Miss Carter will understand that".
"Hannah won't understand what surrounds her. I don't know why I'm stuck in my life with her".
"Because you chose her, Craig. Exactly the same reason Gibson chose me but? Without non obsession that I know you wouldn't. Speaking of Gibson, it's been over years we hadn't spoken about him, his death until _ the twins found out because I told them so before we came in here".
"They deserve to hear about their father, Belle. You can't keep it for yourself. They had the right to know".
"Vincent declares his own war toward his dead father".
She stared. "I know that time I shouldn't come to see him that night. It's all my fault. If it wasn't me I don't think I would have that cubs".
Her finger points upstairs where the twins' rooms are. "And it's all my fault she's dead".
"No. Wasn't your fault none of this are. I can't believe you stabbed him in the chest, and he did the same thing, shooting your leg with a crossbow. How did he end up like that? It's like I'm hearing about these action movies without ending the story".
"It has an ending story, Craig. He's dead and I've got his baby".
Craig leans on a chair. Meanwhile they heard small steps from upstairs walking downstairs to the kitchen. It revealed Poppy stood at the frame rubbing both her eyes tiredly.
Her cute pajamas made Craig smile and wanted to hold her in his strong arm.
The twins are cute, wishing he had own kids like Belle and Gibson had now. He smiled for no reason.
"I'm hungry, mom".
"Is Vincent up yet?" Poppy shaking her head. "What did you two do last night?" ask Belle.
"We'll wrestle in bed". Craig's face frowned, slowly he turned to look at Belle then back to Poppy. "I won last night".
"Of course you do".
Belle drags the chair, Poppy takes a seat beside her mother.
"That's why he won't come down because of that. Embarrassed, shame defeated by a girl like you. He does that".
She pushed the chair, walked to the cabinet, grabbed a plate then laid it on the table. Belle cooks their breakfast. Pancake with maple syrup, scrambled eggs with hotdogs and cereal.
She tossed two or three pancakes inside a Poppy plate, and poured the syrup on top of it. Poppy reaches the fork and eats it in hunger.
"Poppy loves eating. Since she was born, she never stops eating". said Belle to Craig. "I cannot stop, still _ she never gets chubby or fat. Impressive to see _ look at her".
Craig eyes on Poppy. "Such a beautiful baby I've ever given birth to!"
"I hope Hannah understands what I need".
"Baby? Sex?"
"Both. I barely touch her, sometimes she acts like an disturbed person. You know, she may be the perfect woman I have in my entire life but her jealousy made me _ trying to push her away from me. I've kept this feeling just for me and now you heard. It's for you too".
"She bitch! Appreciate, tell her that!"
Vincent stood at the view. Belle saw him.
"I know what you did last night, care to share your story of how you lost your fight toward your sister".
She smirks. Craig smiles, shaking his head. "We should visit him".
Noon later. Craig, Belle together with the twins standing in front of Gibson graves. Bending her knee down the ground, laid the flowers on his grave. Vincent felt uncomfortable as his anger, his rage toward his dad never last.
She looked over her shoulder.
"Vince? No matter how your rage toward him, he is still your dad. Dead or alive, it's the same thing. You can't clean your blood by drinking bleach cleaner or poison".
Rose up her knee. "He is still the same who he is".
"How many times you have to mention him. I get it and I don't care about him, he still the murderer mom. If he is still alive the police will probably look for him".
Belle shaking her head no. "They won't. Because the police couldn't find them. Over years since that happened, no one is trying to open the case again".
"Your mother is right, Vince. No one nor the police know about your dad doing it back when he was still alive".
Craig wrapped his arm around Vincent's shoulder so that he didn't push Craig away.
"Trust me. One day when you know him, he's better than you expected".
"He's dead, Dr. Craig. There's no possibility he's back".
"Well, maybe he came to live and meet you, your mom and Poppy. Who knows right, anything could happen around us".
Belle smiles as she stares at Gibson graves. A huge smile, a proud dad named Victor Gibson who is obsessed, stalkers, loving husband and father who protects his loved one. May God forgive him for what he did. He died in dignity.
"Come all of you. I'm hungry".
School breaks have ended. It's time for study and learning. Belle is still on her day off, driving her kids to school. She was a bit curious about Mr. Lee Herman the twins spoke about.
Gibson? Lee Herman? Coincidence? Maybe? Not until she saw him right in front of her eyes.
She parked her car aside, without turning off the engine. She looked at the twins on her back seat.
"You'll see, everything that just happened is our family secret okay. You cannot talk about your father's past life in front of people, nor about me. Consider he died and you both barely knew him. Understand?"
Vincent and Poppy nod their heads understand.
"Just three of us. Now, off you two go".
The twins jump out from the car, slam the door, and walk. "I love you. I'll pick you two later".
"Love you too, Mom. Bye".
Belle stays to watch her kids walk inside the building. She was about to cry and she had no time for that. Breathe, purring and relaxing.
And smile.
"Okay. I'm going to the spa and all will be fine. Yeah, I should ask Betty and Rosie to go to the spa".
Later that. "Dude I'm dead serious. Tony is afraid!".
Betty smacked Rosie's back body. They're now inside the sauna. Burning their wobbly fat, and sweating. Belle closes her eyes feeling relaxed while two women beside her arguing.
"He scream like Hell okay. Because he work with me, when the dead body arrive he's okay. When I open the cover he scream. Of course he screams because the body's in shreds, next day he has his nightmare after seeing that".
"You can blame him for that, Betty. You know how it's work". She turns to Belle. "What about you, Belle? We all hear you return to that house. Feels weird right, returning that place you share with him, what he did to you".
"Rose? Come on. Don't let her mood go down because of that story". Silent, she spoke back. "I still can't believe that Bilson bitch got into it".
Belle suddenly laughed so hard, followed by them. She stared. "You guys are the best and the best friends I've ever felt safe with Emma".
"We all here for you, Belle. Now, who want to see me naked?" Belle and Rosie choked then laughed again.
Betty leans back. "Did the kids find out about their dad, you promise them".
"They do. Vincent hated his dad already".
"Even his dead?"
"He cannot forgive him for what he did to me and the rest, I brought them to see his graves and Vincent said nothing to make him proud as a father to him and Poppy".
Sighing.
"What else can I do? He slowly grew to become like him".
Betty, smirking, said. "Are you saying that you wanna see Vincent grow to be an obsession man, a maniac just like his dad. That is a good word to describe him".
"Dude no. As a mother, why do I want my kids to become an obsession ?".
"You married him".
"I've been forced. You guys know that. Gosh! I can't believe we talk about this _ an obsession? Dude, this is so wrong. If my kids turn into like his dad I'll make sure they won't see a light again".
Belle stares. "Are you with me, Betty, Rose?"
Both women stare. Belle spoke back. "If you get old, imagine that you can't eat your favorite food, what would you do?"
"I'll suck through the straw". Belle and Rosie laugh. "I'm gonna suck until I die _ who's gonna stop me".
Later in the evening. As she waited inside the car, she suddenly looked up from her cellphones after texting, her eyes focused on the back of the school building where Lee Herman suddenly appeared right in front of her eyes.
She takes a closer look at him. Lee Herman brought an ax with him, chopped the pile. He notices someone is watching him, he stops and looks up at her. Belle leans on and is shocked.
Gibson ....
Cried. She was about to open the door but suddenly Vincent and Poppy burst inside the car. She looks at them with widened eyes.
"You look pale, are you okay mom?" ask Poppy. "Did she just see a ghost this evening?"
"Mom?"
Vincent pinch her laps. Belle blinked her eyes, back to where Lee Herman chopping the pile. He's gone. Her eyes searched for him.
"Mom! What is wrong with you? Someone bothered you or what?"
Belle turns to her kids, shaking her head with a fake smile. "I'm fine. Let's go. Today I'm not in the mood to cook. How about we're going to a restaurant".
"Can we get anything we want?"
"Of course". Smile. Belle drove her car back on the road, at the same time _ her eyes looked over the rear view mirror for Lee Herman figures around the school building.
.... Nothing.