robbielake
Reality. It was something Robbie wasn’t familiar with and wasn’t until now that it came knocking. Even when they all agreed that Natalie leave for a while because of his faulty wiring and her pain, reality never hit him. Bella was the last person he had to hold onto and she was leaving too. The house already felt empty and bare. He could already see Bella’s empty room and Sofie’s clothes never picked up off of her floor. He could feel the coldness that would reside on the opposite side of the bed.
He could tell Bella was upset about something and then she said the last words he ever wanted to hear. It didn’t come as a shock that Sofie was using again, he could tell by her actions and the way her fist felt against his face. He was shocked to hear that it was Bella’s fault because he never assumed her to be the type of woman to sabotage and hurt someone. “You brought drugs into my house, Bella?” He asked calmly.
Okay– she didn’t want to argue, but Robbie needed to at least speak up about it, right? He let her strong front falter, not feeling bad about the crack in her voice or the tears that stung her eyes. It felt like another punch to the face. “Do you know how hard it is to kick an addiction? I watched,” He paused, clearing the lump from his throat and looking Bella straight in the eye. “I watched Sofie suffer for a long time over this, Bella. I watched her world crumble and you– you thought it would be a good idea to get her using again?” He felt his eye well up now.
“For what? Revenge?” He stopped, not really wanting to know the answer. “You can’t run away from this. You can’t leave this house until you give me an explanation.” He didn’t ask her, he practically demanded with a sharp tone that he never used before, not even on his kids when they needed to be scolded for doing a bad thing. This cut Robbie deep and for once– he had to deal with it. “What if the kids were here?”
It took Robbie’s sharp tone at her that brought Bella from her wallowing, set a steely gaze into a gaze that had once been so loving. She felt... anger. Blame. Towards him. Sofie had not started using until after catching Bella and Robbie on those stairs - her actions towards them, her abusive nature, it had all come naturally to the younger girl. Bella stood slowly, unfolding from the clothing around her. Her chin jutted out. She was no longer a baby doll. She was a force. “You don’t know me,” She answered quietly. Though her features were strong, her voice stayed quiet, small. When it left her lips, a frown appeared. It was true - Bella had never let Robbie in. “I nearly lost my sister three times to drugs - she’s in prison now for them. My best- my friend died because he overdosed.”
More personal info than Bella had ever shared with a soul in Los Angeles since arriving. More personal info than she’d ever told anyone, all at once at least. She’d come from the streets, the rough areas of Stockton, where you couldn’t go out alone without being fearful. Her knuckles had been bruised on creeping men’s faces - she’d survived everything, and she would survive this. “You don’t realize what it would do to the world, to you, to your children - if the news got out about us. About me. She caught us. Something needed to be done,” Bella stated the last part slowly, knowing he would understand. Bella had always picked up his messages. Always. “I didn’t make her do anything. I don’t control her, nor am I responsible for her. Do not bring the kids into this - you let an addict, a known addict, into the house. You opened the opportunity yourself, and she’s brought in much more harm than I ever would.”
Bella wanted to spit at his feet. As if he had ever cared for the children. Sleepless nights, early mornings, fevers and firsts - Bella had been there for two years, and she could count on one hand how many times she’d been impressed by Robbie’s parenting. Taking a step closer now, Bella raised her eyes to meet his. Remorse - regret, fear, and a deep sadness were reflecting in her blue pools. There was no pride in what she’d done. “Say what you want, think what you want, it’s nothing I don’t already know,” Bella whispered, barely audible. She turned sharply, away from him, walking to the closet. She wouldn’t look at him again.
“I’m leaving, Mr. Lake. I’ll be out by noon. But just so you know... this was always more than just a job to me. You always were.”
