The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 251

Chapter 225: Home Invasion

Bella POV

It was a Tuesday afternoon. I had taken a rare half-day off from the office. Between the stressful Marchetti legal battle, dealing with Camille Fontaine, and the grueling, endless meetings handling Margaret and Richard, my head was spinning.

I just needed to be home, away from the corporate warfare and the family venom. Tom was still at school, and Nadia was upstairs with Grace, who was fast asleep.

The house was completely silent. I stood at the kitchen island, pouring myself a cup of coffee, just trying to breathe and let the exhaustion drain out of my bones.

Then, the back door handle rattled.

My hand froze over the coffee pot. The door crept inward, inch by inch, scraping softly against the frame.

Terror hit me straight in the chest. My heart started hammering against my ribs. I didn’t scream, purely because the breath caught completely in my throat.

I looked around wildly. My eyes landed on the heavy cast-iron skillet sitting on the stove. With shaking fingers, I reached out and gripped the handle, pulling it behind my back.

“Don’t move,” a voice whispered from the doorway.

I spun around, my back slamming against the counter.

A strange man was standing completely inside my kitchen. He was short, slight, wearing a dark jacket, and clutching a heavy camera to his chest. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, darting frantically across the room before locking onto me. He looked completely unhinged.

“Who are you?” I choked out, my voice cracking with real panic. “What are you doing in my house?”

“Bella, please, don’t be scared,” he stammered, taking a fast step toward me. His hands were trembling on his camera. “You don’t understand. I had to come see you. I had to make sure you were okay.”

“Get out!” I gasped, backing away until the edge of the counter dug into my spine. I lifted the heavy skillet slightly behind my hip. “Get away from me! Who the hell are you?”

“The guards keep blocking my letters!” he shouted, his face twisting with frustration. He took another step forward, cornering me. “They are keeping us apart because they want to hide what Caleb is doing to you! They don’t want you to know the truth!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I screamed, tears of pure fright stinging my eyes.

In a blind panic, I grabbed the nearest heavy wooden kitchen chair and slammed it down between us. It hit the tile with a loud bang, creating a physical barrier between his boots and my space.

The man stopped. He stared at the chair, his chest heaving, then looked up at my face.

“I have been watching this place for months,” he whispered frantically. “I know what Caleb does to you. I know how he controls your life. He has you trapped here. I am a journalist, Bella. My name is Marcus

13

<Chapter 225-Home Invasion

Claim

Webb! I wrote about you years ago, remember? gave up my whole career to track this. I had to map the property. I had to look through the windows to see where the innocent ones sleep.”

My blood ran completely.cold. Look through the windows.

“You’ve been looking in our windows?” I whispered, my horror turning into something sharp and vicious.

“I know your daily schedule,” Webb cried, stepping sideways to get around the chair. “I know your son comes home from school at three. I know your baby is upstairs sleeping right now!”

Hearing him talk about my kids changed something inside me instantly. The blind terror vanished, replaced by a raw, protective fury. My hands stopped shaking.

“If you move one inch closer to my children,” I whispered, my voice dropping into a deadly, precise register, “I will strike you down myself before the guards even touch the door. Do you understand me?”

Webb panicked. His face turned bright red and he raised his heavy camera like a weapon. “Why are you threatening me? I am the savior here!”

He lunged forward, trying to shove the chair out of the way.

I didn’t hesitate. I swung the heavy cast-iron skillet forward with all the strength in my body. The thick iron caught him hard across the side of his shoulder. Webb shrieked in pain, stumbling back against the kitchen counter, dropping his camera strap as he clutched his injured arm.

But he didn’t fall. His eyes went completely wild with rage. He snarled and lunged straight at me again, reaching out with his good hand to grab my throat.

Suddenly, the back door burst open.

Lena tore into the kitchen ahead of the main guard rotation. She tackled Webb from the side, slamming him hard against the island and throwing him straight down onto the tile floor.

Two uniform guards poured in right behind her, pinning Webb’s legs and clicking heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists. Webb screamed and thrashed against the floor, but he was completely trapped.

I stood there, my chest heaving violently as I lowered the iron skillet.

“Lena,” I breathed, the adrenaline crashing so hard my knees buckled.

୮

“I came as fast as I could, Bella,” Lena said, her voice tight as she adjusted her jacket. She looked down at Webb, then looked at me. “Are you hurt? Did he strike you?”

“No,” I whispered, trying to steady my breath. “The chair held. I hit his arm with the skillet. I’m not hurt.”

We heard the sound of tires screeching outside on the driveway, followed by the loud slam of the front door. Caleb came rushing into the kitchen, still wearing his suit jacket.

His face was completely pale, his tie torn open, and his eyes were full of a raw terror I had never seen on him before.

He saw Webb pinned on the floor. Then his eyes locked onto me.

“He’s fine,” I told Caleb, forcing my voice to sound flat and steady. “Your team has him. I’m fine.”

2/3

Chapter 225 Home invasion

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