“Get out,” Tyler yelled at them. “If youeverspeak to Bella that way again you won’t have to worry about her reputation because you’ll be faced with mine and don’t think I can’t pull strings at the university and get Jonathan or Jordanna fired.”
“Ty calm down,” Bella said unfazed. “Let them say whatever they want, it can’t hurt me anymore because I know the truth, thewholetruth about what happened and I’m not the only one am I, Izzie?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she scoffed sneering at her.
“No?” she said raising an eyebrow. “Well then it must have been my other twin who set me up to get raped when I was fourteen.”
“What!” Steven shouted as Vivien gasped in horror.
“Bella what do you mean?” Tyler asked turning her to face him. “I thought you couldn’t remember most of what happened.”
“You knew?” Steven inquired looking at his son.
“Bella and I don’t keep secrets,” he replied, “at least not usually.”
“No, we don’t,” she agreed, “but I knew if I told you what I found out about a month ago you’d be furious.”
“And leave you, oh poor Bella, can’t keep a man in your life can you,” Izzie laughed.
“Izzie how is David—oh that’s right he left you,” she stated evenly. “But there is another man in your life isn’t there? Someone who’s been around for quite some time, what happened Izzie did David get tired of paying him to keep your secrets quiet?”
“Bella what is going on?” Tyler asked as Izzie’s face turned white.
“I really think you should ask my sister, she’s the one who convinced David andXavierto go to the club that night, having found out where I’d be thanks to the wonderful paparazzi. Should I go on Izzie, or would you like to do the honors?” she said glancing over at the girl. “No, being shy Iz? That’s okay, I’d be more than happy to finish. See mysisterwas miffed that I was gaining attention all over the world while she only had the attention of dear Mom and Dad, and the kids at school weren’t fawning all over her genius so she decided to get at me.”
“You’re nothing but a lying little slut,” Izzie cut in.
“Shut up,” Tyler said turning his anger onto her. “Bella what did she do?”
“She knew I’d recognize David but Xavier was new to school so they had him spike my drink, but they didn’t realize it would take a bit longer to work since I wasn’t drinking alcohol. They kept adding more until I was out of it. By then Xavier had regretted the decision and tried to help me to the bathroom and get my friends but Izzie convinced him that he’d get in more trouble doing that than by leaving me, which he did.”
“So, Xavier wasn’t…” Tyler led her.
“No, but he was the face I remembered,” she told him. “Izzie and David paid him to keep him quiet but once they couldn’t keep a leash on him, he began to regret not telling me, so he came to a show to tell me. He knew I recognized him. He saw the fear and panic that crossed my face and decided to disappear again.”
“How do you know this?” Steven asked.
“Because I followed him after I saw him and Izzie arguing,” she answered. “I knocked on his door and when he saw me, he told meeverything. Including that he wasn’t the person who raped me.”
“Did he know who did?” Tyler asked caressing her cheek.
“Yeah,” she answered closing her eyes to hold back the tears. “And I think you do too,” she added opening them and finding his gaze. He read the answer in them and slammed his fist on the top of the table.
“I’ll kill him,” Tyler stated wrapping his arms around her and letting her bury her head in his chest. “I swear to god I’ll kill him.”
“Who?” Vivien inquired moving over to support Bella.
“Get out,” Tyler seethed turning on Izzie. “Get thehellout of here and if youever,EVER, come anywhere near Bella again your children will grow up without any parents.”
“Tyler,” Steven said stopping his movement across the room.
“You disgusting piece of trash,” he continued on ignoring his father in his rising fury, “you put your sister’s life in danger, let David rape her, and thenmarryhim? Did you honestly think it would never come out or is that why you moved him to London after Bella warned you that he wasn’t who you thought he was? Were you worried that she’d figured out that he was behind her terror?”
“She was too stupid to figure it out,” Izzie laughed. “The entire time David and I laughed behind her back at the little slut and that she’d been so horrible at it. Every time we made love, we’d laugh at her pathetic attempts that night. She’d never have figured it out and we had a roll when I told David that Bella had warned me that he wasn’t a nice guy, that he’d tried to force himself on one of her friends at a party. There was no force involved.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Vivien whispered stroking Bella’s back. “Oh, Bella, why didn’t you tell any of us?”
“Because she knew she deserved it,” Izzie stated.