Upstairs Hallway –
Bella zips up her small suitcase. She moves like a dancer—silent, precise, eyes cold. Her fingers trail along the crib she ordered weeks ago. Still untouched.
Downstairs, her mother's voice is rising.
Mother (screaming):
"I don't care! I'll tell them everything! She's dangerous, and you're just enabling her!"
Bella hears it. She steps to the top of the stairs, calm.
Then she sees them—two uniformed officers pulling up to the curb outside.
Her eyes narrow.
Father (from downstairs, trying to stay calm):
"She's your daughter. We need to handle this like a family."
Mother (hysterical):
"She's a murderer! And now she's pregnant with that priest's child?! You want to bury this? Not this time, Vincent!"
---
Bella slowly begins to cry—just as the front doorbell rings.
She steps forward, down the stairs.
Bella (tearful):
"Mommy, please... don't do this. Don't ruin everything."
Mother (snatching her wrist):
"Don't you dare 'mommy' me, you little monster! You think you'll get away with it all? Not this time!"
She grabs Bella's arm and yanks her toward the door.
---
Bella (crying louder, voice breaking):
"Mommy, please! You're hurting me—please don't!"
Her father sees the officers stepping onto the porch through the window. His jaw tightens.
Then—instinct or choice, no one knows—he shoves his wife away.
Mother falls hard against the corner of the wall, groaning in pain.
The door bursts open — two officers standing in stunned silence.
Bella's eyes go wide. She clutches her stomach — and collapses.
Elijah catches her mid-fall, holding her protectively as she slumps into him, trembling.
---
Elijah (to the officers, urgent):
"She's pregnant! She fainted — please, she needs help!"
The father steps forward, arms raised slightly, calm despite the scene.
Father:
"She was being attacked. I had to stop it. Please… my wife is unstable."
Mother (from the floor, yelling):
"No! She's lying! They're all lying! I tried to save her—she's the monster!"
Officer #1 (to partner, quietly):
"Call in medical. Get someone for the wife too."
---
As paramedics rush in and the house floods with controlled chaos, Bella opens her eyes just barely, her head resting on Elijah's chest.
Bella (weak whisper):
"You didn't leave me…"
Elijah (softly):
"Never."
Bella (smiling faintly):
"Good… you're mine now."
---