Page 92 of Dr. Bell

“Locate my auntie,” I ordered.

“I got you.”

“Discreetly,” I added.

Bell Estates was land owned by my people for generations. I knew every inch of the land that belonged to us. For days, I’d been watching Seven Bell Place. Auntie’s car would come and go as it normally did. Nothing seemed to be off. But it was.

Afewdayslater,Auntie Maddie gasped when she saw me walk into the salon. With a sharp glance, I sent the hairstylist scurrying away to give me and my aunt some privacy. I’d paid her well for her services.

“How’d you find me?” she whispered. Her hand lifted to shift the scarf covering her neck.

“Your hair looks nice, Auntie,” I complimented.

Nervously, she glanced around. Her youthful face bore subtle signs of exhaustion. Signs that I’d never noticed before. My aunt was always the epitome of grace and beauty. She was the woman whose voice never rose above a calm tone. So, to think there was something seriously wrong with her fucked with me.

“There’s no need to be nervous. Come… Let’s talk.”

Hesitantly, she took my hand. I assisted her from the chair and walked her towards the exit. Outside, Alli opened the back door of the Phantom for Auntie to slide inside. I followed after her. Once the door was closed, Auntie inhaled deeply. Again, she looked nervous. Alli slid into the front seat, then pulled away from the curb.

“Auntie, relax, aight.”

“How can I relax when the leader of the family I’m running from seeks me out?” Her voice broke for just a second.

“Whyare you runnin’, Maddie? That’s the question I have for you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at me. By the way her fingers played with the hem of her black blouse, she was unsure.

“It’s me you’re talkin’ to,” I said.

She chuckled humorlessly. “Exactly, Adir.”

“Nah, you don’t get it.” I placed my hand on hers to stop her from fidgeting. Her eyes hesitantly met mine. “You’re talkin’ tome.Not anyone else.” It was like watching the weight of the world lift off of her.

She nodded, then sighed. “Thirty years. That’s how long I’ve been married to your uncle. Then again, you knew that.” Her giggle was low and full of anything but joy. “One morning, we woke up…and he was different.”

“Different how?”

Slowly, she reached up to remove her scarf. Faint red marks lined her neck.

“Every time the marks begin to fade, he replaces them with new ones.” She blinked her eyes hard and faced the window. Inhaling deeply, she held it for just a second before exhaling. “The abuse started after Heir left home.”

“That’s about the time you started wearing those scarves.” Here I’d always thought that it was just a part of her signature style. All the while, she was hiding something as dark as her husband abusing her.

Her head slowly nodded. “It doesn’t take much for him to get angry. I wish I knew why he was angry in the first place.”

“Knowing thewhywouldn’t change a thing,” I stated.

She accepted that. “You’re right. Still, I feared for my life every day in that house and there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it. Then, Heir called me. She was sick and needed me there for a few days. To think, he barely let me go.” Disgusted, she shook her head. “Once I got to Heir, she took one look at me and knew something was wrong. I’d been able to hide it from my children for so long. But my daughter is smart. She’sthe one who encouraged me to escape. The day I was supposed to come home, Duval’s security team just let me walk out of her apartment. They didn’t even try and chase me. DJ still doesn’t know. And even if he did…my son is still a Bell by blood. He’d choose his father every time, no matter what.”

Which meant, Auntie Maddie’s back had been against the wall.

“I’ve dealt with countless infidelities, which I thought I could handle. I figured he’d grow tired of it soon enough and return to the man I once knew him to be.”

“Until he didn’t.”

Solemnly, she nodded. “Why does a man feel the need to hurt someone who would doanythingfor him. I had his children, kept his home, and loved him deeper than anyone. Cheating is one beast. But abuse… Why me?”

In that moment, I hated it for my future daughters. I’d kill anyone who ever tried playing with her in such a way.

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