MOMMY LEFT the room to retrieve her boyfriend from upstairs. Bella did not stop quietly crying and shaking the entire time, feeling terrified as she anticipated what would happen to her. Her trembling fingers flew up to wipe her nose and eyes as she kept her gaze locked on the ground.

"Bella," Cole said, his voice serious.

Bella continued to stare at the floor, her hair sticking to her face as tears continued sliding down her cheeks.

"If her boyfriend..." Cole trailed off. He couldn't even say it, he seemed visibly sick at the mere thought of something awful happening. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "This is messed up; it's not your fault that her stupid dress was ruined."

In Cole's eyes, it seemed as if this situation was deeper to him than just the simple fact of not wanting anything to happen to Bella. His fear was visibly greater than his worry and exasperation, and Bella wondered why he cared so much.

She sniffled and couldn't help the hot tears welling in her eyes. Elliot was standing right next to Cole, his arms still wrapped around his legs as he stared at Bella.

"I'm dead," Bella whispered, watching the door again. "They're going to kill me, I know they will."

Elliot immediately tightened his grip around Cole's leg as he began to snivel in pure fear.

Cole swore under his breath, his accent thick with the frustration in his tone. Bella watched as he swallowed hard and leaned his head back against the wall. "If they haven't killed me yet, they're not going to kill you."

When the door suddenly flew open, Bella jumped to her feet in alarm.

Mommy sauntered eerily into the room and watched with a sick smirk on her lips as Bella's entire body trembled. Her boyfriend stood at the doorway behind her in a powerful stance, the hood of his black sweatshirt over his head, shadowing any distinct facial features.

He stepped into the room and Bella's back hit the wall.

Mommy's arms were crossed in front of her chest and her beady eyes were stalking every movement Bella made. Bella just breathed heavily, absolutely terrified of what was going to happen. Her trembling fingers flew up to wipe her nose and mouth as she attempted to avoid all eye contact with Mommy.

"Don't be scared, this is what you deserve. It'll be over before you know it," Mommy comforted in a condescending tone. She turned to her boyfriend and deadpanned, "Take the slut to the room and do whatever you want to her. I can't even look at this bitch anymore."

Her boyfriend stood there, facing Bella, his shoulders rising and falling as he began walking closer to Bella. He was large and tall, much more immense than Bella had remembered, and she felt engulfed in his shadow as he moved at a quicker pace over to her. Bella's teeth gritted together when he reached out to grab her - his fingers were large and outstretched and she was in full defense mode. She kicked him directly in his stomach and punched his shoulder as hard as she could, feeling his hard muscle against her knuckles.

"Stay away from me!" Bella cried out, and Mommy's boyfriend doubled over in momentary pain before his arm latched around Bella's small body and pulled her against him.

She knew that normally, she would have way more strength than she did at that moment, but she was starving and exhausted, and it was all happening so fast.

Her heart started pounding as she recognized that this situation could be her very last moments, and a large rock formed in her throat that she could hardly breathe around.

Bella flailed and kicked, but Mommy's boyfriend's arm was locked tight around her stomach, crushing her rib cage and restricting her lungs. She could hear, in the background of a ringing in her ears, Mommy's low and mocking laughter.

Her blurry vision saw Cole trying desperately to break free from the rope restricting his wrists, and Elliot sitting in the corner, his body racking with inaudible sobs.

"Ti odio così fottutamente tanto!" Cole suddenly yelled out, his accent thick with frustration. "Fuck both of you! Leave..." his breath was so heavy and his face was tinted red, "leave her alone."

Bella stared at Cole and shook her head, burning tears falling down her cheeks. She didn't want his help - she didn't want him getting hurt any longer. One more beating would surely kill him.

Bella felt Mommy's boyfriend's arm tighten around her stomach, and she exhaled in pain, bringing her fingers up to try and pry his arm away from her but to no avail. She dug her growing fingernails into his arm so hard, she could feel that she was deep in his flesh, but he barely flinched.

Mommy's small, skeletal fingers rested against her boyfriend's shoulder for a second as she walked closer to Cole and put her hands on her hips. He stared at her, his expression filled with clear hatred.

"How could you?" Mommy asked Cole, her voice breaking as she touched her palm to her chest. "After everything I've done for you?"

"Questa donna è fottutamente folle," Cole mumbled to himself before he began laughing - it was a tight, breathy and sarcastic laugh. "You're an ugly bitch. I'm glad I'm not actually your son," he spat, and Bella wanted to scream at him. This was practically a death wish.

"Take that bitch out of here, right now," Mommy ordered her boyfriend, and her boyfriend obediently started towards the door, but not before Bella latched onto Mommy's arm.

"Don't hurt him, he didn't mean it," Bella pleaded quickly, her tone filled with panic as she gripped harder onto Mommy's arm.

"I meant it," Cole immediately contradicted, his ice coloured eyes piercing through Mommy.

"You're an idiot!" Bella cried out to him in frustration.

Cole leaned against the wall, his eyes moving between Mommy and her boyfriend.

"Try to hurt me all you want," Cole said to Mommy, "but I'll probably only learn my lesson if your boyfriend helps."

Mommy's dark eyes were fully obsidian as she grew angrier. She turned to her boyfriend, her wrinkled lip curled in distaste.

"Honey, we're just going to punish my ungrateful son before we get to my slutty daughter," Mommy growled, before she threaded her fingers through Bella's hair and yanked Bella from her boyfriend's grip.

Bella squealed in pain and grabbed onto Mommy's fingers, which held her hair tight in a fierce grip. Mommy dragged her towards the doorway and Bella cried out protests, trying to dig her bare heels into the ground but it was no use.

"I'll deal with you after," Mommy growled, her rotting teeth clenched together as she then tossed Bella out the door of the basement, slamming the door shut.

Bella hit the floor hard, falling on her back with pain gnawing at her tailbone. She stared at the door of the room with wide eyes and a lump in her throat as she slowly and cautiously stood to her feet, using the cold, brick wall for support. She nervously played with her fingers, pacing back and forth.

She heard a low, painful groan on the other side of the door, and she instantly recognized Cole's hoarse voice.

Bella jumped and put her shaking fingers over her ears, before she noticed something strange.

The door leading to the upstairs of the house was cracked open, letting a thin strip of light through the corridor of the basement. Bella couldn't believe her eyes as she almost immediately started up the wooden stairs.

Every step she took exerted a lot of energy; she felt so weak, she almost started crawling up the stairs. But each time her foot hit a step, the wood creaked loudly and echoed throughout the corridor, so she knew she had to be quiet and patient.

This was it - her chance to escape - she almost couldn't believe her luck and she prayed desperately that everything would work out. That she would run outside, and go to the nearest person she found, and tell them everything that was happening. That the police would come and throw Mommy and her boyfriend in prison, and the three of them would be safe and free.

Bella looked behind her shoulder every few seconds to make sure nobody was watching her.

Before she knew it, she was at the top of the steps, and the inside of Mommy's house was right in front of her eyes.