The Bad Boy Craves Me✔

40. The truth part 2

As I confronted Maria alone, the detective reluctantly granted us a brief moment. The rest of the officers and my family had gathered in the kitchen, leaving one cop stationed nearby to keep an eye on us. I noticed Kristen and the guys standing a few feet away, engaged in conversation.

"Why?" I managed to question Maria, my voice filled with a mix of confusion, anger, and a tinge of hurt.

"Why?" she mocked, a cruel smirk playing on her lips. "Because you have everything, and I wanted it. Plus, Mom and Dad were the ones who orchestrated everything. They were broke and needed money," she shrugged nonchalantly, as if it meant nothing to her. "I can't believe I pretended to like you for so long. You make me sick. I'm way better than you, and even Kristen knew that!" she shouted, her words cutting through me like sharp blades.

My heart pounded, a knot forming in my stomach. The person I once considered a friend had revealed her true colors, and it stung deeply.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I taunted, trying to mask my hurt with a facade of strength.

"Kristen even said it when we made love," she laughed, her voice dripping with malice. A surge of anger and disbelief coursed through my veins, mingling with the hurt I was already feeling.

"What?" I gasped, my voice trembling with shock and betrayal.

"Just after he fucked you, we made romantic love," she sang happily, relishing in my distress, her words like venomous daggers aimed directly at my heart.

"That's a lie!" I yelled, my voice cracking with a mixture of anger, hurt, and vulnerability. It felt as if the ground beneath me was crumbling, as if the trust I had placed in Kristen was being shattered before my eyes.

I turned to Kristen, my eyes pleading for him to confirm or deny Maria's claim. The hope in my heart struggled against the overwhelming doubt that threatened to consume me.

"The fuck, Bella? Do you really think that low of me, to have sex with someone else? I told you, Bella, those days are done," he said firmly, his hands gently cradling my face, his touch providing a momentary solace amidst the turmoil inside me.

A bittersweet relief washed over me, mixed with a lingering sense of betrayal. It was a fragile reassurance that perhaps the foundation of our relationship had not crumbled completely.

Maria, frustrated by our exchange, glared at us and spat, "How did you figure out where Antonio was?"

"I placed a recorder inside your phone after we started fake dating," Kristen revealed, his voice laced with a smugness born out of triumph and the desire for justice. "I listened to you telling the kidnappers to move Antonio to a different location, which you inadvertently revealed during the call. I then had Bella fake being hurt so you would stay at the hospital with her. That bought us some time to find Antonio. We knew that if you had any suspicion about what was going on, you would have him moved."

My emotions swirled in a turbulent mix of anger, relief, and a lingering sense of sadness. Maria's actions had caused irreparable damage, not only to our friendship but also to my sense of security and trust in others.

"There was never an 'us,' Maria," Kristen continued, his voice filled with disgust and disappointment. "I tolerated your actions when it came to Steff, but I drew the fucking line when you tried to hurt Bella. You disgust me, and you're lucky I didn't put a bullet in your pathetic head."

She then turned to me, glaring with venom in her eyes. "You have everything. Everyone loves you and tries to protect you, and all I have are two cracked-up parents who only care about money! You wouldn't last a day in my shoes, and I knew I just had to get my hands on it."