Chapter 42: A Village in Turmoil.

Months had passed since Bella left her village with Elizabeth. Her mother had kept in touch with Elizabeth, visiting her occasionally to check on her well-being. However, not everyone in the village was pleased with Bella's decision to leave.

Bella's father was still fuming about her departure. He had arranged for her to marry a man of his choice, but she had refused and run away instead. He couldn't understand why she would defy him like that, and he blamed her mother for not controlling her better.

"If anything happens to her, you'll face the consequences," he would often say to his wife, his voice trembling with anger.

Bella's mother tried to calm him down, explaining that their daughter was old enough to make her own decisions. But Bella's father wouldn't listen. He was convinced that he knew what was best for his daughter, and he couldn't accept that she had chosen a different path.

As the days turned into weeks, the tension in the village grew. Some people sided with Bella's father, saying that she had been foolish to leave her village and family behind. Others supported Bella's decision, arguing that she had the right to choose her own path in life.

Elizabeth, who had been keeping in touch with Bella's mother, tried to stay out of the conflict. She knew that Bella had made her decision, and she respected that. But she also knew that Bella's family was suffering, and she wished that there was a way to resolve the situation peacefully.

As the sun began to set on another day in the village, Bella's father sat on his porch, his eyes fixed on the horizon. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had lost his daughter forever, and it filled him with a deep sadness.