Woman waits for a flight in South Carolina airport. Then she overhears a husband say something disturbing: ‘Bella if you see this please get away’
A woman overheard a conversation in the Charleston Airport on Christmas Eve that confused and frightened her. She believes she may have witnessed an abusive relationship in front of her eyes, which has led her to try to find the victim and warn her against staying.
Molly MacLean (@molmacyogi), a TikToker and fitness instructor, overheard the conversation at around 5:45 a.m. According to her, a man at Common Ale Works was repeatedly telling his presumed partner to “suck it up,” among other concerning warnings.
Since posting about the exchange, MacLean’s video has reached 127,000 views. Many are wondering whether “Bella,” the woman MacLean saw at Common Ale Works, has left the man or seen the video. TikTokers have tried to identify “Bella,” but have struggled to find her based on MacLean’s description.
“Bella, if you see this…” wrote one commenter. “Please please get away. I’ve been there. It never stops, it only gets worse. If you need help getting away, let us know (even in a message) so we can help you.”
What happened to Bella at the Charleston Airport?
According to MacLean, who was sitting at Common Ale Works before her flight with her fiancé, “Bella” and a man were seated at a nearby table. At first, MacLean thought the man was joking when he repeatedly told the woman to “suck it up.” But she noticed that he leaned into her ear and was speaking with a concerning, aggressive tone.
The situation escalated, with the man telling Bella things like, “I can’t stand you,” and “you suffocate me.” He told her that she was “weak, gross, and disgusting” at one point.
MacLean described Bella as looking “so defeated and so quiet.” She told the man, “I don’t like when you do this,” which made the man accuse her of not loving him.
“It was really threatening. He was angry to a point where I felt like if I said anything, that he would either lash out at me or my fiance,” MacLean said.
Around 12 hours later, MacLean posted about the experience to TikTok in hopes of finding Bella and warning her to leave. “It’s really scary. Like he’s really scary,” MacLean said.
Who is Bella?
Some commenters took to sleuthing to find out who “Bella” really is. Based on the fact that she was at the Charleston airport at 5:45 a.m. on Christmas Eve, many figured she was local to South Carolina, but MacLean was not sure.
A few viewers looked up various Bellas and reached out to them with concerns.
One of those Bellas, Bella Cohen, commented on the video and let MacLean’s audience know she was not a match. “Thank you to those who have reached out to me (Bella Cohen). This is not me but praying the other Bella gets away from this man!!!”
MacLean described Bella as “thin and in shape, beautiful, tan [with] dark hair.” She mentioned that the woman had a long coat on. Her boyfriend or partner was wearing “a Santa hat [and] children’s pajamas.” Both looked to be in their late 20s to mid-30s.
Why did some commenters criticize MacLean’s actions at the Charleston Airport?
Some viewers thought that MacLean, who witnessed the event, should have stepped into the situation and attempted to get some form of contact from Bella.
MacLean argued that it would worsen the situation and possibly put Bella in danger later. In her video, she recounted, “ Obviously I know that if I said anything, then his victim would be getting the brunt of that later on when they’re alone. So I didn’t say anything, and I have not stopped thinking about it.”
Many abusers indeed retaliate against their partners when they reach private areas, as they have the opportunity to punish them. Retaliation abuse can result in escalating conflict or coercive control, which further isolates the victim. Often, abusers blame their victims for being exposed in public spaces and use gaslighting to pin the situation on them.
For instance, many abusers will vie for control if their victim escapes by taking advantage of the legal system. They’ll make legal threats as a way of intimidating their victim into silence. They’ll create legal complaints as a way of draining time, money and resources, sometimes even if there’s no precedent for the claim itself. These strategies are methods of controlling the narrative and keeping the victim focused on them rather than other things.
Abusers attack for any number of reasons. They can snap if their partners move too quickly or don’t move quickly enough. In one case, a Mississippi lawmaker was arrested on charges of domestic violence, which he attributed to his wife moving “too slowly” while undressing. The reality is that unpredictability is incredibly dangerous for women.
@molmacyogi Do you know a Bella that was traveling at the Charleston SC airport this morning around 5:45 am? #foryoupage #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound – Molly MacLean
Could MacLean’s intervention have done anything?
Bella’s partner already displayed some of these tendencies while in the airport. He portrayed classic Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender (DARVO) actions when flipping the argument onto Bella and asking if she even “loved him.” Despite the fact that immediately prior to his comment, he was saying that she was “disgusting,” he managed to victimize himself at that moment.
It’s impossible to know how MacLean’s intervention may have affected the situation, but there is a chance it would have been punishing for Bella. Abusers and narcissistic personalities don’t always operate with the same social expectations that other people do. Abuse almost always escalates, and anything could tip off an abuser and create an escalated situation.
The Mary Sue reached out to MacLean to see if she has identified anyone resembling Bella since her last post.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
