CHAPTER SEVEN

ELLA'S POV

I finally got home after the long day. All I wanted was to go to my room and collapse on my bed. But when I entered the house, I was surprised to see Mom sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine.

"Mom? What are you doing home so early?"

"What, I can't come home to my own house now?" She replied with a small chuckle.

I laughed lightly. "No, of course you can. I just figured you'd still be at the salon."

"I decided to close up early for once. With so few customers , it wasn't worth staying open. Figured I'd come home and relax a bit."

I nodded, though I felt a bit worried. Business at the salon had been slow lately. It was our main source of income, since Dad left. I tried not to stress too much about it though. Mom always seemed bright, even when money was tight.

"Rough day?" she asked, patting the couch cushion next to her. I sank down with a sigh, letting my heavy backpack slide to the floor.

"Just long," I said, not wanting to get into the whole story.

"Aw, my