Bella sat in the quiet aftermath of her mother’s words, her thoughts still scattered like broken glass.Rose’s tears had slowed, but the weight of what she had confessed still hung heavily in the air—thick, suffocating, impossible to ignore.Bella swallowed, trying to steady herself.Everything felt too fast.Too much.Too layered.As though her life had been rewritten while she was asleep and no one had thought to wake her before flipping the page.Her fingers curled slightly in her lap.“I won’t forgive myself if something happens to Olivia,” Rose whispered again, voice shaking as she wiped her face with trembling hands.Bella leaned forward immediately.“You are not to blame,” she said firmly, brushing her mother’s tear-streaked cheek. “And nothing will happen to Olivia. I promise you.”Her voice was steady, even if her heart wasn’t.Behind her, Dave Stark’s presence anchored her. He didn’t speak at first—just placed a hand gently on her shoulder, grounding her, steadying the emoti
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