Bella had just stepped out of the mall, the glass doors sliding shut behind her with a soft mechanical sigh. The afternoon air hit her face, warm and dusty, carrying the usual city mix of exhaust fumes and street food. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and headed toward the road, eyes already scanning for a cab. Her mind was elsewhere; half on Jack’s silence, half on Julia’s face from afar, half on the restless ache that had refused to leave her chest since prison gates opened.Then a voice cut through everything.“Bella.”She stopped mid-step.Her heart didn’t just skip. It slammed, hard enough to steal her breath. Slowly, too slowly, she turned.The woman standing a few steps behind her looked older, thinner, her hair streaked with grey and pulled back neatly, but the face,God, the face, was unmistakable. Time had carved lines into it, but it hadn’t erased it.Bella’s lips parted.“Mom?” she breathed, the word slipping out before she could stop it.The sound of it
Last Updated : 2026-01-28 Read more