ISABELLE “Nothing,” I said quickly. “Sage is just teasing me. Ignore her.”But Mom was looking at me differently now—curious, hopeful.“Bella,” she said slowly. “Are you seeing someone?”I opened my mouth.Closed it.I couldn’t tell her about Matt. I couldn’t explain the contract, the arrangement, the complications.But I also couldn’t lie to her face.So I said nothing.And my silence was answer enough.Mom’s eyes filled with tears.“Mom, don’t cry,” I said quickly, panic rising. “You’re supposed to be healing. No stress, remember?”“These are happy tears,” she said, her voice thick. “Bella, ever since I heard the news about Dave and Aurora, I’ve been so worried for you. The kind of pain it is to lose your best friend and your partner at the same time—I couldn’t bear thinking about you going through that alone.”“Mom, please don’t mention them,” I said gently. “Life happens. People fall apart. It’s in the past now.”“I know, but—” Her voice broke. “To make it worse, I kept pressurin
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