Chloe drove with both hands on the wheel, her knuckles faintly pale against the leather. Her lips were pressed into a thin line of focus as she guided the car down the quieter road leading away from Timothy's school.
The morning rush had finally calmed, leaving the city in a soft, slow rhythm. Pale sunlight spilled across the dashboard, warm enough to soften shadows but not enough to ease the tightness sitting in Bella's chest.
Bella sat curled toward the window, her head leaning slightly against the glass. The world outside slid by but everything felt distant, blurred, almost muted.
Inside her bag was the apology note Jake had left.
I was folded there, harmless looking, yet it weighed on her like a stone.
She didn't even have to touch it to feel it. It was simply there, as if it had its own pulse, its own breath, whispering reminders she didn't want to hear.
He says he's giving me space, yet he won't even let me forget him for a moment.
