Next Day
The morning light was pale and cold, filtering through the windows like it didn't quite want to enter. The world outside was gray, the sky heavy with clouds that hadn't decided whether to rain. Leo stood in the doorway of the dance studio, watching Bella move across the floor.
She had been at it for over an hour.
Her body was tired, he could see it in the way her arms trembled, the way her landings were slightly off, the way she paused between moves to catch her breath. But she didn't stop. She kept going, kept turning, kept reaching, kept falling and rising again. Her reflection in the mirror was a blur of motion, a ghost dancing in the pale morning light.
Samantha wasn't even here yet. Bella was practicing alone.
Leo's chest tightened.
