Bella's heart ached for her. Winter's tears had soaked into her shirt, leaving a dark, damp spot on her shoulder. She could feel Winter's body trembling, just slightly, like a leaf in a gentle wind.
"Don't cry," Bella said softly, rubbing Winter's back in slow, soothing circles. "You have me. You have Sister Scarlett and Hazel."
Winter raised her head.
Her dark eyes were wide, shocked, glistening with fresh tears. She looked at Bella's face, then at her eyes, searching for something. Mockery maybe or pity, or the hidden joke that always seemed to be there when people were kind to her.
She found neither.
Bella turned to look at Scarlett and Hazel. "Right?" she asked.
Scarlett blinked. She had been watching the exchange with an unreadable expression, her arms crossed, her lips pressed together in a thin line. But at Bella's question, her face softened.
