The drive back home was quiet, the kind of quiet that let Bella's thoughts crowd and echo louder than the city noise outside.
Raymond's voice still lingered in her ears — that broken edge to his tone when he'd admitted his father had stripped him of everything, the way his eyes had softened when she told him he was more than what everyone painted him to be.
She shook her head as she pulled into Chloe's street, forcing those thoughts away. It was late. Timothy would be asleep by now. That was all that mattered.
She sighed as she got off the car and headed to the door.
When she pushed the door open, the sound of soft laughter reached her. Chloe and Rachel were curled up on the sofa, the glow of the television flickering across their faces.
Rachel, sat cross-legged in her hoodie and jeans, her long dark hair tied up in a messy bun. Chloe leaned comfortably beside her, a blanket tossed over her legs.
Both women looked up the second Bella walked in.
