Bella returned home with a heavy heart, her mood somber and thoughts weighed down by her conversation with her mother. She collapsed onto the sofa, her mind swirling with unanswered questions about her father.
She had tried to pry out even the smallest details—his name, his origins—but Selena had remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal anything. In the end, Bella was left in the dark, knowing nothing about the man who had abandoned them. She had even promised her mother she would stop searching for him, but the emptiness gnawed at her.
Leaning forward, she covered her face with her hands, her elbows resting on her knees as the frustration and sorrow threatened to overwhelm her.
The door clicked open, and Theodore entered the room.
Bella slowly lowered her hands and looked up, weariness seeping into her appearance. Her eyes, still glistening from recent tears, met his, revealing the depth of her anguish.
