CHAPTER 79: LOSING BALANCE

Before Chloe could reply, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Rachel emerged, her hair slightly disheveled.

She blinked at the scene before here, Bella crying, Chloe tense beside her, and immediately she frowned in worry. "What’s going on here?"

Chloe looked up grimly. "Jake happened."

Rachel’s expression softened instantly. "Oh, no. What did he do?"

Bella let out a harsh laugh. "What didn’t he do? He made me believe he was different, and then I found him with another woman — Helena, whom had brought something for him from his mother. They’re together and everyone one in their family knows it. But that jerk didn’t even have the decency to tell me himself."

Rachel’s eyes widened. "Oh, Bella..."

"Don’t," Bella said, shaking her head. "Don’t pity me. I don’t want pity. I want to understand how I keep choosing men who make me feel like a fool."

Chloe reached for a tissue and handed it to her. "You don’t have to understand it tonight. Just let yourself be angry."

Bella took the tissue, wiped her cheeks roughly. "Oh, I’m beyond angry."

Rachel sat on the arm of the couch. "It feels like everything’s falling apart at once, doesn’t it?"

At that, both Bella and Chloe looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, her voice still hoarse.

Rachel wouldn’t say that if something wasn’t falling apart on her side too.

Rachel sighed and rubbed her temples. "Henry collapsed yesterday."

"What?" Chloe and Bella said in unison.

Rachel nodded. "It was scary. One minute he was insisting he could carry a bag of soil and tending roses, the next he just... fell."

"Oh my God, Rachel," Bella said, alarm cutting through her anger. "Is he okay?"

"He is now. The doctor said it was just exhaustion and stress. But still, it scared me."

Chloe frowned. "You’ve seen how nice he is, haven’t you?"

Rachel hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. He’s... different, Chloe. Softer than when I first started taking care of him. We’ve actually become... friends, I guess. He trusts me."

Bella managed a small, watery smile. "You always find a way to get through to people. Even the difficult ones."

Rachel shrugged. "Maybe. But now Sandra thinks I’m trying to replace her or reaching too far, I don’t know. It’s just so frustrating having her breathing on my neck for doing my job."

Chloe’s brows shot up. "Wait — Sandra? His granddaughter?"

Rachel gave a small, weary laugh. "The very same. She came by earlier today and started hinting that I was ’getting too involved with Henry.’"

Bella shook her head, exasperated. "So now kindness is a crime?"

Rachel’s lips quirked upward faintly. "Apparently." Then her expression sobered again. "Honestly, I’m just tired. Between taking care of Henry, and everything else... I feel like I’m losing balance."

Bella reached over and squeezed her hand. "Hey. You’re doing amazing. Don’t let Sandra or anyone else make you feel otherwise."

Rachel gave a small nod, eyes glistening. "Thanks."

For a moment, the three women sat in silence — sisters by blood and bond, each nursing a different wound.

Bella leaned back, letting out a long, shaky breath. "You know, I thought I’d finally found peace. Between work, Timothy starting school, Jake being so... present." She gave a humorless laugh. "Guess I was wrong again."

Chloe glanced toward the hallway where Timothy’s soft hums drifted faintly from his room. "He’s still playing with his toys," she said gently. "He doesn’t know you’re back."

Bella’s gaze softened. "Good. I don’t want him to see me like this."

"You’re allowed to break, Bella," Rachel said softly. "You’ve been strong for so long."

Bella turned to her sister, eyes full of weary gratitude. "Sometimes I wonder how much strength I even have left."

Chloe’s voice was firm, no-nonsense. "Enough to start over again, that’s for sure. We’ll deal with Jake later, but for now, you need to rest. You’re shaking."

Bella shook her head stubbornly. "I can’t rest. Every time I close my eyes, I see them. How can he be so cruel as to have me watch?"

Chloe’s jaw tightened. "You know what? I think I’ll go see him myself. Because if he really did that, he’s going to wish he never met me."

Bella almost smiled through her tears. "You’d probably bite his head off."

"Good," Chloe muttered. "He deserves worse."

Rachel gave a small chuckle despite herself. "Can we not add assault to our problems, please?"

"Fine," Chloe grumbled. "But I’m not promising anything."

The tension in the room eased just slightly, the faintest ripple of warmth threading through their exhaustion.

Bella sighed. "Thank you. Both of you. I don’t know what I’d do without you."

Rachel smiled gently. "We’re sisters. You don’t have to do anything alone."

Chloe nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We’ve got you — me, Rach, and even little Timothy. He’s your biggest fan."

That drew a genuine laugh out of Bella, although soft, broken, but it was real. "He really is, isn’t he?"

Chloe smiled. "Always will be. Now, let’s get you changed. I’ll make tea, Rachel can heat up dinner, and you can sit right here and breathe."

Bella looked between them, her chest tightening — not from pain this time, but from gratitude.

"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."

As Chloe moved toward the kitchen and Rachel headed for the microwave, Bella leaned back against the couch cushion and closed her eyes. The ache in her chest was still there, raw and throbbing, but the edges had softened just a little.

She wasn’t alone.

And even though the night had torn something precious from her, she knew that as long as she had her sister and her best friend, she’d find her way again.

*********

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