22
Present Day
Ryan had just finished lunch when someone knocked on his door. He put his plate in the sink and finished his water. Before he made it to the door, whoever it was pounded on the door.
“I’m coming!” he shouted, rushing to the door. “Bella?”
She pushed past him into the house. She walked to the far side of the kitchen then back toward him.
Ryan watched her frantic movements. He closed the door silently behind him and took stock of Bella. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her cheeks splotchy. She wore a black long-sleeved tee under her unbuttoned coat and jeans. Her shoes were definitely s**t-kickers, and if the look in her watery eyes was any indication, that’s exactly what she’d come to do.
“Are you okay?”
Bella shook her head.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen
