“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Belle comforted me. “Honestly, I'm not surprised by their actions. Why didn't you send someone in your stead when you already expected that?” I sniffed, blowing my nose—now red from blowing it all morning. “I wanted to see it to the end, and… I hoped they had changed. Anyway, that's enough about them.” I sat up, facing her, my expression shifting to a more serious one. “I didn't come here to cry about them.” “Okay… this sounds really serious. Did something else happen?” Her voice was filled with worry. I shook my head, unsure of how to bring it up. “It has to do with yours and Curtis' plans, right?” I nodded slowly, playing with my fingers. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why do I feel like it has to do with me?” “Well. It does…” I paused. “

