The next morning, Bella woke before her alarm. Sunlight slipped through the curtains in soft golden stripes, falling across the bedroom floor like spilled honey. She dressed quickly in a light blue sweater and comfortable jeans, leaving her hair loose around her shoulders. Her bag was already packed from the night before.

Leo was waiting in the car. He had insisted on driving her himself. Yesterday, work had kept him late, and he hadn’t spent any time with her. So this was his compromise, a few extra minutes alone before the day swallowed them both. He wore a dark gray suit, his hair styled back from his face, his jaw freshly shaved. After dropping Bella, he would head straight to a lunch meeting with clients. But right now, his eyes were soft, and that softness was only for her.

Bella slid into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Leo pulled away from the curb, one hand on the steering wheel, the other reaching for hers. Their fingers intertwined naturally, like they had done this a thousand times.

"So," Bella said, settling into her seat, "how was work yesterday? Anything exciting happen, or was it just the usual documents and scowling?"

Leo’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes: Annoyance, Amusement and Resignation. "Dominique happened."

Bella perked up immediately, twisting in her seat to face him. "Dom? What did he do this time?"

"He came to deliver Jason’s race tickets." Leo’s voice was flat, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Barged into a meeting with three clients. Announced himself as my brother-in-law."

Bella’s jaw dropped. Then she burst out laughing, the sound bright and unrestrained in the quiet car. "No. No way. He actually said that? In front of people?"

"He walked in waving an envelope like he was announcing a royal visit." Leo’s tone was dry as old paper. "Said, and I quote, Hello, Brother-in-law! Did you miss me?"

Bella was laughing so hard her eyes watered. She had to press a hand to her chest to catch her breath. "In front of clients.. Oh my god, Leo. That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. I wish I had been there. I would have paid money to see their faces."

Leo glanced at her, unimpressed. "It wasn’t funny at the time."

"Yes, it was."

"It was not."

"It was hilarious." She squeezed his hand, still grinning. "You have to admit, Dom has a gift. Not for business, obviously. But for chaos. Pure, beautiful chaos."

Leo’s jaw tightened slightly. "I don’t want to be his brother-in-law."

Bella’s grin widened. "Too bad. He’s already planning the wedding in his head. I can see it now. Flowers everywhere. Dom crying at the altar. Hazel pretending she’s not emotional while secretly wiping her eyes."

"There’s no wedding."

"There will be. You’ll see." Bella settled back, still smiling. "I can tell Dom loves Hazel. Like, really loves her. And I think she feels the same way, even if she’s too closed off to admit it yet. They’re closer than either of them realizes."

Leo’s eyes darkened for a moment. He was thinking about something else, something Dom had said year ago, when he had joked that if Leo hadn’t married Bella, he would have married her himself. Leo hadn’t forgotten. He would settle that score eventually. "Hmm. It won’t be easy for them."

Bella didn’t press. She just turned her head and watched the city blur past the window, the shops and cafes and trees heavy with morning light.

Leo drove with one hand, his other still holding hers, his thumb tracing slow, absent circles on her knuckles. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was comfortable, full of things that didn’t need words.

When they reached the campus gates, Leo parked the car. Bella turned to face him, leaned over, and kissed his cheek, then his lips. "Goodbye," she whispered.

Leo’s gray eyes held hers. He didn’t blink. Didn’t move. He just looked at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing, like everything else, the meetings, the clients, the city itself, was just background noise. "Goodbye," he whispered back.

Bella’s heart fluttered. She climbed out of the car, grabbed her bag, and walked toward the gates. Her steps were light, almost bouncing. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips were curved in a smile she couldn’t suppress, didn’t want to suppress. She didn’t look back, but she could feel his eyes on her, following her, watching her. The way he looked at her, like he could never get enough, like he would spend the rest of his life trying and still come up short.

She felt giddy. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

She waved without turning around, and she knew, she absolutely knew, he was still watching. The car didn’t move until she disappeared through the gates.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

Bella walked into campus with her heart full and her smile wide.

When she entered the classroom, Krystal was already holding court. She sat in the center of the room, surrounded by her usual group, laughing at something one of them had said. Her dark hair was sleek and shining, her makeup flawless, her outfit expensive and carefully chosen. Her appearance suggested she was attending a fashion show rather than a class for academic study.

Mira sat beside her, shoulders hunched, glasses slipping down her nose. She looked uncomfortable, her smile too bright, her laughter too quick, her eyes darting toward the door every few seconds like she was waiting for something, or someone. Upon seeing Bella, her face crumpled, and she cast her eyes downward in sorrow.

Bella looked away.

She walked to her seat near the window, set her bag down, and pulled out her notebook. Her hands were steady. Her breathing was calm. She didn’t look at Krystal, but she could feel the weight of Krystal’s gaze, watching her with that familiar smug expression, the one that said I’ve already won, and you don’t even know it yet.