Before too long, I notice my skin is wrinkled and my body is now warm, so I slowly step out of the bath and wrap a towel around myself. I stand in the bathroom for a moment, my body weary now, and I know it is late. The early hours are a ridiculous time to be having a bath, so I am glad no one can hear me. I open the bathroom door, eager to crawl into bed again, but I stop short when I see him sitting in his armchair looking directly at me. A questioning look of concern etched onto his face.

“Everything alright, Bella?” he asks, swirling his whiskey in the crystal glass. My eyes flick to the clock; it is 3am.

“Yes, everything’s fine. I was just cold,” I say, gripping the towel around my chest, acting as casually as possible. I know he knows something isn’t right, but I can’t bring myself to tell him. We are just starting to enjoy each other, and until I’m forced to leave, this is how I want it to stay. I feel like a normal woman with him, not the poor girl from the trailer park, not the girl with a sick momma. If I tell him I have a lump in my breast, then he will undoubtably treat me differently. For the first time in my life, I have someone who treats me like a woman, and I don’t want that to change.

He stands then, walking slowly across the room toward me. I should tell him; I know I should. He likes honesty, and I can tell from our nighttime talks he appreciates me opening up to him and telling him about my life. But no matter if I want to or not, my lips remain shut.

“You’re cold?” he asks as he stands in front of me, and as if on cue, my skin is covered in goosebumps, but not because I am cold. This man has me feeling all kinds of things that I haven’t felt before. I have experienced more with Dante since being here than I have in all my 21 years. Not having a boyfriend was not really something I planned or thought about, it is just the way my life has been. I haven’t been living in a bubble. I wasn’t saving myself or waiting for Mr. Right. I just had other priorities, and myself and boys wasn’t one of them. I have never been a priority to myself or anyone else. My life has revolved around working to pay the bills, and then spending all my time looking after my mom. I don’t even know who I am outside of that.