The therapist secret

Chapter 14

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Bella sat in her office long after Layla had left, the silence of the room wrapping around her like a vice. The moment Layla had mentioned *him*, something had shifted inside her, an ache blooming in her chest that she hadn't been prepared for. It was one thing to harbor feelings in secret, to nurse a quiet hope that maybe Layla felt something too. It was another thing entirely to sit there, face-to-face with the truth—that Layla was drifting toward someone else.

Bella's hands trembled slightly as she reached for her mug, the once-warm tea now cold. She took a sip anyway, the bitter liquid doing nothing to soothe the knot in her throat. Layla's words echoed in her mind, over and over, each repetition digging deeper into her heart.

*He makes things feel easier.*

Easier.

Of course Layla would want easy. She had been through enough, been battered by the weight of her own trauma, and the last thing she needed was to be caught up in Bella's complicated feelings. But that didn't make the ache in Bella's chest any less sharp. It didn't stop the sting of knowing that while Layla turned to someone else for comfort, Bella was left sitting here, barely holding herself together.

A tear slipped down Bella's cheek before she even realized it. She swiped it away quickly, as if trying to erase the evidence of her vulnerability, but more tears followed, slipping silently down her face. She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, willing herself to pull it together, but it was no use. The dam had broken, and the flood of emotions she'd been holding back for so long crashed over her, overwhelming her.

She thought about Layla, about every moment they had shared. The way Layla's laugh filled the room, light and musical, even when things were hard. The way her eyes softened when she talked about something she loved—books, music, moments from her childhood that still carried a hint of joy amidst the pain. Bella had fallen in love with those moments, with the pieces of Layla that had fought so hard to survive, even when the world had tried to break her.

But now, it felt like those pieces were slipping away, falling into the hands of someone who didn't know the whole story. Someone who didn't understand Layla the way Bella did.

And maybe that was what hurt the most—knowing that despite everything they had shared, despite how deeply Bella cared, it might not be enough.

*It might never be enough.*

The thought sent a fresh wave of tears coursing down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to keep the sobs quiet, contained. It felt foolish to cry like this, to let herself unravel over someone who didn't even know how she felt. But she couldn't stop it. The pain of unspoken love, of watching Layla slip through her fingers, was too much to hold in.

Bella leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her face buried in her hands as the tears came in earnest now. She cried for all the things she hadn't said, all the moments she had held herself back, too afraid to cross the line between therapist and friend, too afraid to risk everything.

And she cried for Layla, for the pain she had seen etched into her every expression, for the weight of the past that still haunted her. Bella wanted nothing more than to be the person Layla turned to, the one who made her feel safe, who made things *better* instead of easier.

But maybe that wasn't what Layla wanted.

Maybe Bella had been wrong all along, misreading the moments between them, hoping for something that wasn't really there. Maybe Layla had never felt the same way.

The thought was like a punch to the gut, stealing the breath from Bella's lungs. She sat there, shattered and heartbroken, the tears flowing freely now as she faced the truth she had been avoiding for so long.

She loved Layla.

She loved her in a way that was deep and consuming, in a way that terrified her, because she had no idea what to do with it. She had been so careful, so restrained, always holding back to protect Layla, to protect herself. But now, it felt like that restraint had only left her alone, on the outside of something that could have been real.

And as Bella sat there, broken and raw, she realized something that made her heart ache even more.

She wasn't sure if she could keep pretending. She wasn't sure if she could keep holding back when it hurt this much.

But the alternative—telling Layla how she felt—was just as terrifying. Because what if Layla didn't feel the same? What if this was the end of everything?

Bella wiped at her eyes, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside her. She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to stand, to move, even though every part of her felt like it was crumbling.

She didn't have the answers yet. But one thing was certain: something had to change.

Because loving Layla in silence was tearing her apart.

And she wasn't sure how much longer she could bear it.