Bella bit her lip. "I don't know," she admitted.
Miss J's voice was gentle. "Why not?"
Bella hugged a pillow to her chest. "Because it's not good. It's messy. It's amateur. He always says I'm perfect at everything, but I'm not. I can't paint. And I don't want him to see that. I don't want him to see me fail at something."
Miss J was quiet for a long moment.
Then she spoke, slow and thoughtful. "Bella, has he ever asked you to be perfect?"
Bella blinked. "No."
Miss J continued, "Has he ever made you feel like you had to be?"
Bella thought about it. Leo had never once criticized her. Never once made her feel less than. He celebrated her victories and held her through her defeats. He didn't expect her to be flawless. He just expected her to be his.
Bella's voice was barely a whisper. "Not really."
"Then why are you putting that pressure on yourself?"
Bella didn't have an answer.
