Chloe stepped through the door to the house she now called home. Expect it wasn't home. It wasn't what a home should feel like. A home should feel safe and warm. This house wasn't, but she'd rather be here then on the streets; homeless. This was simply a place to stay whilst she worked for Tom and cared for the only light to her life; her baby daughter, Isabella. She knew right from when she was pregnant that if she had a daughter, she would be named after the Bella's. The name held so much meaning. The Bella's were the family she never had, and they were the ones that she had loved and adored. She may not see them anymore, but every time she looked into her precious daughter's baby blue eyes, she'd be reminded of the love the Bella's had for her, the love she had for the Bella's, and the love she has for her baby; her rock. Chloe took off her thin and tattered coat, and headed upstairs to get back to her little girl after her days "work". "And where do you think you're off to Beale". She froze on her spot near the top of the stairs. The voice she'd come to hate belonged to Tom. "I've made enough money today Tom" she said as she reached into the back of her pant pocket to retrieve the money she had collected. "Yeah, well one more job needs doing" He replied in a stern voice, as he slowly creeped up the stairs. "Please Tom, I'll do it tomorrow I swear, but it's 1am and I need to see her" the red head pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. She hated leaving Isabella in the care of Tom and his friends, but in order for her to guarantee a shelter, food, and water for her daughter, Chloe had to complete little "deliveries" to Tom's clients. Otherwise, they'd be homeless, and broke. "You know the deal Chlo, I don't have time to argue with you, this needs shipping now. You'll probably be back in an hour" Something snapped in Chloe, she'd had enough. "No! I'm done for the day! I need to see Bella! You do it yourself if you're that desperate!" She probably blamed the outburst on the lack of sleep and food she's been having over the past few days, but as soon as Tom started racing up the stairs, she instantly regretted opening her mouth. A blur of her auburn hair mixed with Tom's brunette locks waved in front of her eyes as she was grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall. "What the hell did you just say to me? You ought to watch who you're talking to, you little slut! If I tell you a job needs doing, you fucking do it, no questions asked" Tears were escaping Chloe's eyes as Tom squeezed at her throat. She was so scared of him, especially when he's this angry. She tried to pull at his hands and get away from him, but this seemed to anger him even more. "You are on very thin ice Beale, I wouldn't push your luck if I were you, remember who's in charge here! Now I think I clearly stated that you had one last job for tonight, so I'd highly recommend walking down those stairs and getting to it" He said through gritted teeth, as he slipped the small bag into her pocket. With that, he let her go, she gasped for air, and ran as fast as she could to make that delivery.
To say that Tom underestimated the time Chloe took to get there and back would be exactly that; an understatement. It had just gone past 4am when Chloe creeped into her and her daughters shared bedroom. It wasn't much, just a small box room with a double bed and a wardrobe which contained all of their limited possessions. Chloe slowly opened the door, and was met with a sight that took away all of her troubles. With her stuffed toy that she took everywhere clutched to her chest and a paci in her mouth, lay her baby girl, curled up in a ball with her dirty blonde hair covering her face. As long as her daughter was ok, Chloe could cope. She loved her with all of her heart, and promised herself that she would never EVER let anyone hurt her little Bella. Exhausted, she slowly closed the door to their room, took off her only pair of jeans and put on her shorts and a baggy shirt, and settled into bed next to her daughter. It melted her heart when Bella sleepily grabbed her mom's shirt, snuggled right up to her, putting her head right underneath the redheads chin. The bond they had between them was undeniable. At almost 2 and a half years old, Bella wasn't the most talkative of toddlers, and she was extremally shy, but her smile was brightest when she was around her mom. When Chloe wasn't sent away by Tom, she spent every second with her baby girl, trying to teach her stuff, play with her, and making sure that she felt happy. It was a hard job as it meant that she had little sleep, but it was all worth it to see Bella smile. Of course it was heart breaking having to leave her in the arms of Tom, but he did care for her little girl, and it was the only way that Chloe would be able to provide for her. Tom would never put Bella in danger, just as long as Chloe did as she was told. He'd only take his anger out on Chloe, but that is something that the redhead had learnt to deal with.

Chloe was awoken almost 2 hours later with a loud banging at the front door. "POLICE, OPEN UP!" She was awake in no time, her eyes widening at the realisation. "Oh my god". This was bad. So bad. Tom had been caught. This was a drug raid. She needed to get out of there. She raced off of the bed and opened her wardrobe, chucking as much as she could in a bag, mainly Isabella's things. Her hands were shaking as she could hear the knocks on the door getting louder and more desperate. 10 seconds later and the majority of their possessions were zipped up in her bag. She chucked on her coat, quickly wrapping Isabella up in an oversized hoodie to keep her warm, and opened the window. They needed to get out. Just as the window opened, she heard what sounded like a door break down and heavy footsteps running around on the floor below. They must have spotted Tom and his mate's downstairs. She threw the bag over her shoulder, clutched her daughter to her chest, paci still in and stuffed duck still gripped tightly in the child's hand, and climbed down the escape route. They landed safely on the ground when she heard her bedroom door slam open. Time to run. She followed down the sidewalk and never looked back, carrying her baby in her arms, running as fast as her tired legs would carry her. She was scared, panicked, worried, but she had her daughter, and she had to hold it together for her. They'd be ok. Things would be different but they'd manage. They'd be ok.