Morning came slowly, the pale light slipping into the unfamiliar room. Isabella groaned as she sat up, her head pounding, her throat dry. A heavy hangover weighed her down. She pressed her temples and squinted at the room around her. It wasn't hers.
Confusion struck. She tried to remember, tried to stitch together the night before. The last thing she recalled clearly was the hospital… her mother… being rushed in. Panic clawed at her chest.
Her eyes darted around until she spotted her phone on the bedside table. She grabbed it instantly, flipping it over. Dozens of missed calls. Dozens of unread messages. Her father's name glared at her from the screen like a curse.
Before she could open them, the door clicked.
Ava stepped inside, carrying a tray with breakfast. She didn't say a word. She just placed it carefully on the bed beside Isabella, her movements quiet but sharp with meaning.
Isabella's eyes lifted to her. Her heart skipped. "Ava…"
Ava didn't look at her. She straightened the tray and pulled the blanket up slightly over Isabella, as though she was caring for her while holding herself back at the same time. Her silence was heavier than anger.
"I—what happened last night?" Isabella's voice was soft, almost afraid of the answer.
"You don't remember?" Ava finally spoke, but her tone was cold. "Your mother was rushed to the hospital. You drank yourself nearly unconscious I don't know when, probably after you left my office. I had to take care of you."
Isabella winced, guilt flickering in her chest. "My mom… is she okay?"
"She's stable." Ava's voice cracked, but she kept her eyes down. "Don't worry. The perfect daughter is still needed, isn't she?"
Isabella slowly reached out, her trembling fingers brushing against the edge of the blanket. She wanted to touch Ava's hand, to hold it, to stop her from slipping away again. But Ava pulled back, standing near the window with her arms crossed, her face cold.
"Nine years, Bella," Ava said, her voice low but sharp. "You left me for nine good years… and now you think it's that easy to come back?"
Isabella's heart sank. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. All she could do was stare at the woman she had loved all her life—the only woman she had ever loved—and see the hurt burning in her eyes.
"Please, Ava…" Isabella whispered, her voice breaking. She reached again, desperate, but Ava turned away.
Just then, Ava's phone rang on the table. The sound cut through the silence like a knife. Ava sighed heavily, snatched it up, and answered.
"Hello?" she said, her tone changing. It was Dolly from the hospital, asking why she hadn't returned to her shift.
"Yes, I'll be there soon," Ava said quickly, rubbing her forehead as though the weight of everything pressed too hard on her shoulders.
Without another glance at Isabella, she walked out of the room.
For a moment, Isabella sat frozen, staring at the closed door. Then, slowly, she pushed herself up from the bed, her legs weak but determined to follow. She needed to talk, to explain, to beg if she had to.
But as she stepped toward the door, her eyes caught something on the shelf by the dresser. A framed picture. She paused.
It was Ava. Beside her stood an older woman—her mother—and a tall white man with kind eyes. Two children, a boy and a girl, stood in front of them, looking around the same age.
Isabella's breath caught. She bent closer, staring at the happy smiles frozen in time. For a moment, she forgot everything—the hospital, the argument, even following Ava. All she could see was Ava's face in that picture, glowing with a kind of joy Isabella had never seen before.
The click of the door jolted her. Her heart jumped, and she rushed back to the bed, grabbing the tray of food and pretending to eat.
Ava stepped in, her sharp eyes landing on Isabella immediately.
"What were you doing?" Ava asked, suspicion dripping from her voice.
Isabella forced a small smile, lifting a fork. "Eating breakfast. Will you join me?"
Ava shook her head slowly, disbelief on her face. "I have to go back to the hospital. I might not come back tonight. And… Everyone else already left for work or school. They'll only be home in the evening."
Isabella went quiet again, her eyes fixed on Ava. She couldn't stop admiring her. The way her hair framed her face, the calm confidence she carried, the maturity that made her even more breathtaking than before.
"Hey!" Ava snapped her fingers slightly. "Are you listening?"
Isabella blinked, startled. "Yes, I am." She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "Will you… help me take a shower, get dressed, and leave with you?"
Ava looked at her, her lips parting as if she would answer. But instead, she glanced at her watch, her face hardening again.
"Too late," she said firmly. She grabbed her car keys from the table and turned to leave.
At that moment, a servant entered the room. Ava paused, her voice clipped. "Take care of her," she instructed, her tone almost cold.
Without another look at Isabella, Ava walked out, the sound of the closing door echoing in the room.
Isabella sat still on the bed, her chest aching. She could still smell Ava's perfume in the air, still feel the sting of her rejection.
For the first time in nine years, Isabella realized how truly hard it might be to win Ava back.
She shifted uneasily in the bed, her eyes falling on the young woman quietly standing by the door.
"Hi, I'm Isabella… but you can call me Bella. Nice to meet you." Bella introduced herself looking up at her with a smile
The servant gave a small respectful smile and bowed her head slightly.
"I'm Hazel. Nice to meet you too, Ms. Bella."
"Are you Ava's personal helper?"
"I'm more with Ms. Ava, yes… but I also help the rest of the family when needed, Ms. Bella."
Isabella stood up slowly, her eyes wandering to the wall where several family pictures hung in golden frames. She reached out and gently lifted one from the table, running her fingers along the edge. The image showed Ava, smiling brightly with her parents by her side. Isabella's chest tightened.
"I really don't want to ask you about Ava's family… but it will be hard to get that directly from her at the moment. And I'm a little impatient." She chuckled softly, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Would you mind helping me out?"
But Hazel didn't respond. She just stood there, staring at Bella as though she was caught in a memory. Isabella frowned, lowering the frame back to the table.
"Hazel?"
Hazel blinked, snapping out of her daze.
"Sorry, Ms. Bella. Really sorry."
"What happened?"
Hazel shook her head quickly, forcing a smile.
"Nothing, Ms. Bella."
But deep down, Hazel's heart was racing. She couldn't tell Bella what had just flashed across her mind. She couldn't let her know that this wasn't the first time they'd met.