Pain.
That's all that Isabella has experienced for the past 16 years. The pain of the abuse she faces from her boyfriend and step father. The pain of her loneliness at home. The pain of 'not being good enough'.
But she's learnt to tune it out. She's...
"I loved you for so many years, but you didn't exist"
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I blink a bit, adjusting to the change in lighting.
The sun starts to flood into my room as it rises, painting the sky varying shades of yellow, orange and pink. My room has a slight orangey hue to it. I stare out my open curtains that I forgot to close last night, mesmerised by the colours.
I finally convince myself to get up and go downstairs for some form of breakfast. Closing the door behind me, I head out into the hallway and start walking to the kitchen.
A glance at the clock in the wall tells me the time is 7.30am. Vince said the family was coming in the morning, but he didn't say what time. Hopefully he'll be in the kitchen and I can ask about it.
I'm still a bit nervous about meeting them. I haven't seen them since I was 2, so there's no way I'll remember them. But they'll probably remember me. Most of them at least.
I have that stunning black dress to wear as well that Lorenzo bought while I was kidnapped. It caught my eye, something drew me to it. I guess it could've been because I only wore white dresses due to Evan forcing me, so the black is a complete power change for me.
Without realising, I have already reached the staircase. I begin going down it, much faster than I did when I first got here. I assume that's what happens usually when your ribs aren't fractured.
I reach the bottom, hearing quiet chatter from the kitchen. There must be only a few of them in there, and Leo definitely isn't there. If he was, I would be able to tell from my room.
I walk through the door into the kitchen to find out who's in there. Vince, Ricardo, Marco and Lorenzo are sitting and standing in various spots around the kitchen island.
"Good morning." I yawn while I enter the room. Their heads turn at my words, having caught their attention.
"Good morning, Iz." Ricardo greets from his seat at the bench. The rest give me nods of acknowledgement, which makes me smile at their attempts to stay emotionless.
"Vince, what time is everyone getting here?" I ask him while making my way to the fridge to find food. He's standing at the end of the bench, just like where he sits at the dining table for dinner.
"They landed just now, they should be here at about 9. They've got some things to do, but it shouldn't take to long." He tells me in his normal hard voice, completely changed from last night, where he seemed almost nervous to tell me I'm going to be meeting new people.
"Ok. What's the plan?" I ask before zeroing in on an apple. That can be my breakfast. I grab it and wash it before heading to sit next to Marco. I pull out my knife that I stashed in my pocket and take off the cover before cutting off pieces of the apple to eat.
"They'll arrive and we can do introductions, then we can go to the mansion to take the photo. Did you end up finding a dress?" He says, watching me carefully as I cut the apple, as if I might cut off my finger.
