“Isabella, you’re awake.” Cynthia’s voice was thick with emotion as she held Isabella’s hand, her eyes still red from crying.
“Mom, am I… in the hospital?” Isabella glanced around, taking in the bright lights and the steady beep of machines. Her mother sat by her side, and nearby were her aunt and uncle, Ethan, Stephanie, and a handful of Ethan’s cousins.
She was alive. Somehow, she’d made it. Maybe there really was something to that old saying about surviving disaster and finding a new beginning.
“Yes, you’re in the hospital. Last night, you and Ethan ran into kidnappers. You got hurt. But why did you chase after them like that? What if something happened to you? What would I do?” Cynthia’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Isabella’s memories of the night before came flooding back. She reached up, wanting to brush away her mother’s tears, but Cynthia gently pressed Isabella’s hand to her own cheek instead.
“Mom, I’m really okay. I couldn’t just let them get away. I was behind them, and I knew their car would flip, not mine.”
She wiped the tears from Cynthia’s face. “Seriously, I’m fine. Look at me.”
Cynthia shook her head, not convinced. “You’re covered in bruises. You scared me so much. My legs went weak, I couldn’t even drive. Your aunt had to bring me here. You can’t ever do something so crazy again.”
Isabella wanted to say she couldn’t let her enemies from her past life escape, but she just bit her lip. Last night, she hadn’t thought about anything except stopping that man. She’d slammed her foot on the gas without a second thought, only losing consciousness after she saw their car flip. She remembered waking up for a moment, then drifting off again.

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