**ISABELLA'S POV**

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the weight beside me - not heavy, but solid and warm. I blinked slowly, my body still heavy from whatever medication they had given me last night. The hospital room was dim, morning light filtering weakly through the blinds.

Mateo's mother was asleep in the armchair pulled right up to the side of my bed. Her head was tilted at an awkward angle, one hand resting near mine on the blanket. Her usually perfect hair was slightly mussed, and there were faint lines of exhaustion on her face.

She looked... human.

I stared at her for a long...