ISABEL'S POV

“Isabel…”

My name barely escaped my mom’s mouth, coming out as nothing more than a fragile whisper. She stood a few steps away from me, frozen, staring like she was looking at a stranger she couldn’t recognize anymore. Her eyes moved slowly, carefully, from my face down to my clothes and back again, as if she was trying to confirm that I was real.

She had never seen me like this before because my family always ensure that we all got all we wanted, never lacking in any aspect.

She took a step closer, then another, her movements cautious, almost hesitant. The shock on her face was obvious,...