CHAPTER TWENTY - NINE - A NEW BEGINNING FROM HOME?

Her eyelids fluttered open, the light filtering through the window a painful intrusion into her groggy consciousness. She groaned, putting her hands in front of her face to protect her eyes. She blinked, sitting up slowly on the bed and trying to recall where she was. The room was unfamiliar, and there was a faint scent of antiseptic in the air. Isabella looked around, wondering what the hell she was doing in a room that obviously belonged to a little girl. The walls were a soft, pale pink, adorned with colorful paintings of unicorns and fairies. The bed she was on was a arge four-poster bed. Its silk canopy decorated with delicate lace and tiny crystal beads that glinted in the sunlight. There were plushes on the bed, all of them leaning on the headboard. A plush rug, embroidered with scenes from fairy tales, covered the polished wooden floor. In the corner, an antique desk held a variety of treasures, from a glass jar filled with colorful marbles to a collection of beau