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“We’ll take it from here,” said a male nurse, trying to usher Hunter out of the room while the others went to Isobel’s side.
“She’s going to be okay, right?” Hunter asked, shoving the man aside so he could see what they were doing to Isobel.
“Sir, if you’ll just—”
Suddenly the beep-beep-beep of her heartbeat became a loud flat line.
Hunter screamed, “Isobel!”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ISOBEL
Isobel woke up in a white room. White walls. White bedsheets. White floor tiles.
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, immediately lifting her hand to her forehead. Whoa. She felt dizzy.
“Hello?”
Where the hell was she?
The room was empty except for a man standing beside a window lit up by bright sunlight. The man was dressed in—of course—all white. They looked like comfortable white scrubs, or maybe a t-shirt and sweatpants.
“Hello?” she said again, standing up. She was struck by another wave of dizziness and had to hold onto the wall beside the bed to steady herself.
Her body felt weird. Oddly… light.
She shook off the feeling. There was something familiar about the man by the window. She took several more steps forward to investigate.
And then her mouth dropped open.
“Daddy?”
The man winced at her words and turned away as she ran forward and grabbed his arm.
It was him.
“How…?”
He looked healthy. His skin was flushed a healthy pink and he was on his feet—far from the emaciated man who couldn’t even sit up in bed by the end.
“Isobel.” Her name was heavy on his lips. His head sank to his chest as he said it and he lifted a hand to his temple like he was in pain. Because of her.
Her elation at seeing him again sputtered. Even in this miracle place where her father was healthy again, he still couldn’t stand to be around her. His own daughter.
“I’ll go.” She backed away from him, her voice thick.
But as she started to turn, her father’s hand shot out to stop her.
“No, Isobel.” He finally lifted his head and what she saw on his face froze her in her tracks. Tears welled in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t expect you to ever forgive me. But I’m so, so sorry.”
Isobel blinked, struck speechless.
“I failed you for years. Didn’t believe you when you said—” He turned his face away from her. “I was too much of a coward to face things and make it right. And then it was too late. I know money can’t make up for how I failed you but I just needed you to know—you were everything to me.”
“Daddy!” Isobel threw herself into his arms and he wrapped her up in his embrace. She’d never felt such soul-deep warmth in her life.
