Chapter 55: Fragments of the Past

The sound of voices seemed to come from far away, as if she were trapped in a bubble isolating her from the outside world. Isabella opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the light flooding the room. She was in her bed, in the mansion, with Alexander sitting beside her, his face a mixture of concern and frustration.

—You’re finally awake —Alexander said, his tone tense—. What happened to you? You fainted just as I was leaving.

Isabella raised a hand to her forehead, trying to calm the pressure in her temples. But her mind was too full, as if a torrent of memories had suddenly been unleashed. Her breathing quickened, and the words spilled from her lips before she could stop them.

—Alexander… I had a mother. —Her voice broke, and tears began streaming down her cheeks—. I remember… she was with me in the car. We were together… and then… then the accident.

Alexander frowned, visibly confused.

—What are you talking about? —he asked, though his tone softened upon seeing Isabella’s state.

Isabella sobbed, the memories crashing down on her like an avalanche.

—Six years ago… that night. My mother and I were in the car. My father was driving. There was… a strange smell, like gasoline… the brakes didn’t work. It all happened so fast. —Her voice trembled with each word, her eyes reflecting the pain of reliving it all.

Alexander remained silent, processing what she was saying. He had never heard anything about Isabella’s accident before.

—And then? —he finally asked, with a mix of curiosity and caution.

Isabella shook her head, her hands trembling.

—I don’t know. I woke up in a hospital, but I didn’t remember anything… not my mother, not the accident. There was just this emptiness… this pain I could never explain.

Alexander watched her, his face hardening into an expression Isabella couldn’t decipher.

—And why are you remembering this now? —he inquired, as if trying to piece together an invisible puzzle.

Isabella looked at him, desperate.

—The accident we saw in the park. It was like something in my mind shattered. I saw that car crashing, and it all came back, as if it had been buried in my subconscious for years.

Alexander leaned forward, his voice softer this time.

—Isabella… if this is true, what happened to your parents after the accident?

The words echoed in the room like an empty void. Isabella swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat.

—I don’t know. I remember my mother was alive when the car crashed, but… after that, everything is blurry. And my father… I don’t remember him. I don’t know if they survived.

Alexander leaned back in the chair, thoughtful.

—It’s strange that you never remembered something so traumatic until now. Maybe someone…

—Kept it from me? —Isabella interrupted, her tone filled with pain and suppressed anger—. Who would do that? Why would they take me away from my parents if they were alive?

Alexander looked at her directly, his expression unreadable.

—Isabella, there are many things we don’t know about your past. Maybe someone had reasons to hide the truth from you.

—I want to know what happened! —Isabella exclaimed, abruptly standing up. But dizziness made her wobble, and Alexander caught her before she could fall.

—Calm down. You’re not going to solve anything like this —he said firmly, though his tone remained understanding.

Isabella collapsed back onto the bed, tears streaming freely down her face.

—Six years, Alexander… six years without knowing I had a mother, a father. Without understanding why I always felt like something was missing.

Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair.

—Then let’s find answers. But you’ll have to be ready for whatever you might uncover. Sometimes, the past isn’t what we imagine it to be.

Isabella looked at him, her eyes filled with determination.

—Whatever it is, Alexander. I’d rather face the truth than live with this uncertainty.

\---

Later that night, as Isabella tried to sleep, images of the accident kept invading her mind. The last time she saw her mother, the look on her father’s face when he realized the brakes were failing, the sound of the crash. It was like an incomplete puzzle tormenting her every time she closed her eyes.

Finally, she got out of bed, unable to bear the weight of the memories any longer. She walked to the living room, where she found Ethan asleep on the couch with a book in his hands. She sat beside him, watching him silently.

—What am I going to do now? —she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

Her life, already a whirlwind of emotions, now seemed on the verge of collapse. But one thing was clear: she wouldn’t rest until she uncovered the truth about what really happened that night.

The silence in the mansion seemed to weigh heavily on Isabella, who remained seated beside Ethan in the living room. Although the boy’s presence gave her some peace, her mind was still trapped in the whirlwind of memories unearthed the previous night. She could barely focus on the present, with her past blurring into unanswered questions.

Alexander appeared at the doorway, his figure imposing yet with a soft expression.

—Can’t sleep?

Isabella shook her head.

—It’s impossible, Alexander. Every time I close my eyes, I see that car, I hear the screams. It’s all there, but I can’t put the puzzle together.

Alexander approached, sitting across from her with a furrowed brow.

—What exactly do you remember?

She shrugged, hugging her knees.

—Just fragments. But last night something came back... the accident. And I realized I don’t know anything about what happened afterward.

Alexander looked at her intently, his curiosity mixed with concern.

—What was your life like after that, Isabella? What did you do when you lost your memory?

Isabella sighed, her eyes filling with deep sadness.

—It was hell. I remember waking up in the hospital, surrounded by people who said my name, but it didn’t feel like mine. It was as if I were wearing a costume. I didn’t know where I lived, who I was… I didn’t even recognize my face in the mirror.

Alexander didn’t say anything, allowing her to continue.

—When they discharged me, they gave me an address, but when I got there, no one recognized me. They told me I must be mistaken. That’s when I realized I was completely alone.

—What did you do? —Alexander asked, a mix of amazement and empathy in his voice.

Isabella closed her eyes, as if reliving those moments weighed heavily on her.

—I decided to give myself a name. I called myself Isabella because it was the only name that made me feel something, though I didn’t know why. I got small jobs cleaning houses, washing dishes in restaurants. Sometimes I couldn’t even afford to eat, but I managed to save enough to rent a tiny room.

Alexander pressed his lips together, his gaze filled with restrained fury, though he didn’t know who to direct it at.

—And you never wondered if you had a family?

Isabella nodded slowly.

—Of course I did. I spent hours watching families in parks, wondering if mine was among them. But over time, I resigned myself to thinking that if someone was looking for me, they would have shown up. Maybe they didn’t want to find me.

Her words hit Alexander like a knife. He couldn’t imagine the pain and loneliness Isabella had endured.

—And you lived like that... until you took the job with Ethan —he concluded, his tone softer.

—Yes —Isabella admitted, looking at the floor—. Being his nanny was the only thing that gave me some stability. Ethan became my only family, even if we weren’t related by blood.

Alexander observed her for a moment, trying to process everything she had gone through. Finally, his voice filled with determination.

—Isabella, you don’t deserve to keep living with these doubts. We need to find answers, and we won’t stop until we do.

She looked up, her eyes full of tears.

—But, Alexander, what if the answers only bring more pain? What if I discover my family abandoned me on purpose?

—Or maybe you’ll find out someone took you away from them —he replied firmly—. Whatever it is, you deserve to know the truth.

\---

The next morning began with a tense atmosphere. Isabella and Alexander headed to the hospital where, according to her, she had been treated after the accident. As they approached, Isabella felt the hazy memories stirring in her mind.

Once at the reception desk, Alexander took the lead.

—We’re looking for records of a car accident that happened six years ago, on May 12th —he said authoritatively—. My companion was involved.

The receptionist gave them a wary look.

—That kind of information is confidential. You’ll need formal authorization.

Alexander raised an eyebrow, letting his influence do the work.

—Get us someone who can authorize it, or I’ll have to call my lawyer.

The receptionist, intimidated, hurried to find the necessary documents. A few minutes later, he returned with a file in his hands. Alexander took it and began reading while Isabella waited, her heart in her throat.

—Here it is —Alexander said, pointing to a part of the report—. Your injuries matched those from an accident where two people died, presumably your parents.

—Presumably? —Isabella repeated, feeling a lump in her throat.

Alexander kept reading, his expression hardening.

—According to this, your mother, Amanda Bennett, died on impact. But your father, Edward Bennett, was transferred to another hospital. There’s no record of his death.

Isabella felt as if the ground were crumbling beneath her feet.

—Does that mean he could still be alive?

—It’s a possibility —Alexander said seriously—. But someone didn’t want that information to be easy to find.

Isabella closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears.

—This is all too much... What if he never wanted to look for me?

Alexander took her hands, looking at her intently.

—We don’t know that. But I promise we’ll find out.

As they left the hospital, Isabella felt as though someone was watching them. When she turned, she didn’t see anyone, but the feeling persisted. One thing was certain: they were closer to the truth, but the price for finding it might be higher than she ever imagined.