IV
When consciousness returned, I lay in a bed beneath soft sheets, in a fresh nightgown. Adrien sat beside me, thumbing through a book. When he noticed me awake, he set it down and turned his attentions my direction.
“I had the girls clean you up and dress you, I hope that’s alright,” he mentioned nervously.
I nodded. I felt empty and betrayed. Four years of my life had vanished in a single night. You’re making a mistake.
“Isabelle, do you want to tell me what happened?” Adrien’s hand moved to my cheek where he brushed away a stray tear. His hands were soft and his eyes were kind. He deserved to know why I showed up on his doorstep.
I told him everything from the night we first met. My father’s attitude, my decision to go to the university, his claim of it being a mistake. I recounte
