117

Isabella 117.

The days that went by after the burial were a painful blur. I was fooling myself if I believed I could go back to work after everything. I wanted to shut the world out and hide away.

However, Damien would not let me. He was there through the pain and agony. He was patient and I admired his patience. He forced me to eat, he forced me drink, he forced me to bathe and when there was no life left in me, he forced me to live. He was a patient man and he was there for me.

An August visitor came to visit while I was still grieving. It had been so unexpected. But I deducted that it was about time that she reared her head up.

"We have to prepare for the great ball," Ava said one morning as I prepared for work.

"The annual end of the year gala for Renaissance, I totally forgot," I exclaimed wearily.

"It is not your fault, Isabella, you have been through enough," Ava said kindly.

"I and Grace were working on it with Jackson," I recalled loudly.

"Well, it is