Chapter Isabelle Campbell
ISABELLE CAMPBELL
The house alarm went off, blaring through every corner of the mansion.
My plan had worked!
Even so, we were still locked inside that room. I prayed someone would come for us soon—and that Colin was still alive.
The plan had been simple. Maybe too simple. I’d deliberately entered the wrong code five times in quick succession, and after a short delay, the house alarm had triggered.
A few minutes later, I heard the wail of police sirens. From the window, I saw at least ten patrol cars speeding toward Colin’s mansion.
I wasn’t about to leave with the kids—not yet. I still had no idea what was happening in the hallways, and until I knew an officer was inside, I wasn’t taking any chances.
We waited for what felt like forever—about thirty minutes—until I finally heard someone enter Colin’s bedroom.
“Police! Anyone in here?”
“Yes!” I shouted, pounding on the door to show where we were.
I peeked through the peephole and saw the uniform.
Thank God.
I entered the original code, and when the door opened, relief washed over me so completely I could barely speak.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“No. None of us.”
“What’s happening, Mom?”
“Is this part of the game, Isabelle?”
The kids asked almost in unison.
“It’s okay, sweethearts. Everything’s fine.”
The next hour was chaos, and I still had no word about Colin. I left the kids with Helen and told her to stay away from the crowd of officers sweeping through the mansion.
After a while, I finally got news—and my heart sank when I heard he’d been taken to the hospital.
I rushed to find out more. As I stepped outside, I ran into Henry coming into the mansion, his face as pale and shaken as mine.
“Any updates?”
“Yes. Colin’s at Mercy Hospital.”
“Then that’s where we’re going.”
I got into Henry’s car, and within minutes, we were on our way to the hospital.
At the hospital, we split up to look for updates, but I had no luck.
“Did you get any information about how he’s doing?” I asked Henry, who lowered his head.
“Not yet, but we’ll find out—even if I have to track down every damn doctor in this place.”
The night dragged on, and there was still no news.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d asked for Colin’s doctor, but no one would tell me anything.
I sat for what felt like forever. It had been almost an hour since I’d last seen Henry—he was still out searching for answers.
After some time waiting, I finally saw him coming down the hall toward me.
“Any news?” I stood up.
“Yes.”
“Is he okay?”
“He is now. Isabelle… they beat him badly. Colin’s got multiple fractures all over his body. There was even internal bleeding, but his condition’s stabilized.”
“Oh my God.”
I should’ve known—especially after hearing those screams—but hearing it out loud still left me in shock.
“I came to get you so we can talk to the doctor. He’s waiting for us.”
We asked the doctor a dozen questions, and the answers horrified me.
They’d burned parts of Colin’s body, driven needles under his fingernails, hurt him in ways I could barely even comprehend.
“His speech has also been affected,” the doctor added, “but it should return to normal with time. There was significant swelling in his face, which we’re managing now.”
“And… when can we see him?”
“He’s sedated. Once he wakes up, you’ll be allowed to visit.”
I didn’t even know what to do.
I sat on those hard hospital benches for hours, my mind spiraling, wondering how broken he must be—inside and out.
“They caught them.”
Henry’s voice came out abrupt, and my eyes shot open.
“Where?”
“On one of the roads out of the city.”
Henry had spent the last fifteen minutes filling me in on everything the police chase had uncovered.
After the alarm went off, the men stayed inside the mansion for quite a while, trying to grab as many valuables as they could. One of the patrol cars spotted them leaving in the same vehicle they’d used to bring us there, and from that moment, multiple units were sent out to chase them down.
“Thank God they were arrested.”
“Isabelle… there’s something else.” He hesitated, his voice tight. “One of my friends works at the station, and he told me…”
He stopped, unsure whether to go on.
“Just say it.”
“Rudolph—he’s Hanna’s father, right?”
“Yes.”
“The men who broke into the mansion… they killed him a few days ago.”
Almost two days. That’s how long Colin slept.
He’d finally woken up, and as I was about to step into his room, my heart started racing. I didn’t even know why.
“Be patient with him,” the doctor said just as he was about to open the door. “He hasn’t spoken to anyone yet.”
“I will,” I nodded.
I walked in quietly, moving closer to the man who had, in his own way, sacrificed himself for us. I sat down in the chair beside him and gently ran my fingers through his hair.
“How are you feeling?”
Colin didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on a single point on the wall.
I took his hands in mine, but he still didn’t look at me. He seemed distant—lost somewhere inside his own memories. He didn’t even blink.
“I’m here for you. I promise.”
Still, not a single word. I lay down beside him, resting my head against his chest. Despite everything that had happened, he was alive—and after everything we’d been through, that alone was a victory.
For a long time, I stayed there in silence, just listening to Colin’s heartbeat. Seeing him so broken, so quiet, tore at me. I’d do anything to help him find his way back to life.
“Everything’s going to be okay.”
I spoke with his doctor for almost an hour.
I needed answers—some kind of explanation. Even though I knew none of this was my fault, I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe it all could’ve been avoided if Colin hadn’t been so kind to me—helping me when I needed it most, protecting me even from a distance.
“Some patients go into shock, like Colin did,” the doctor explained.
“He was severely tortured and needs time to recover. Physical therapy will be essential for him to walk normally again, since the repeated blows to his back affected his spine. But he’ll need determination—he has to want to get better. ”
I listened carefully, but fear settled deep in my chest.
I knew Colin well enough to understand how stubborn he could be, and that only made my worry worse. Still, I made myself a promise: no matter how angry or distant he became, I’d stay by his side.
I’d do everything—anything—to make sure he followed every step of the treatment exactly as the doctors prescribed.