Chapter 1. Dealing with Weston’s Hatred

“Hey, pumpkin,” said Hudson, peering into Isabella’s room. She turned to look at him and his face brightened up when he saw how her lips broke into a smile at the nickname.

“You seem to like your nickname, don’t you?” he asked, coming inside her room and sitting on the windowsill with her.

“Yes,” said Isabella, speaking for the first time since her mother’s death. Hudson looked at her with a kind smile.

“I’m glad you came to stay here. I was worried that mom and dad would be lonely after we left,” said Hudson.

“Are you going away?” asked Isabella. She liked this warm brown-eyed boy and felt very comfortable in his company as if she’d known him for a long time.

“Yes, in another four months, we’ll go away to New York to study. Mom’s family lives there. You should know since your mom also used to live in New York when she was young,” said Hudson, and Isabella’s eyes widened. She didn’t know that.

“I didn’t know. Mom never told me,” she told him