A gentle knock on the door stirred Isla from her slumber. She had never been a heavy sleeper, but of late, even the slightest disturbance felt more draining than restful.

"Good morning, Young Miss! Can I enter your room? " a soft voice followed by another knock put her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, please come in Martha," she answered while trying to get up.

"Young Miss! Madam wishes to know if you would prefer breakfast here or at the table with them?" Martha asked the usual question politely.

"I'll join Mother and Father for breakfast. Please inform them that I'll be down shortly," Lifting the blanket from herself, she said, ready to leave the comforting bed.

"Young Miss, would you like me to help you get ready? You seem quite exhausted," Watching her condition, Martha quickly came to her side to support her in standing.

"Thank you, Martha, but I'm all right. Just a bit of sleep deprivation. I'll rest later," Isla assured her, attempting to sound more energetic than she felt.

"Very well, Young Miss, I shall inform Master and Madam right away," Martha replied obediently, stepping towards the door. But before she could reach it, the door swung open, revealing Mrs. Howard, Isla's mother. Isla, still facing away, was heading to the washroom to freshen up and was unaware of her mother's presence.

"Madam! I was just coming to give Miss Isla's message that she would join you at the table in a while." Seeing Madam, Martha quickly spoke, fear and nervousness evident in her voice. Hearing that, Isla also turned to greet her mother.

"It's quite alright, Martha. I just wanted to come see my darling baby," she informed Martha, then turned her full attention to Isla.

"How are you feeling today, my dear?" Before Isla could speak, Mrs. Howard said, smiling warmly while pulling her in a soft hug.

"Good morning to you too, Mother, and I am very well today," Isla replied, hugging her back.

"I am glad to hear that, and also I wanted to let you know that your father just received an urgent call, and he already started his breakfast as he would be leaving early. So, I thought we should have our breakfast together in your room. What do you say?" Mrs. Freya said sweetly, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"That would be lovely, Mother," she said, smiling happily.

"Alright, then you go get ready, and I will prepare our breakfast," she left after releasing her from the embrace and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Isla smiled to herself; this gesture made her very happy, but no matter how much time had passed, it was quite foreign to her. Not that she minded it, but it was still very difficult to believe that it was reality and not one of her wishful dreams, as there were so many times when she desperately wished for this love and warmth.

Flashback

"Miss Isla! Please come down for breakfast. Master and Madam are waiting," Martha urged for the tenth time. She felt a twinge of guilt for making things difficult for Martha, knowing that as her nanny, she would also bear the brunt of Mrs. Howard's anger. But her headache was unbearable, and she couldn't fathom enduring a meal together, which would only exacerbate her discomfort.

"I'm sorry, Martha. Please tell Mother and Father that I'm not feeling well today. I won't be joining them for breakfast," Isla said, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing pain.

"But Miss! I did convey your condition to Madam. However, she said..." Martha attempted to persuade her, but her sentence was cut short by a loud bang on the door, followed by an irate Mrs. Howard. Seeing her mother's anger, Isla quickly greeted her.

"Good morning, Mother! I was hoping you could excuse me from breakfast. I'm not feeling well today," Isla explained, her voice tinged with pain.

"How many times must I repeat myself? Why must you always test my patience?" Mrs. Howard snapped, her frustration evident.

"Mother, please, I am..." Isla began, but her mother interrupted her.

"Enough with the excuses! Do you think I'm naive enough to believe that you're not trying to avoid Isaac and embarrass us in front of him?" Mrs. Howard accused, her tone harsh and unforgiving.

"Not at all, Mother! I'm truly very tired. I just finished my last exam yesterday, and..." Isla tried to explain, but her mother cut her off.

"Yesterday, you declined his invitation to dinner for the same reason. You've had a full night's sleep and rested well. Now, listen to me very clearly, young lady. Get yourself ready and come down immediately. Don't embarrass us any further. Is that clear?" Mrs. Howard demanded, leaving Isla no room to respond.

At that moment, Isla realized it would have been easier to simply join them for breakfast. At least it would have spared her from this ordeal, the constant glare and cold words from her mother. Did her opinion matter to them? Did her choices hold any significance? It left her wondering if they ever saw her as a human being, rather than a puppet who merely nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Mother," was all Isla could manage to say, struggling to hold back her tears.

Satisfied with her response, Mrs. Howard turned to Martha.

"Martha, assist her in dressing properly," she ordered, emphasizing the word "properly," before leaving the room.

End of flashback

"Miss, please let me help you. I would love to take care of you," her thoughts were cut in between with Martha's voice, who was asking very eagerly. She sighed and nodded in agreement, thinking it would be a good thing as these days she was feeling exhausted beyond words, not that she would ever mind anyway. She walked toward the washroom, caressing her baby bump lovingly and smiled; yes, it was worth it