The third point of view

"Hopefully, we get him out before Jennifer comes back," Isabella told Pedro who had surprisingly kept quiet throughout their journey - as she commanded.

"It's locked, as expected," Pedro tried the doorknob.

"Jennifer always had insecurity problems, it's not surprising," Isabella muttered, crouching down.

"What are you doing?" Pedro was alarmed a bit when he saw her hacking the lock.

"What do you think I'm doing?" She said sarcastically, "Don't you get the whole point of busting someone out?"

"We are breaking into someone's house for Christ's sake, Isabella! There are legal charges for that which means we are dead if we get caught," He looked around uneasily.

"If you're that bothered, be on the lookout, would ya?" Isabella says nonchalantly which irked him.

"Why are you stupidly brave? So careless about getting caught?" Pedro just couldn't understand.

Girls were cute; the weaker vessel creatures who needed protection from the men, not one who has a Ph.D. in fighting. Surprisingly, Isabella looks hot while landing his butt on the ground even though his pride was crushed. What in the world was he even talking about?

"Well, life's too short to be wasted being afraid or procrastinating. If you know what you want, just go for it,"

"Even if you hurt someone?" He asked her, hinting at their complicated relationship.

"This is life and life's unfair and such is life. If you want something, you go for it, no matter what. People are always going to get hurt in one way or the other. Just like everyone can't like you no matter how much you please them, that is the same too. Everything we do, someone must be hurt knowingly or unknowingly. That is what is meant to be - it's simply black or white,"

Pedro was so captivated by her speech until she added, "Moreover, I have a f*cking rich dad who would get my ass out of prison with a clean record. So why should I worry?" she smirked at him.

"Ugh," Pedro groaned in disappointment. He should have known, typical Isabella.

"And we're good to go," the door clicked open.

They stepped into the living room which was empty and scattered, it was as if a tornado happened in here.

"Where's the boy and why is the room like this?" Pedro asked, stepping on a pencil.

"Seems like he had a party or something?" there were white sheets of paper everywhere, with torn pages of textbooks.

Suddenly, a thud came from upstairs.

Their eyes connected, both of them hurried up the stairs immediately, walking into the room where the boy was throwing a fit.

His clothes were scattered all over the room, his toys lying on the floor, the contents on the bookshelf emptied on the ground and was on the mission of shredding a book, currently.

"Neon," Isabella called.

But the boy was too engrossed with destroying the textbook to listen to her.

"Neon, it's me Isabella!" her voice was louder and attracted his attention.

"Isabella?" he stilled, questioning under his breath with his back to her.

"Yes, It's me, Isabella,"

This time, he turned around to confirm the source of the voice.

"Isabella?!" a trace of joy flickered across his eyes.

"Neon!"

The boy ran into her arms, she hugged him tight while Pedro was awed. He never knew Isabella was capable of such warm, strong emotions - this was a new side to her.

But that joy was short-lived, he heard a car pull up outside.

Curious, Pedro went to the window, looked out, and discovered Jennifer stepping out of her car.

"Urm, Isabella? Cuddling time is over, Jennifer is back,"

"What?!" Isabella exclaimed, coming to look out the window by herself, "How's that possible? Her meal with my grandfather shouldn't be over yet,"

"Maybe she had a change of mind?" Pedro considered.

"Or maybe we set off a soundless intruder alarm without knowing - shit! I should have thought about it. Knowing Jennifer, she wouldn't leave her precious son Neon to go meet my infamous grandfather without keeping some sort of protection," surmised Isabella.

"Mom is home? " the boy began to tremble in fear, "I don't want to stay here with her. Take me, Isabella, help me!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, Neon," She covered his mouth with her palm quickly, "I'm here to rescue you but I can't do that if we get discovered. So promise me, you'd be a good boy by not crying,"

He nodded.

"That's my boy," Isabella patted his back.

"How are we going to get out of here with him?" Pedro was visibly unsettled by the turn of events.

"If my theory is right, then, Jennifer has locked all forms of escape. All we have to do is hide,"

"Hide where?"

"Get under the bed, quick!"

"This is too small for me to -"

"Neon?!" Jennifer yelled from downstairs.

The moment Pedro heard her terrifying voice, he went under the bed at once, squeezing himself beside Isabella. Gosh, his longs would suffer terrible cramps today.

"Neon?!"

They heard her stomp into the room.

"So you've been here all this while and you have the guts not to answer me?! " She roared.

"Mom-"

"What's the meaning of all this mess?!" She bellowed, "Are you attempting a rebellion against your mom?!"

Neon sniffed, "I was just so angry"

They heard a slap

Isabella almost came out of her hiding place had Pedro not stopped her.

"She slapped him," she whispered to him through gritted teeth.

"We can't come out now," He told her and she knew it.

"You're such a disobedient kid!" they heard more slaps.

"You're nothing like Reina's son?! You're worthless!"

"She's comparing him to Allen, Reina's son. This is physical and emotional abuse, and I won't sit and let that happen!" Isabella declared, slipped out of Pedro's hold, and came out of her hiding place.

"Stop hurting him!" Isabella growled, landing a punch at Jennifer.

The punch threw the woman off balance, but she didn't fall. Jennifer glanced up at Isabella with loathing,

"I should have known you're the only one capable of breaking into my house," she wiped the blood at the corner of her mouth.

"How do you become this way? You are not behaving like the Jennifer I knew?" Isabella kept Neon behind her protectively. If it comes down to fighting, she could defeat Jennifer without effort notwithstanding their age.

Jennifer threw her head back and laughed," You don't know me at all, no, I should thank you for making me see who I really am - not the pathetic, weak, Jennifer! Now hand Neon over,"

"No," Isabella was firm.

Jennifer lunged at her.

Isabella had already prepared to ram her fist into her head with enough force to knock her out when the woman brought out something from the pocket of her pants, spraying her straight in the eye.

"My eyes!" Isabella shrieked, searching around blindly.

"Stop hurting Isabella, mom!" Neon shouted and bit the woman on the thigh.

Jennifer screamed from the pain and out of vexation, pushed Neon hard that he hit his head on the wall and passed out.

Unfortunately, for Jennifer to turn around and survey the damage she did, Pedro whacked her from behind, she lost consciousness.

"I don't hit women but you're an exception," He threw away the iron he had picked at the corner of the room.

"Isabella!" He walked over to the girl on the floor, crawling on all fours and bumping into things.

"Hey," He made her sit down.

"Pedro, I'm blind!" She shouted, reaching out for anything.

"You're not blind, Isabella," He told her but it wasn't as assuring as he thought.

"Pedro I'm blind! Does it mean I can't see my father?! Maya?! My siblings?! And even worse, Neon?!"

"Calm down, Isabella! The blindness is only temporary!"

"I can't calm down! Gosh, I must look hideous right now! I'm so ugly! You must be disgusted with me! I must look like a beast!" She raved, shaking him.

Pedro had always seen Isabella, as a brave, collected, girl who had no problem at all. But seeing her now encountering a panic attack, she looked no different than the weaker vessel she was and needed his protection.

So, Pedro used that pathetic excuse to kiss her. Moreover, he read somewhere that kisses break the flow of thoughts and triggers which are leading to the attack. Or maybe, he just wanted to do that.

Hard as it was to admit, Isabella was glad when Pedro's lips covered hers in a warm kiss that regulated her already fast breath. It was slow and inquisitive, as if he was asking for permission to proceed.

Hell yeah.

The kiss slowly gained passion. She forgot all about her hideous passion or the sting in her eyes, instead plunging deep into this placating kiss.

Isabella wished she could see the expression on his face when they pulled away. Was he already regretting it because he was with Anabelle? Or did he somehow deeply desire they would kiss once again as she wanted?

"I should probably search for milk or saline solution to wash this off,"

His warmth left her.