The Cut That Always Bleeds | Cobra Kai

Chapter 33

Isabelle woke to the harsh morning light filtering through the windows, every muscle in her body screaming in protest as she stirred on the living room floor. She had never made it to her room last night; the pain had been too overwhelming. Every inch of her ached, a deep, throbbing pain that served as a brutal reminder of the night before. Her father's words, his fists, echoed in her mind as she struggled to sit up.

The weight of the bruises on her chest and arms made each breath labored, and her head pounded with a dull, relentless ache. Slowly, carefully, she forced herself to her feet, wincing as the motion sent sharp jolts of pain up her legs. Each step toward the bathroom felt like a monumental effort, her body heavy with agony.

She closed the door behind her, sealing herself off from the rest of the house, the rest of the world. Isabelle turned the knob of the shower until the water was scalding hot, steam filling the small bathroom almost instantly. Stripping off her clothes, each movement sending fresh waves of pain through her body, she stepped under the spray.

The burning water cascaded over her skin, the heat nearly unbearable, but Isabelle didn't flinch. She welcomed the scorching pain, hoping, in some twisted way, it could cleanse her, burn away the bruises, the memories, the helplessness. The heat enveloped her, and she sank down onto the shower floor, curling into a tight ball as the water washed over her. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to close her eyes, to shut out everything—the aching, the shame, the fear. The water pounded relentlessly against her back, but it did nothing to soothe the pain inside her. If anything, it only amplified how broken she felt. A sharp sting from one of the bruises made her wince, but even then, she didn't move, didn't turn the water down.

Her phone buzzed somewhere in the distance, the sound barely registering in the background. She ignored it. There was no one she wanted to talk to, no one who could help her with this. Not Robby, not Miguel, not anyone. She could barely help herself.

All she wanted was peace; peace from the hurt, from the constant fear, from the chaos her life had become. But even here, in the solitude of the bathroom, it felt unattainable.

The water ran over her, hot and unyielding, as Isabelle let herself disappear into it for a while, just long enough to forget.

~

Miguel wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stood on the grassy field behind the dojo. The sun was dipping lower, casting an orange glow across the wide open yard. Training had just wrapped up, and everyone else was grabbing their bags from the designated pile near the fence. Despite the exhaustion from the session, Miguel's mind was somewhere else. Isabelle hadn't responded to any of his calls or texts all day. A gnawing feeling had settled in his gut, something he just couldn't shake. He threw his backpack over his shoulder and headed toward Hawk and Demetri, who were joking around by the fence, still energized after the session.

"Hey, you guys heard from Isabelle today?" Miguel asked, his tone casual, but his eyes gave away his worry.

Hawk glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "Nah, why?"

Miguel let out a breath. "She hasn't answered any of my calls or texts. It's been the whole day. I'm starting to get worried."

Demetri, who had been tying his sneakers, looked up, frowning. "The whole day? That's not like her. She's usually pretty good about texting back."

Hawk shrugged, leaning against the fence. "She's probably just training or something. You know how focused she gets when she's working on getting her balance back."

Miguel shook his head, his unease growing. "No, it's not that. Even when she's busy, she'll at least text me back. This is different."

Hawk's smirk faded, and he exchanged a look with Demetri. "You think something's up?"