Nobela ni Kayblissz

The hospital smelled the same. That mix of antiseptic, overworked air vents, and sleeplessness—the kind of exhaustion that clung to ceilings and curtain rails. I’d only been inside this place once before, but it had carved itself into memory: the cold trauma ward, the echo of clipped commands, the sting of blood in my lungs, but her face… Gabriella had been the only clear thing in all that noise.Now, as I strode through those doors again—this time with two young girls running forward, and grief pulsing just beneath the skin—I felt everything twist inward. A slow, relentless clench.She walked beside me. Silent. Pale. Her hair was loose, the strands trembling slightly each time she breathed. Nadia gripped her sister’s hand tightly, and Maya—brave-faced, jaw taut—kept her shoulders high even though I could tell she was shaking.They looked like they were used to being strong for one another.I guided them to the front desk, and that’s when she appeared—a woman in her fifties, sharp-eye

I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, as if I moved too fast, I’d shatter. “What happened?”“He—he stormed out this evening. I didn’t mean to argue with him, but he was yelling, and I—” she broke off into a choked sob. “He got into an accident on his way out of town. They said it was bad, Gabi. They said his car flipped twice.”My breath caught. The room tilted.“Is he—” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.“He’s unconscious. They don’t know the extent of the damage yet, but there’s internal bleeding. He’s in surgery now.” Her voice dropped. “They don’t know if he’ll wake up.”I didn’t scream or gasp or panic.I just… stood. Quietly. Like a puppet being lifted by invisible strings. My hands moved to zip up my bag. My fingers moved through muscle memory. My heart did nothing.Maya stepped forward. “Gabby? What is it?”“We have to go,” I said, though I barely heard myself say it.Nadia was already moving closer, her brows drawn, voice shaking. “Is everything okay?”I swallowed the a

Maya’s hand was around mine, tight and shaking, dragging me toward the door as if we didn’t leave now, we’d never leave.And maybe she was right.Maybe I should’ve walked away the second Isaac’s mother asked if I’d slept with him—right there in front of his daughter, in front of Daphne, like I was nothing but dirt tracked in from the streets.“Gabby, please,” Maya whispered again. “Let’s just go. Please.”I didn’t respond.Because something was happening.Tiny feet slapped against marble.Then—“Nurse Gabby!”Avery’s voice cracked through the tension like glass.She ran straight to me, eyes wide, curls bouncing with every step. She wrapped her arms around my leg, holding on like she could keep me from leaving.“Please don’t go!” she cried. “Don’t go—“Maya froze beside me. So did the room.Daphne’s mouth twitched, but she said nothing.And Isaac’s mother just sighed, the way people do when they’re tired of pretending to care.I crouched, cupping Avery’s small face in my hands. “Sweeth

She stepped closer“Let me give you a reality check, Miss Carlos,” she said, her tone shifting into something lower, colder. “People like you shouldn’t even step foot into houses like this. Let alone think you could belong.”I should’ve walked out.But my feet wouldn’t move.Avery was still next to me, her small fingers tightening around mine, confused by the shift in air, by the way the adults were no longer pretending.Isaac moved forward again. “Mother, you’re humiliating her in front of my daughter—”“She humiliated herself the moment she thought she belonged here,” she snapped, finally turning toward him. “You think Sarah was a mistake? This would be your ruin.”And then—she turned back to me.Stepped so close I could smell the bitter floral perfume clinging to her skin.Her hand lifted slowly. I didn’t know if she meant to slap me, or touch me, or crush what dignity I had left—But she stopped.Because the front doors burst open.And two voices echoed in the entryway—“Gabby?”I

I didn’t sleep.Not even a little.I spent the entire night trying to piece my home back together—sweeping up glass with trembling hands, taping broken cabinet doors like that, which could somehow make the place feel whole again.It didn’t.Every creak of the floorboard made me jump.Every shadow made me sick to my stomach.I kept the lights on. All of them. I couldn’t stand the dark. Not after the silence I walked into last night. Not after seeing my reflection in the mirror, right beneath that message.What did that even mean?Was it Daphne?Was it someone else?Was I stupid for thinking I could survive a house like that? A man like Isaac?I sat on the couch at some point—crumbs from a shattered picture frame still stuck to the throw pillow beside me—and just… stared at nothing.My phone buzzed around 3 a.m. I didn’t look at it right away. I thought it might be him. Isaac. I didn’t want to hear his voice. I didn’t trust what it might make me feel.But later, I checked.It wasn’t him

I hadn’t meant to listen. I’d come to say something important, something real—But the second I heard her voice through the door, I didn’t move.Couldn’t.The things she said. The things he didn’t say.The way his voice sounded—angrier than I’d ever heard it - like something inside him was splintering.Who was Sarah? What really happened with her?I swallowed hard, my fingers curling against my palm.Because suddenly, it wasn’t just about Daphne anymore.It was about the shadows in this house.The silences filled every room.The ghost I hadn’t even realized I was walking in the footsteps of.Was that why Daphne hated me?Because I reminded her of Sarah?Or because I might become something worse—Someone Isaac would choose.I didn’t go to my room.Didn’t head back toward the guest wing where everything could stay silent and untouched.Instead, I turned toward the kitchen.Clara was there.She wasn’t young. Probably hadn’t been for a while.And there was something about her eyes—the ki

I forced myself to turn.Walk away.Because if I stayed a second longer, I was going to scream.Or run.Or break something I couldn’t fix.I didn’t look back.Not at the gasps.Not at the giggles.Not at Evie, still clinging to Sebastian like her soul belonged to him now.And definitely not at him—standing there with that smirk, like this was all just one big inside joke I hadn’t been let in on.I walked.Fast. Out of the hallway. Out of the noise. Out of the heat crawling under my skin.The bathroom door slammed behind me harder than I meant. The silence inside felt tight. Small. Like even the walls were holding their breath.I gripped the edge of the sink.Breathe.My reflection stared back—wide-eyed, pale, cracking. There were faint veins under my eyes, threading close to the surface like they wanted out. I splashed water on my face, tried to scrub the vampire away.Didn’t work.He knew what he was doing.He wanted me to feel it.And I did.Jealousy, rage, confusion. Shame.The doo

“Let’s crank it up,” Evie purrs, clapping twice. “Basket tosses.”Half the squad hesitates—basket tosses are not for beginners—but Evie only smiles wider. The captain looks nervous, then gives a shaky nod. Music starts up again.Evie’s eyes find mine.You, that look says.Bases take their spots. Evie claims the back position behind me, fingers settling at my waist—cold, firm, too strong.“Ready?” she whispers, breath sweet and wrong. “Let’s see what you can do.”Count—one, two, three. They throw me.I feel it right away: way too high. Normal bones would break. My body adjusts on instinct, bending in a tight half-twist.I landed softly, barely making a sound.People gasped.The other girls stumbled a little—none of them landed like I did.Evie drags her nails up my spine, voice a sugar-coated blade. “Didn’t know you were such a natural. Maybe you were born for this.”My pulse roars. The captain beams—oblivious—but Evie’s still at my back, pulling the squad in.“Again,” she says, louder

School had never felt this silent.Not in the halls. Not in the classrooms.Not in me.Since the last body was found, everything shifted. The air carried a weight no one spoke about, like we were all pretending not to drown.Teachers gave shorter assignments. Students kept their voices down, like volume might summon something worse.I didn’t talk to Aiden. Not in Bio. Not in French.He didn’t press, but I could feel him. Watching. Waiting.Sebastian was gone. No texts. No sudden appearances outside my house. No smug comments were whispered in the dark corners of the school.I overheard a few cheerleaders whispering that Evie hadn’t been in school either.They sounded more curious than concerned.But I was.Not for her—For what might’ve happened to her.The silence from both of them felt too loud.And part of me was scared.Scared Sebastian had gotten to her.It had been over a week now.I needed a distraction.So when the cheer captain brushed by me in the hallway and said, “That off

Blood blossomed warm against my tongue before the echo of her scream finished reverberating off the brick.She thrashed—weak, drunken swipes that barely skimmed my shoulders.Still, I pinned her wrists against the alley wall, breath flooding hot across her cheek.“Sh-sh it’s almost over,” I murmured, voice thick with the rush.Her pulse hammered wildly, terrified. I could taste the adrenaline, the heartbreak, the cheap vodka.I drank deeper. The alley spun, colors sharpening, senses igniting.Then—Footsteps.I froze.Not police—too light.Not Noah—her scent wasn’t on the wind.Someone else is leaving the club, laughing, heels clicking.I tore my mouth away, yanked Evie deeper into the shadows behind a stack of crates. She sagged, half-conscious, a thin moan escaping her parted lips.Too messy. Focus.I listened — the couple wandered past the alley mouth, oblivious, their laughter fading into the throb of bass. When the street settled again, I exhaled—slow, controlled.Evie’s head lol

She walked beside me—but not with me.I could feel it. The stiffness in her spine, the slow-burning defiance in every reluctant step. She was done moving on my command. She’d let the scene play out to end Aiden’s questions, but the fire under her skin was for me now.Not desire. Fury.Good.Let it burn.We reached the alley behind the station, empty and shadowed. I stopped. She didn’t.“Noah,” I said flatly.She spun around, eyes lit like the sky before lightning cracks.She slapped me.The sound echoed through the alley like a shot.My head jerked sideways, not from the force, but from the fact that she did it. Her hand lingered in the air for a second—shaking. Not with fear.With fury.“Don’t you ever touch him again,” she hissed.I blinked. Blood buzzing behind my eyes.“You’re defending him? A human boy who can’t even tell the difference between danger and desire?”She crossed her arms. “I thought he was your friend.”“You should stay away from Aiden,” I said, stepping closer.She

The words hit harder than a slap.Not because I didn’t expect them.But because I did.They’d been living in his eyes since that night—unspoken, trembling on the edge of every glance, every hesitation when he looked at me too long. I’d just been pretending not to notice.I opened my mouth. Closed it again.There wasn’t an answer that didn’t break something.Aiden stood in front of me, not flinching, not backing away. But I could feel the space between us stretch tight. His body was still. His breath was uneven. He wasn’t angry.He was trying.Trying to understand. Trying not to be afraid.And that made it worse.Because he deserved the truth. And the truth… was the ugliest thing I owned.I dropped my gaze to the ground. The run here had pulled every dormant craving to the surface, and standing this close to him made everything worse. His pulse echoed in my ears like a whisper against glass.I clenched my fists. Focused on the burn in my throat. Anything but the blood scent lifting off