Novel-novel oleh Lady Ma

The next morning, Hugo arrived earlier than I expected.I hadn’t even finished fixing my hair when I heard a soft knock on my hospital room door. Before I could answer, the door opened—and there he was, walking in with that signature overconfidence that always seemed a little too much for someone who was, ultimately, only human.He carried two cups of coffee in take-away holders that looked far too aesthetic for something meant to be disposable, along with two still-warm chocolate croissants in a chic Parisian-style paper bag. And—of course—he brought his usual infuriating aura, the kind that was impossible to ignore no matter how hard one tried. He entered the room like a lead actor who knew, without a doubt, that the spotlight was his. And damn it, it was.“Good morning, favorite patient,” he greeted lightly, with that half-smile of his that was far too lethal for this early in the day. “Ready to be released from this white prison?”I shot him a sharp look. “I’m not imprisoned. I’m

"Am I really that handsome?" Hugo asked, still staring at his phone screen, though the corner of his lips curled into that annoyingly smug smile.I immediately turned my gaze to the window, then the IV drip, then the sterile white hospital wall that suddenly seemed oddly captivating. As if the pale paint could somehow save me from the flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck."Who was staring at you?" I muttered quickly, far too defensive to sound casual. And way too flustered to be a coincidence.Hugo chuckled softly. "I could feel it, you know. That stare. Like a laser burning into the side of my face. Intense. Warm. A little threatening, too."Damn. I had been staring too long."I was just thinking," I said, fiddling with the blanket in a poor attempt to look busy. "And your head just happened to be in my line of sight. Not my fault you sat there.""Oh," he said, as if the thought had just occurred to him. "So this is a seat placement issue?"He stood up with theatrical flair, dr

Hugo smiled as he pulled a chair closer and sat beside the wheeled bed that cradled my body."I'm here because I want to be. It's my duty to stay by my fiancée’s side."His voice was calm, gentle—almost too soft for someone like him.I turned my gaze toward the window. The silhouettes of trees swayed quietly under the autumn breeze. Dry leaves danced in the air’s delicate current, and for a moment, I wanted to leap from that window. To fall into a world that didn’t know me. A world without Hugo in it.“I don’t need you here,” I said, still looking outside.“But I’ll stay anyway,” he replied, quick and firm.A bitter smile tugged at my lips.If only you had done this five years ago, when I first woke up from that cursed night.If only you had stayed when all the strands of hair I once took pride in began to fall, leaving me bare and broken.If only you hadn’t turned away and left me to face those days alone.If only… then maybe today, I would’ve chosen to share this bed with you.To le

Hugo looked at me as though he couldn’t quite believe what I’d just said. His gaze was piercing, as if trying to ensure that the words he’d heard weren’t simply an illusion conjured by his imagination.As he began to move closer, I quickly interjected, “Go on, answer the call first. It sounds important.”But he merely shook his head, his steps hastening towards me.“No. I want to hear it again,” he said—his voice low, yet urgent.He sat back down on the edge of the bed with barely a pause, leaning in close. The space between us vanished, and I caught the familiar scent of his skin—a scent that, strangely enough, still stirred something in the depths of my memory.“Say it again,” he whispered—softly, but full of hope.I met his unblinking eyes directly. In the silence, broken only by the rhythm of our hearts, I repeated—calmly and with certainty, “Let’s get married, Hugo. I’m saying yes. And I will take responsibility for all the chaos that has happened.”He drew a long breath—as thoug

I saw Ana’s face drain of color the moment my words reached her. Beads of sweat slowly gathered on her forehead, glistening under the soft, dim light. Her eyes welled with tears, her breath came in shallow gasps, and her fingers began to tremble—as though her body could no longer bear the weight of something unseen.Without a second thought, I pulled her into my arms—holding that slender frame tightly as her consciousness began to slip away.“Ana…” I whispered my voice barely more than a prayer—laced with the quiet terror of losing her.Carefully, I lifted her limp body out of the unit. My arms tightened around her waist, so light it felt as though I was holding a shadow—one that carried wounds far deeper than the skin, buried for far too long.Beneath the dimming sky, the car moved through silence. City lights flickered across the windows like fragments of broken dreams. Ana lay still in the passenger seat, quiet—save for the occasional faint murmur, as though she were trapped in a n

“Marry you?” I repeated softly, in disbelief. I looked Hugo straight in the eye, refusing to look away.His gaze was sharp, unblinking—like a blade poised to pierce my skin.“You must marry me, Ana. It’s the only way to take responsibility for everything you’ve done—for the reputation I’ve worked so hard to protect.”My breath caught. For a moment, the room felt like it was closing in. Suffocating.“Have you lost your mind?” I snapped, my voice rising as I shoved him away from me. Any fear I had vanished in an instant.“You think marriage is some kind of punishment you can use at will?”He didn’t move. He just stared at me, unflinching.“Call it whatever you want,” he said coldly. “I’m giving you a way out, Ana. A clean one. Marry me, and all of this will disappear—every scandal, every headline you created. And I’m done compromising. I decide how you make amends for what you’ve done.”He stepped closer, each movement calm but full of pressure. I could feel the heat radiating off him,