Novel-novel oleh Rose umeh

Sera's Pov I sat on the edge of the small bed, Lily asleep in the corner, curled up with her rabbit. Elias was downstairs, pacing. I could hear the soft tap of his shoes on the wooden floor, the low hum of him muttering numbers and routes to himself. I wrapped my arms around my knees. My heart still hadn’t slowed from the night before. Someone had been following us, and now I knew, they weren’t going to stop. A sudden noise made me jump, a branch snapping outside the window. I froze, listening. The sound repeated, closer this time. Elias appeared in the doorway quietly, eyes scanning the trees. “It’s too early for anyone to be moving,” he said softly. “I heard something,” I whispered. He nodded. “You did. They’re testing the perimeter. Making sure we’re awake, making sure we notice. That’s the point.” I shivered. “Do we have to keep moving forever?” “We do,” he said simply. “Until we make sure they can’t follow us.” His tone was calm. Controlled. I envied that. I e

Sera's Pov The headlights disappeared as quickly as they came, leaving the house covered in darkness. The wind shifted through the trees outside, rattling branches against the windows. I held Lily close, her tiny body trembling against mine. “Shh… it’s okay, baby,” I whispered. But my own words sounded hollow. I didn’t feel okay at all. Elias was in the corner, crouched low with his phone in hand, scanning messages, maps, and security feeds at the same time. His face was hard and focused, a mask I had seen only when he was on the edge of danger. “They were close,” he said finally, eyes flicking to me. “Closer than I thought. They know where we are now.” I felt my stomach drop. “Do we leave tonight?” “Yes,” he said simply. “We move before sunrise. There’s a hidden route I’ve used before. No cameras, no roads connected to the estate database.” I nodded, though my hands were shaking. “Where will we go?” “Somewhere safe,” he replied, not giving details. His tone didn’t a

Sera's Pov We left before sunset. Elias didn’t argue when I asked for ten minutes to pack only what mattered. No furniture. No photos on the walls. Just Lily’s clothes, her medicine, her rabbit, and the documents I had hidden in the back of the closet for years. Mara helped quietly. She didn’t ask questions. Her hands shook as she folded Lily’s sweaters. “You should come with us,” I said softly. She shook her head. “I’ll only slow you down. And someone needs to stay behind. If they come looking.” I hugged her tightly. “Thank you.” She kissed Lily’s hair and stepped back. Her eyes lingered on Elias for a moment, searching his face. “She’s trusting you,” Mara said simply. Elias nodded. “I won’t fail her.” That was all. We used the back road out of the neighborhood. Elias drove without headlights until we reached the main road. My heart didn’t stop racing until the city lights swallowed us. Lily slept in the back seat, her fingers wrapped around the rabbit’s ear.

Sera's Pov I didn’t sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elias’s face when he looked at Lily’s picture. The shock. The anger. And then that moment, brief but terrifying, when something inside him cracked open. I lay awake beside him, listening to his breathing. Slow. Controlled. Too controlled. Like a man holding himself together with sheer force. I kept wondering if I had made the worst mistake of my life… or the only right one left. Morning came quietly. I slipped out of bed before sunrise and stood by the window, watching the mist cling to the trees. The estate looked peaceful, but I knew better now. Someone had been watching us. Someone had seen Lily. My phone buzzed softly in my hand. A message. Mara: She slept through the night. Asked for you this morning. My chest tightened. I typed back quickly. Me: Don’t take her outside. Keep the curtains closed. I’ll come when it’s safe. I stared at the screen for a long moment before slipping the p

Elias's Pov“She’s yours.”The words hit me like a punch to the ribs, hard, sharp, breath-stealing. For a second, I didn’t feel the room, or the ground, or even my own heartbeat. Everything went silent, like the sound itself was holding still.I stared at Sera, waiting for her to take it back.She didn’t. A cold, burning feeling shot through my chest. Something between disbelief and fury. My jaw locked so tight my teeth hurt.“What did you just say?” I asked, my voice rough.Sera didn’t look away. Tears clung to her lashes, but she didn’t blink them down. Didn’t run. Didn’t explain.She just stood there.“Elias…” she whispered.I stepped toward her. “Say it again.”Her lips trembled. “Lily… is your daughter.”The air snapped in half.“No,” I said immediately. “No. That…..” I shook my head, stepping back. “That’s impossible. I would remember something like that. A child? A whole human being? Mine?”Sera’s voice broke. “I didn’t want to tell you this way—”“This way?” My voice exploded

Sera's Pov The night air outside the mansion felt colder. Elias walked beside me down the hallway with long, determined strides, but I could tell his ribs were hurting. Every now and then, his breath hitched softly. He ignored it. He ignored everything except the truth waiting outside.Harold led us toward the back exit where a few guards stood waiting. They all looked tense, their eyes shifting from me to Elias like they weren’t sure if they should speak in front of us.“Where is it?” Elias asked.“Near the northwest woods, sir,” Harold replied. “We secured the device and the surrounding area.”Elias’s jaw tightened. “Show me.”We walked through the glass doors that opened to the garden. The cold night hit instantly, and the gravel path crunched beneath our feet. It was too quiet. Even the air felt heavy, as if the trees were holding their breath.The world smelled like frost and pine and something metallic, fear, maybe. Or memory. Hard to tell anymore.We followed a winding path to