Nobela ni Bella A

LIORAI woke up the next morning feeling absolutely terrible.At first, I thought maybe I was still half asleep because my entire body felt strangely heavy.But the moment I tried sitting upright, a painful headache slammed against my skull so hard that I immediately groaned."Jeez"My stomach twisted unpleasantly when I moved. I pressed a hand against my forehead while squeezing my eyes shut tightly.Why did I feel this awful?Beside me, Everett shifted slightly before his sleepy voice reached my ears."Liora?"I barely managed to hum in response.The mattress dipped slightly before a warm hand touched my forehead.Almost immediately, Everett's expression changed."You're burning up.""I feel horrible," I muttered weakly.The nausea inside my stomach intensified suddenly.Before I could even properly react, I shoved the blanket away and rushed toward the bathroom.I almost didn't make it to the toilet before throwing up.A miserable groan escaped me afterward. This was officially the

EVERETT Liora smiled faintly before relaxing against me.Her hair smelled faintly like strawberries and shampoo.I lazily ran my fingers through the soft strands while studying her face carefully.She looked happy.Something about that alone eased the lingering tension sitting inside my chest all day."How was your day?"Her eyes brightened almost immediately at my question."I have so much to tell you." She started but then paused as her stomach grumbled loudly"I'll tell you properly during dinner."Barely ten minutes later, we were seated together in the dining room.Mrs. Grey had prepared grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pasta again.The moment Liora started talking, I quickly realized she had genuinely enjoyed herself today.She told me everything concerning every aspect of her day.Several times while speaking, excitement visibly lit up her entire face.I found myself paying less attention to the food and more attention to her expressions instead.Then eventual

LIORA But then the memory of a young boy with tanned skin surfaced in my mind."Spencer?" I gasp out in shock.His face instantly broke into a grin."You actually remember me.""Oh my God." I said in disbelief before walking toward him. "Look at you.""It's been years," he said warmly.I stared at him, how much he had changed facially over the years.The little boy who used to steal food with me from the kitchen had somehow turned into a grown man."What are you doing here?" I asked curiously."I work here now," Spencer explained. "I'm the gardener now."I blinked in surprise."You replaced Mr. Harold?""Well, someone had to."For the next few minutes, we talked about life; mostly mine since Spencer genuinely wanted to know."Why didn't you leave, I mean you could have built a life fo yourself somewhere else?" I asked after some time.His shoulder got stiff at my question, and bfore he could reply, one of the women managing the orphanage suddenly called for him from outside."Spencer

LIORAThe woman standing a few feet away from me looked older than last I saw her.More wrinkles lined her face now and streaks of gray were visible through her dark hair, but I would recognize those warm eyes anywhere."Aunt Lizy?" I breathed out in disbelief.The woman's lips parted slightly before emotion flooded her face."Liora?" she whispered.A smile instantly spread across my face."Aunt Lizy!" I exclaimed happily before rushing toward her.She barely had enough time to react before I threw my arms around her tightly."Oh my goodness," Elizabeth laughed shakily as she hugged me back just as firmly. "Look at you."I buried my face briefly against her shoulder, overwhelmed with joy at seeing the woman.I hadn't realized just how much I missed her until now.When we finally pulled apart, Elizabeth held my face gently between both hands while staring at me carefully like she was memorizing my present look."You've grown into such a beautiful young woman," she said proudly, her eye

LIORABy the time we got back to the penthouse, it was already past eight o'clock.Everett looked much paler as he stepped out of the elevator with me.He had thrown up at least four times after our third ride on the Ferris wheel."This is all your fault," he complained bitterly as he slumped onto the first couch he reached, shooting me a pointed glare.The poor man looked like he still wanted to throw up again."Me? What did I do?" I pursed my lips innocently at him.I didn't see how any of this was my fault. After all, I had told him that if he didn't have the stomach for a third ride, then he could simply wait behind for me. He was the one who insisted on joining me for another round."I don't remember forcing you to come with me the third time."Everett shot me the look of a wounded puppy.The pitiful expression on his face had me bursting into laughter. I just couldn't help it."Are you laughing at my suffering, you heartless woman?" he accused, narrowing his eyes at me dramatica

~Liora~"The cops were the ones who found me in that cramped closet," I said, my voice coming out steadier even though it was low."I had cried myself to sleep in there. I didn't even know what had happened until much later." I stopped, drawing in a slow shallow breath. "My father had..." The words sat heavy on my tongue, even remembering it felt difficult. "He killed my mother and ran. The neighbors were the ones who alerted the cops, or else who knows how long I would have been locked in there while my mother lay dead on the kitchen floor."Silence followed right after I finished talking. I understood that Everett was trying to process what I'd just said.Any normal person would definitely need a minute, especially after hearing something like that.I kept my eyes forward, watching a child across the park chase a balloon that had gotten away from them, laughing as they ran.Everett hadn't said a word through most of it. He had just sat there beside me, close and quiet the entire tim