Nobela ni JohnK

Isla's POV:Sienna stood in the doorway, her blonde was hair perfectly styled, her smile so sweet it could rot teeth."Oh, Isla!" she exclaimed, rushing forward with exaggerated concern. "I was so worried when I heard what happened. Are you okay?"She reached out to touch my arm, but I flinched back instinctively.Her smile flickered for just a fraction of a second before she recovered."You poor thing," she cooed. "You must be in so much pain."Behind her, Margot appeared, my stepmother's sharp eyes scanning me from head to toe like I was a piece of an item she was inspecting for defects."Well, at least you didn't break anything important," Margot said, her tone clipped. "We can't have you limping down the aisle at the wedding. What would people think?"The wedding?Right. In this timeline, I was still engaged to Declan. The wedding was supposed to be in three months.Three months that would never happen. Not this time."Come in, come in," Margot said, stepping aside. "Don't just st

Isla's POV:Declan walked in, holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a smile that would have fooled anyone who didn't know better. The roses were pink ones, the cheap kind they sold at the hospital gift shop downstairs.I took a step back instinctively, my body responding before my mind could catch up. Fear shot through me in my veins. The last time I'd seen that face, he'd been standing over my dying body, watching as Sienna dragged him out of the room, watching as I bled out on our bedroom floor."Isla?" His smile faltered slightly, concern creasing his brow. "Are you okay? You look pale."I forced myself to breathe, to think. He doesn't know. He can't know. This is a year ago. I haven't caught them yet. I'm not dead yet. I had to pretend. I had to play the part of the meek, silent girlfriend he expected me to be.I nodded slowly, pressing my hand against my chest to steady my racing heart."You scared me," Declan said, moving further into the room. His voice was gentle, and conce

Isla's POV:I woke up with a jolt, gasping for air like I'd been drowning. My eyes flew open, and bright lights burned into my vision, white ceiling, beeping machines, and the sharp smell of disinfectant in the air.I was in a hospital.My hands flew to my head, expecting to feel the sticky warmth of blood, and the sharp sting of shattered glass embedded in my skull, but there was nothing. No wounds, and no pain. How was that possible?I sat up too quickly, and the room spun around me. My heart was beating fast against my ribs so hard I thought it might break through. I looked down at my hands, turning them over slowly. They were clean. No blood, and no scratches from fighting with Sienna.What was happening?I threw off the thin hospital blanket and swung my legs over the side of the bed. An IV was attached to my arm, and I ripped it out without thinking, ignoring the sharp sting that followed."Mrs. Hartley!" A nurse's voice called from somewhere behind me. "Mrs. Hartley, you need t

Isla's POV:My husband, Declan, was on the bed, but he wasn't alone.My stepsister, Sienna, was straddling him, her blonde hair cascading over her bare shoulders, her hands tangled in his hair, her mouth on his.His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer like he couldn't get enough.The pregnancy results slipped from my fingers, fluttering to the floor.They didn't notice me at first.I stood there, frozen in the doorway, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing. My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, to the tiny life growing inside me that I'd been so excited to tell him about.This couldn't be real.This couldn't be happening.Declan's eyes flicked up and met mine.He didn't scramble. He didn't push her off. He didn't even look guilty. He just stared at me, like I was the one intruding.Sienna turned her head slowly, following his gaze. When she saw me standing there, a smile spread across her face. That wasn't the look of embarrassment, not shame. Amusement."Oh," s

Isla's POV:The fluorescent lights above me buzzed faintly as I stared at Dr. Morrison's mouth, watching his lips move but not really hearing the words."...congratulations, Mrs. Hartley...six weeks along...the baby is healthy..."Six weeks.The words finally broke through the fog in my mind, settling in my chest like something both heavy and weightless at the same time.I blinked slowly, my hands gripping the edge of the plastic chair. My palms were sweating. The room felt too bright, too small, and suddenly too real.Pregnant. I was pregnant.After three years of trying. Three years of negative tests and doctor appointments and Declan's mother calling me barren at every family dinner. Three years of feeling broken and incomplete.My hand moved to my stomach, which was flat and unchanged, but somehow different now.Dr. Morrison kept talking, saying something about prenatal vitamins and follow-up appointments and avoiding stress.I nodded. I didn't know what I was agreeing to. I just