Novels by Ebi

The hallway suddenly felt too narrow. Vanessa's words kept ringing in my head.The boy looks like your brother. My chest tightened. That was impossible. My brother had been gone for years. I watched Vanessa carefully. “What are you trying to say?” I asked quietly. She folded her hands, studying me.“I'm saying you should stop ignoring what is right in front of you.” I ran my hand throught air frustrated."This doesn't make sense.""Doesn't it?" she asked softly.I stayed silent.Because the truth was, something already felt wrong.Freddo's face.His eyes.Even his smile.It had felt familiar.Too familiar.Vanessa stepped closer."You should look into the past again.""I already did.""No. Not deep enough."My jaw tightened."What do you know, Vanessa?"She hesitated.Then she spoke slowly."I know that your brother wasn't alone before he died."My heart skipped."What do you mean?""He was seeing someone."I froze.My brother had always been private.He never told anyone about his p

Hospitals always smelled the same.Clean. Cold. Unforgiving.I sat beside Freddo's bed, watching his chest rise and fall slowly. The steady beeping of the monitor beside him filled the quiet room. Every sound made my heart jump.He looked so small.Too small.I reached for his hand and held it gently."Mom…""I'm here," I whispered softly.His eyes fluttered open."Where's Jason?"My heart softened slightly."He stepped out. He'll be back."He nodded slowly, but I saw the disappointment in his eyes."I like him," he murmured."I know," I replied softly."He makes me feel safe."My chest tightened.I brushed his hair gently."You should rest."He nodded weakly and closed his eyes again.I leaned back in the chair, exhaustion slowly settling into my bones. I hadn't slept properly in hours. My mind kept racing.Jason.Something was wrong.The way he looked at his phone. The way his expression changed. The way he left suddenly.He was hiding something.I tried to push the thought away, bu

I could still hear the doctors word echoing in my head. “Freddo may have a rare blood condition.”Evelyn sat beside me, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the floor. The fear in her eye had not faded since we heard the news. She looked pale, exhausted and fragile. I hated seeing her like this.The hallway felt too quiet, every passing nurse made my heart jump hoping they were coming with goodnews.Evelyn suddenly spoke.“Jason..”I turned to her.“Yes?”She hesitated before speaking. “ Do you think he'll be okay?” her voice was soft and fragile. I nodded gently, “he will.” I wanted to sound confident, I needed to sound confident, but deep inside, fear was slowly creeping in.She nodded slowly, I knew she wasn't convinced.Silence fell again, then my phone rang of a notification. My chest tightened immediately. I pulled it out slowly. The DNA result. My heart pounded. I opened it. Probability of paternity: 0%. I stared at the screen. My mind went blank. This didn't make se

The hospital felt too cold.I sat quietly, my fingers tightly wrapped together. Jason sat beside me, silent, but I could feel the tension around him. Neither of us spoke. The silence between us felt heavy, filled with fear and uncertainty.Freddo was still inside.They had taken him for more tests.Every second felt like a year.I couldn't stop thinking about the way he fell. The way his small body lay on the floor. The way his voice sounded weak when he called me.My chest tightened again."He's going to be fine," Jason said softly.I nodded, but my heart refused to calm down.I looked at him.He looked worried.Really worried.That surprised me.Jason wasn't someone who showed emotions easily. He always looked calm, composed, distant. But right now, I could see something different in his eyes.Concern.Real concern.For Freddo.My heart softened slightly."Thank you," I whispered.He looked at me."For what?""For being here."His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he looked aw

I did not sleep that night.Not even for a minute.Freddo's small voice kept echoing in my head."Are you my daddy?"I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom, my chest tight. I had faced business rivals, boardroom battles, and ruthless negotiations, but nothing had ever shaken me like that small question.Because I did not know the answer.And yet, something inside me already did.I sat up slowly, rubbing my face. Dawn light slipped through the curtains. My head hurt from thinking too much, but my heart refused to calm down.Freddo.The boy looked like me.His eyes.His quiet nature.Even the way he held my hand felt familiar.I stood up and walked toward the window. London was still quiet. The city had not fully woken up yet.But my world already had.I picked up my phone and dialed a number."Good morning, sir," my assistant answered almost immediately."I need you to arrange something for me.""Yes, sir.""I want a private DNA test done. Today."There was a brief pause."Understood, s

London felt different tonight.Colder.Not because of the weather, but because something inside me had shifted.The rain fell quietly outside the taxi window as Freddo leaned against me, his small hand wrapped tightly around mine. The city lights blurred into steaks of gold and white as the cab moved through the streets.My heart still hadn't slowed down.Jason's face kept replaying in my mind.The way his eyes softened when he looked at Freddo.The shock.The regret.The pain.I shut my eyes briefly.No.I refused to let myself think about him.Not now.Not after everything.Freddo squeezed my hand gently.“Mom?”I looked down at him.“Yes baby?”“Was that man… the one from yesterday?”My throat tightened.He remembered.Of course he did.“Yes”, I replied softly.Freddo frowned slightly, his brows knitting together in concentration.“He looked sad.”I blinked.Sad?Of all the things Freddo could have said, I wasn't expecting that.“You think so?” I said gently.Freddo nodded.“He loo

I couldn't stop staring at the pills in my hand.She'll never find out.Bree's words kept playing in my head like a broken record. Over and over until they didn't sound like words anymore. Just noise that made my chest tight.I sat up slowly and looked at the two white circles in my palm. They looked so harmless. So normal. Just medicine that was supposed to help me.But Bree had lied to someone on the phone. Said I'd taken them when she couldn't have known for sure. Said I'd never find out something.Find out what?I walked to the bathroom on shaky legs and stared at the pills. My reflection looked back at me from the mirror. Pale. Tired. Weak.I'd looked like this for two years.The thought hit me suddenly. I hadn't always been this way. Before the marriage I'd been stronger. Healthier. I used to go running every morning. Used to have energy that lasted all day.When did that change?I thought back and the timeline made my stomach sink.Bree had given me the pills two weeks after th

The medication they'd given me wore off around midmorning and I felt the anger come rushing back.I was staring at the ceiling when Cara walked in carrying a bag from my favorite coffee shop."You're awake." She set the bag on the table. "I brought you real food. Hospital breakfast is garbage.""Thanks." I sat up slowly.She pulled out a muffin and coffee and handed them to me. Then she sat in the chair next to my bed and just looked at me."How are you really doing?""I don't know." I picked at the muffin. "I feel numb most of the time. Then angry. Then numb again.""That's normal.""Nothing about this is normal."Cara reached over and squeezed my hand."I'm so sorry Eloise. About everything. The baby. Julian. All of it.""He was out celebrating last night." The words tasted bitter. "While I was here he was with Rite at some restaurant.""I know. I saw the posts." Her jaw clenched. "He's a monster.""He wants a divorce.""Good. You deserve so much better than him."I took a sip of co

The sun was setting outside my window when I finally asked about Julian.A nurse came in to check my vitals. She was young with kind eyes and she moved quietly around the room."Has my husband been here?" The words tasted bitter in my mouth.She glanced at me then back at the monitor."I don't think so. Let me check the visitor log."She pulled out her tablet and scrolled through it. Her face stayed neutral but I saw something flicker in her expression."No Mrs Vale. No visitors have been logged for you.""Can you call him? His number should be in my file.""Of course." She pulled up the contact information. "I'll try right now."She dialed and put the phone on speaker. It rang four times then went to voicemail."Hi you've reached Julian Vale. Leave a message."The nurse ended the call."Would you like me to try again?""No." My chest felt tight. "Thank you."She hesitated before leaving."Mrs Vale I probably shouldn't say this but someone important did ask us to make sure you were sa

My hand searched for my stomach before I opened my eyes.The curve should have been there. Round and firm under my pain but my fingers pressed against something flat and wrong.I forced my eyes open and the bright lights above me burned. White ceiling tiles came into focus slowly. A machine beeped somewhere close. The air smelled sharp and chemical.Hospital.But how did I get here? I lifted my head off the pillow and looked down at my body under the thin blanket. My hospital gown hung loose where my belly used to push against the fabric.I pressed both hands against my abdomen and felt only softness. No kicks, no movement. Just emptiness that went deeper than my skin.The last thing I remembered was falling. The street. The car. Pain everywhere.Then nothing."No." I tried to sit up but my arms shook under my weight. They folded and I fell back against the pillow. "No no no."My legs wouldn't move right either. I tried to bend my knees but they felt distant and weak like they belonge

The hospital smelled like antiseptic and death. I hated it here but Doctor Raymond insisted I couldn't skip my monthly checkups anymore."Your vitals are stable." Raymond looked up from his tablet. "But the tremors are getting worse."I flexed my hand and felt the familiar weakness spreading through my fingers. The illness that had plagued me since birth. The thing that made me less than what I should be."I'm managing.""You're deteriorating." Raymond set down the tablet. "We need to discuss alternative treatments.""We've discussed everything. Nothing works.""There's always hope."I stood because this conversation was going nowhere."If that's all Doctor.""Drax wait." Raymond moved to block the door. "I know you don't like being here but your health matters.""I'll be back next month."I walked out before he could argue.The hospital corridor was busy with nurses and patients. I kept my head down and my presence suppressed. Most people didn't recognize me when I wasn't actively pr

I didn't go to the Vale estate.Instead I stayed in bed and watched the ceiling fan spin until my eyes went blurry. My phone kept buzzing with more texts from Julian but I ignored them all.Around noon my stomach cramped.Not the normal pregnancy discomfort I'd gotten used to. Something sharper and wrong.I shifted positions and the cramp eased. Probably nothing, just stress.The baby had been moving less since yesterday. I tried not to think about it.My phone rang. Julian again.I let it go to voicemail.Another cramp hit and this time I gasped. My hand flew to my stomach and I felt it tighten under my palm like a fist clenching."No." I whispered to the empty room. "Not yet. It's too early."Eight months wasn't full term. The baby needed more time.The cramp passed and I breathed slowly through my nose. Maybe I should call someone. Yes Cara, the doctor, anyone.But my body felt too heavy to move. Too tired to care.I closed my eyes and tried to rest.The next cramp woke me up and