Novels by Rain Tummy

Ethan’s POVI couldn’t breathe.I couldn’t move.I couldn’t even tell if I was awake.All I could hear was Bella screaming my name somewhere far away.“ETHAN!”I tried to answer her.“Bella!”My voice disappeared into the darkness.Then I heard a baby’s cry.It was soft at first.Almost distant.Then it became louder.And louder.Until it was the only thing I could hear.I opened my eyes.I was standing inside a room filled with glass.There were machines everywhere.Wires.Screens.Tubes.Monitors.And in the middle of the room was a small glass chamber.Inside it was a baby.Me.I stared at him.“No.”I stepped closer.The baby was sleeping.Tiny.Completely helpless.A small tube ran beside his nose.There was a name printed on the glass.SUBJECT THREE.I touched the glass.My hand went straight through it.I stepped backward.“What is this?”A voice answered behind me.“You.”I turned.Amelia stood there.But she looked younger.Much younger.Her hair was darker.Her face wasn’t t

Bella’s POVThe darkness felt different this time.It wasn’t the normal kind of darkness where you simply couldn’t see.This darkness felt alive.It felt like something was watching us.I could still feel Ethan’s hand in mine.Three squeezes.I’m here.You’re safe.I won’t leave you.I squeezed his hand back.Three times.I’m here.You’re safe.I won’t leave you.Neither of us spoke.Then I heard a sound.A soft click.I looked up.A single light appeared above us.It illuminated Ethan’s face.He looked terrified.Not because of the darkness.Because of what we had just seen.ONE OF THEM WILL HAVE TO DIE.I swallowed.“Ethan.”“I know.”“What if it’s real?”He looked at me.“Then we’ll find another way.”“But what if there isn’t another way?”“There is.”“How do you know?”“Because I refuse to believe that our entire lives were created just to end like this.”I stared at him.“You’re really stubborn.”He gave me a small smile.“You knew that already.”Despite everything, I laughed.It

Bella’s POV“Ethan?”My voice echoed through the room.Nothing.I turned around again.He was gone.One second he had been standing right in front of me, holding my hand.The next, there was nothing.Just the cold floor beneath my feet.Just the red walls.Just the girl who looked exactly like me.She was standing several feet away, watching me with tears running down her face.I couldn’t move.“Where is he?”She didn’t answer.I stepped toward her.“Where is Ethan?”“He’s remembering.”My heart dropped.“Remembering what?”“Everything.”I shook my head.“No. He can’t remember everything.”“Why?”“Because he told me he couldn’t.”She looked at me sadly.“He couldn’t before.”“What changed?”“You did.”I frowned.“What does that mean?”She walked closer.“You woke him up.”“I didn’t do anything.”“You loved him.”I stared at her.“That doesn’t explain anything.”“It explains everything.”I wanted to argue, but something inside me told me she was right.Ethan had always been different a

Noah’s POVThe screaming stopped.That was somehow worse.I stood in the darkness, staring at the place where Ethan had disappeared.I could still hear his last words in my head.Don’t trust me.I had heard those words before.Not from Ethan.From myself.A long time ago.Before Bella remembered me.Before I remembered the laboratory.Before I understood that some memories were not supposed to belong to anyone.“Turn the lights back on,” Eli said.Nobody answered.“Turn them on!”His voice echoed through the hallway.Then a small red light appeared above us.One by one, the emergency lights came alive.I looked around.Bella was gone.Ethan was gone.Eli was standing beside the strange girl who looked exactly like Bella.And Amelia was nowhere to be seen.I swallowed.“Where is Bella?”Eli turned toward me.“I don’t know.”“You were with her.”“So were you.”“I wasn’t.”“You were supposed to be.”I frowned.“What does that mean?”Eli looked at the girl.She didn’t say anything.I step

Eli’s POVI woke up to someone screaming.Not a normal scream.It was the kind of scream that made every part of your body react before your brain could even understand what was happening.I opened my eyes.“Ethan?”Nothing.I pushed myself up from the cold floor and immediately looked around.Bella was gone.Ethan was gone.The red room was gone.I was back inside the underground facility.The emergency lights were flashing above me.Red.Black.Red.Black.My head was pounding.I touched the side of my face and felt blood.“What happened?”Then I heard footsteps.I quickly stood.“Who’s there?”The footsteps stopped.A girl stepped out from the darkness.I froze.She looked like Bella.Exactly like Bella.But she wasn’t Bella.I knew that because Bella had always looked at me like she was trying to understand me.This girl looked at me like she already knew everything.“Eli,” she whispered.My stomach dropped.“How do you know my name?”She smiled sadly.“Because I knew you before y

Bella’s POVFor a few seconds, nobody moved.Nobody breathed.Nobody even seemed to remember that we were standing in the middle of an underground laboratory that was slowly falling apart.I only stared at Ethan.He was standing a few feet away from me, completely frozen.His eyes were open, but they didn’t look normal.They looked empty.Like he was watching something that none of us could see.“Ethan?”Nothing.I took one careful step toward him.“Ethan, look at me.”His eyes finally moved.They found mine.And for the first time since I had met him, I saw something in his expression that terrified me.Guilt.Not confusion.Not fear.Guilt.Like he had just remembered the worst thing he had ever done.I shook my head.“No.”He swallowed.“Bella…”“No.”“I remember.”My heart started beating faster.“Remember what?”He looked away.“I betrayed you.”The words hit me harder than I expected.I laughed nervously.“That doesn’t make sense.”“It does.”“No, it doesn’t.”“I remember.”“The

Zina POVThe house felt unnervingly silent. I sat on the couch, eyes unfocused as I stared at the walls, my mind a chaotic mess. Thoughts of Xaden crowded my brain. His voice, full of threats, filled my head, his words echoing like a constant drumbeat. He promised he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted, and I couldn't escape the feeling that he was out there, just waiting for the right moment to strike.My chest felt tight, as if a weight was pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe. I reached for my phone, my hands shaking. The screen lit up with a message.Where are you? I'm outside.It was from Jared.I hadn't answered his calls or texts all day. I couldn't let him see how scared I was, how out of control I felt. But the truth was, I needed him. I couldn't keep going like this. I had to face it, no matter how terrified I was. Jared had always been my rock.I took a deep breath, trying to steady my hands before typing out a response.I'm home. Come in.I pressed send and

POV: ZinaThe elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, but the sound might as well have been a gunshot for how violently my heart jolted. I stepped out onto the marble floor, the sharp click of my heels echoing down the hall like a countdown to my execution.Jared's words replayed in my head. You don't owe him anything. Don't let him corner you.I gripped the strap of my bag tighter, knuckles white. The conference room loomed at the end of the corridor, its glass walls revealing shadowy silhouettes inside. My reflection stared back at me as I passed, pale and drawn—a ghost of the woman I used to be.I wasn't ready for this.But I didn't have a choice.Pushing down the tremor threatening to claw its way up my throat, I adjusted the blazer that suddenly felt too tight and forced my legs to keep moving.The door opened before I could touch the handle."Mrs. Lennox."I froze.Xaden's lawyer stood there, a shark in a tailored suit with slicked-back hair and a predatory smile. He stepped

POV: JaredThe crimson glow of Xaden's taillights vanished beyond the bend, swallowed whole by the darkness. But his presence lingered thick and suffocating, like the acrid smell of smoke after a fire. My fists curled so tightly my knuckles cracked, but the tremor in my hands betrayed me. I couldn't let Zina see it. Not now.Not after this.She knelt on the damp earth, clutching Asher so fiercely it seemed as if letting go would splinter him into irreparable pieces. The boy's muffled sobs pierced the suffocating silence, each one a blade twisting deeper into my chest. I dropped to one knee beside them, the gravel biting into my skin as I reached out and brushed Zina's shoulder.She flinched hard."Zina." My voice came out hoarse, the strain roughening the edges. "We need to move. Now."She lifted her head, her face pale and streaked with tears. Her bloodshot eyes locked on mine, wild and desperate. "He'll find us, Jared." Her voice cracked, the words barely a whisper. "He always finds

Zina's POVThe cabin door shut behind Jared, leaving me alone with Asher and the deafening silence that seemed to stretch forever. I clutched Asher tighter, my arms wrapped protectively around him as if that could shield him from everything outside. My eyes darted toward the windows, the curtains drawn tightly, but it didn't stop the fear crawling beneath my skin.Jared had promised we were safe here that no one could find us. But the footprints he'd spotted outside told a different story.I kissed Asher's forehead, brushing back the mess of curls stuck to his skin. He stirred slightly, murmuring something in his sleep, but didn't wake. At least one of us could rest.I envied him envied his innocence and belief that Jared and I could protect him. I wanted to believe it, too. But after everything we'd been through, trust didn't come so easily anymore.The fire in the stone hearth crackled softly, but instead of calming me, it only made the shadows dance more wildly across the walls. I

Zina's POVMy gaze drifted toward the window, the curtains half-drawn but still letting in the faint glow of the streetlights. The glass reflected the room around us—the soft glow of the lamps, the shadows dancing along the walls. But for the briefest moment, I thought I saw something else—a flicker of movement outside.The hair on the back of my neck prickled.I froze, my heart stuttering in my chest as I strained to see past the reflection. Nothing. Just the night. Just shadows."What's wrong?" Jared's voice pulled me back, and I turned quickly, forcing a smile."Nothing." I shook my head. "Just my imagination."His eyes lingered on mine, searching. Jared could always tell when something was off. It was one of the things I both loved and hated about him. He saw too much."Zina," he said softly, "don't do that thing where you pretend everything's fine when it's not."I laughed nervously. "I'm not pretending. I swear.""Then why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"I hesitated, uns

POV: Unknown PersonThe night was cold, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and lingered, but I barely noticed. The wind howled around me, sending leaves skittering across the rooftop, but I stayed still, cloaked in darkness. The only thing that mattered was the scene unfolding through the softly glowing window across the street.I pressed the binoculars closer to my face, my gaze narrowing as I brought them into sharper focus. Inside, Jared and Zina sat together, their faces lit by the golden glow of the room. The way they laughed, their heads tilted toward one another, made my stomach twist. They looked so happy, so at peace.Jared leaned closer to her, whispering something. Whatever he said made her laugh—a full, carefree laugh that filled the space around her. She tilted her head back, exposing the curve of her neck, and I felt a bitter taste rise in my throat. He touched her arm lightly, as if reassuring her of something, and her hand came to rest over his, her fingers l