Novels by secretplace

Noya’s POVI returned to the apartment three hours later.The lock turned under my key without resistance. Inside, the lights were on. Ethan’s shoes were by the door. His jacket was thrown over the back of the couch.He had been waiting.He stood the moment I entered, phone still in his hand. The red mark on his cheek had faded, but the anger in his eyes had not.“You blocked me,” he said.“I did.”“You blocked Lily too.”“Yes.”He dragged a hand through his hair, the gesture sharp with frustration. “Do you have any idea how crazy you’re acting? You slap me, demand a divorce, empty accounts, and then disappear for half the day? People are going to think you’ve lost your mind.”I closed the door behind me and set my bag down.“Let them.”Ethan stared at me like he was trying to find the version of me he recognized. When he couldn’t, his voice hardened.“I called my lawyer.”“Good,” I said. “I called mine too.”That stopped him for half a second.“You’re actually doing this.” It wasn’t

Noya’s POVThe bank was quiet for a weekday morning.I sat across from the account manager with my ID and the new account details already open on my phone. My voice stayed even while I requested the full transfer of every remaining personal fund, the closure of two old joint-linked savings accounts I had forgotten about, and the immediate issuance of a new debit card under my name only.The woman across the desk smiled politely. “Of course, Ms. Blake. This will only take a few minutes.”My phone vibrated against the table for the eleventh time.Ethan.I declined the call without looking.A text followed instantly.Ethan: Where the hell are you? We need to talk. You’re not thinking straight. Come home.I locked the screen and slid the phone into my bag.The account manager returned with the papers. I signed each one with a steady hand. When the final confirmation came through, the system pulsed once in the corner of my vision.[Financial foundation: 41% complete.]
[Liquid assets secure

Noya’s POVThe door rattled under Ethan’s fist.“Noya, open the damn door.”I didn’t move. I sat on the edge of the bed with my phone in my hands, scrolling through old bank statements while his voice rose on the other side of the wood.“You’re acting crazy. One slap and suddenly you want a divorce? Over Lily? We’ve been through worse.”Worse.I almost laughed.He had no idea what “worse” looked like. He had never felt teeth in his throat while the person he loved watched from safety.I opened the joint account app. The numbers were the same as I remembered—comfortable, but not enough for what was coming. Most of the larger savings sat under his name. The old Noya had never questioned it. She had trusted him with everything.That trust was gone.I transferred every dollar that belonged solely to me into a new account I opened in under three minutes. The system pulsed faintly in the corner of my vision, as if approving.[Financial foundation: 12% complete.]Outside, Ethan’s voice dropp

Noya’s POVMorning light cut across the bedroom floor like nothing had ever gone wrong.I stood at the kitchen counter, coffee cooling in my hands, and watched Ethan move through the routine we had shared for years. He poured cereal. Checked his phone. Kissed the side of my head out of habit as he passed.The same casual affection he used to give me.The same mouth that had told me I should have died instead of Lily.My fingers tightened around the mug until the ceramic creaked.“You’re quiet this morning,” he said, not looking up from his screen. “Bad dream again?”I stared at the back of his neck. At the place I had once pressed my face when I was scared. “Something like that.”He hummed, already distracted. “I need you to drop by Lily’s place later. She texted. Her sink is leaking again and she doesn’t want to call a plumber. You always handle that stuff better than I do.”The words landed soft. Ordinary. Like he was asking me to pick up milk.Lily.The woman he had loved while he

Noya’s POVI woke up choking on blood that wasn’t there.My hands flew to my throat. Smooth skin. No torn flesh. No wet heat pouring down my chest. I sat up so fast the room spun.Soft sheets. Warm air. The low hum of the air conditioner. Outside the window, city lights still glowed in neat rows instead of burning.I was in our old bedroom.Ethan slept beside me, one arm thrown over the pillow, breathing slow and even. The same way he used to before everything went to hell. The same face that had watched me die behind a locked gate.My stomach turned.I pressed a hand over my mouth to keep the sound in. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt. This wasn’t possible. I had felt teeth tear into my neck. I had tasted my own blood. I had watched the light leave the world while he stood there and did nothing.Yet here I was.Alive.Whole.Before.A cold blue screen flickered into existence in the corner of my vision.[System Binding Complete.]
[Host: Noya Blake]
[Status: Reclaimed]

Noya’s POVThe metal gate rattled under the weight of bodies.I pressed my back against the cold bars, fingers locked so tight the skin split. On the other side of the fence, the safe zone lights still glowed. Warm. Protected. Alive.Ethan stood just beyond reach, rifle slung over one shoulder, face half-shadowed by the floodlights. He didn’t move.A low, wet growl rose behind me. Then another. Then dozens.“Ethan.” My voice cracked. “Open it.”He stared at me like I was already dead.“That day,” he said quietly, “you should have been the one who died.”The words landed harder than any bite.I laughed once, a broken sound. “You’re still saying that?”He didn’t look away. “Lily was still out there. I told you. I begged you to wait. You dragged me onto that helicopter like I was some helpless child. You left her to die.”The memory slammed into me with the force of the first infected that hit the gate.Three months ago. The final evacuation. One last helicopter. One empty seat left betw