Novels by Ij Gabriel

The knock on Naya’s door was too polite to belong in this place.She didn’t answer. Maybe if she stayed still, they’d think she was asleep.The lock clicked anyway, and a nurse stepped in. “You have visitors.”“I don’t want visitors,” Naya said.“They insisted.”That word — insisted — made her sit up. She’d learned in here that “insisted” meant the staff had already decided it was happening. No matter what she wanted.Two sets of footsteps in the hall. Then Adrian filled the doorway, tall in his tailored coat, his lawyer’s smile firmly in place. Beside him, Chloe — glossy hair, perfect makeup, the faint perfume of someone who never set foot in places like this.Naya’s stomach twisted. “Get out.”Adrian stepped in like she hadn’t spoken. “We thought we’d check on you.”“We?” Her voice was flat, “why? What do you hope to gain? You …” she glared at Adrian. “I'm here because of you. It's all your damned fault.”Adrian shook his head. “I had to….” He looked like he wanted to say more, but

The mop handle was already sticky when Naya took it.She eyed the bucket beside her — gray water, a rag that looked older than her trial date. Across the hall, a nurse barked instructions to the group of patients assembled for “ward maintenance duty.” It was the next day, and Naya was finding it hard to concentrate on cleaning, especially when all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.Naya hadn’t volunteered. Nobody here really did. But refusing meant losing “privileges,” and she had none to spare.“Stay on your side of the hall,” the nurse said. “Bathrooms are off limits unless you’re assigned.” She glanced toward two orderlies, then left, her rubber soles squeaking on the tile.Naya dipped the mop, wrung it out, and started on the far corner near the vending machines.That’s when the shouting started.It came from the other end of the corridor — sharp, sudden, like a door slamming inside a voice. She froze, hand tightening on the mop handle. A man’s voice, low but dangerou

The hallway felt wrong.Not the usual hum of voices or TV noise from the ward.This corridor was narrow, dim, and smelled faintly metallic, like old coins. The walls were bare, no bulletin boards, no faded posters about “healthy coping skills.” Just blank beige and the low, steady buzz of something mechanical behind them.The two nurses walked on either side of her, their shoes making soft squeaks on the floor. Neither spoke. “Walk quickly, lawsuit girl.”Naya glanced at the doors they passed — small, square plaques with numbers, no windows. Everything here looked like it was designed to keep people from seeing in… or out.They stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. One nurse knocked once, then opened it.The office inside was so neat it made her skin prickle. Papers stacked in perfect piles. A single pen aligned with the edge of a leather desk pad. The blinds on the small window were tilted exactly the same way.It looked like a room waiting for a meeting — waiting for

“Lawsuit girl! Come with me!!”A nurse with a clipboard led Naya down a hallway that smelled faintly of disinfectant and overcooked vegetables. The walls were painted the color of chewed gum, the doors numbered in plain block print, as if any trace of beauty might somehow be dangerous here.“This is the day room,” the nurse said, pushing open a door.Naya stepped inside to a blast of fluorescent light and low, constant noise. A television in the corner played a game show. A woman in a sweatshirt with frayed cuffs rocked in her chair, mumbling the same phrase under her breath. Two men were hunched over a puzzle table, not speaking.“Group starts in ten minutes,” the nurse added, then left her there.She felt eyes on her before she even sat down.“You’re the one from the lobby video,” a thin man in a plaid shirt said from across the room. His hair stuck up at odd angles, like it had given up on being tamed.Naya stiffened. “And you’re the one who doesn’t mind his own business.”He grinn

The city’s cold air slapped her cheeks as she strode toward Daniel’s office tower. The glass façade shimmered like it belonged to another planet, one where the rules bent for men in suits and women like her got erased.She didn’t slow as she reached the revolving door. Security inside immediately clocked her — the sharp-eyed man behind the desk straightened, one hand sliding toward his walkie-talkie.“I’m here to see Daniel Carter” Naya said, loud enough for the lobby to hear.The guard didn’t even pretend to check a list. “He’s not expecting you.”“I don’t care if he’s expecting me. Tell him Naya Rivera’s here.”“Ma’am—”She brushed past the desk, toward the elevator bank. The guard moved fast, stepping in front of her, his palm out like she was a speeding car.“Back up, ma’am.”“No. He lied. He ruined my life. I’m not leaving until he—”A woman in a headset and pencil skirt hurried over from reception, putting herself between them. “Ms. Rivera, you can’t—”“Don’t say my name like yo

The hotel room had been too quiet for too long.Naya sat cross-legged on the bed, her phone a block of cold glass in her palm. She scrolled and scrolled, like she could find one post—just one—that didn’t cut. Instead, her own face stared back from a dozen angles, grainy stills from the lobby, her mouth open mid-scream.Unhinged!...Slut for hire...A lawsuit and a lap dance in one convenient package...She’d muted words, blocked accounts, but they multiplied. People she’d thought were friends—people who’d once sent her You’re so brave messages—were now posting memes about her with crying-laughing emojis.She tossed the phone onto the bed like it had burned her. The TV was already on, the volume low, but the ticker at the bottom scrolled her name, over and over.“…Rivera’s erratic behavior continues to spark debate—”She grabbed the remote and turned it up.“—some legal experts question whether her latest outburst signals desperation. Others believe—”“Others believe you should all shu

Ethan's povThe drive back from the campaign site felt longer than it should have. The roads wound past farmland and industrial lots, the kind of place where our company had decided to plant its latest "community uplift" initiative. On paper it was about bridging the digital divide, putting tablets and high-speed internet into schools that barely had working roofs. In reality, it was Veronica’s chance to plaster our logo across another corner of the world and remind investors that Steele Technologies cared about “the people.”I leaned back in the town car, scrolling through emails on my phone, when Sienna shifted beside me. She’d spent most of the afternoon posing with schoolchildren, holding up devices she’d never actually use, laughing too loudly at cameras she made sure always found her.“Successful day,” she said, her voice laced with satisfaction.I didn’t look up. “It served its purpose.”Her laugh was soft, practiced. “That’s the thing about you, Ethan. Always so… clinical. Y

Amelia’s POV“Dr. Steele?”The voice came from my doorway, firm but not unkind. I looked up, blinking at the man framed in the hall. A dark suit, neatly pressed. A badge clipped to his belt.“Yes?” My throat was raw, and I hated that it sounded like I’d been crying.He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. His shoes barely made a sound against the tile. “Detective Harris. I’d like a few minutes of your time.”Every instinct in me stiffened. Something about the way he said it—measured, unhurried—made me feel cornered before he even sat down. “About what?”He closed the door gently behind him, setting his leather notebook on the edge of my desk. His movements were precise, almost careful, like he was trying not to spook me. “There are some questions coming up in the background of last night’s media coverage. Specifically, questions about your past.”The room seemed to shrink. The blinds over my office window swayed slightly from the draft, but the air still felt heavy, press

Ethan's povI told myself to leave. I told myself she needed space.“You know what, maybe I should go. I came to check on you, and I've done that.She only made a grunt. “I'll see you at home, Ethan. Just…. we'll discuss everything at home. This is my workplace and there's enough scandal already."I nodded, then pulled her into a hug. Amelia could be stubborn, but she was my everytI kissed her forehead, loving the way my lips felt against her soft s“I'll see you at home.”The door clicked behind me, muffling the sound of her uneven breathing on the other side. I stayed in the hall longer than I should have, one hand braced against the frame as though pressing harder might let me feel what she wasn’t willing to share.Her silence burned. The fact that she turned away from me—turned toward her phone instead—was worse than any words she could have thrown in my face. I had come to check on her, to steady her after the video had ripped through the city like a wildfire. But she hadn’t wan

Ethan’s POVMy knuckles hit her office door harder than I meant them to. The echo carried down the quiet hallway, far too loud in a place that prided itself on silence. My jaw was tight, my pulse hammering, but I told myself this was simple. I was here to check on her. To make sure she was all right after the storm of that damned video.But the second I heard voices on the other side—her voice, low and uneven, and a man’s voice I knew too well—all my reason snapped.Leo.I didn’t wait for her to answer. I pushed the door open.The scene inside hit me like a blade.Her office looked like the aftermath of a hurricane. Papers were strewn across the floor, books piled in messy heaps, pens scattered like debris from an explosion. And in the middle of the wreckage stood Amelia—her cheeks streaked with tears, her shoulders trembling—and Leo far too close to her, his hand just falling away from her face as if I hadn’t caught it in time.The sight sent fury tearing through me.“What the hell i

Amelia’s POV“Dr. Steele.”Dr. Marks’s voice cracked through the hallway like a whip. I froze with the folder clenched so tightly under my arm the edges dug into my skin. If I walked faster, maybe he’d let it go. But no—his shoes stalked closer, each step deliberate, until the weight of his presence pressed me into stillness.“Morning, Dr. Marks,” I said coolly, though I knew he could hear the tremor hidden beneath the surface.He didn’t waste time. “We need to talk. Now.”His office smelled of bitter coffee and disinfectant. The blinds were half-closed, letting in jagged slices of light like prison bars. He leaned over his desk, eyes sharp, cutting through whatever defenses I thought I still had.“You’ve seen it,” he said flatly.I lifted my chin. “The video.”“Don’t play coy.” He rubbed his forehead, the kind of weary gesture of a man who wanted to curse but settled for silence. “It’s spreading like wildfire. Staff gossiping. Patients whispering. The clinic doesn’t need scandal, not

Amelia’s POV“Amelia—wait up!”Leo’s voice cut through the cool morning air just as I reached the clinic steps.I stopped, clutching my bag tighter, coffee steaming in my other hand. My body ached with exhaustion, but it wasn’t from lack of sleep—it was from replaying every second of last night on an endless loop. Ethan’s eyes. Sienna’s smirk. My hands in her hair, hers in mine. The papers scattered like bones across the marble.I turned slowly. Leo jogged the last few steps toward me, his dark hair rumpled, his coat half-buttoned. He looked like he hadn’t slept either.“I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now,” I said quietly. “If Ethan sees—”He shook his head, cutting me off. “Forget Ethan for a second. I came because… Amelia, it’s bad.”A cold coil twisted in my stomach. “Define bad.”He hesitated, searching my face like he was bracing me for impact. “Someone was there last night. A journalist. He recorded the fight in the lobby. It’s already online. And it’s spreading.”My b

"Come closer, Selene."The whisper still lingered in the air long after it should have faded, curling through the dark like smoke.I took a step without even realizing it. Then another.The trees pressed in around me, and the faint golden shimmer over my hands dimmed into nothing, leaving me feeling exposed.My claws stayed out, though. My nails dug into my palms as I walked, following that voice, even though every instinct screamed at me to turn back.But it was the mention of my parents that kept me moving.Whoever she was — she’d said she had a message from them. And I… I couldn’t walk away from that. Not now.The forest felt colder here, and quiet in a way that didn’t feel right. Not a single branch creaked. No birds rustled above me. The usual smell of pine and earth had been swallowed up by something sour and metallic.I kept walking.The voice didn’t call again, but it didn’t have to.It felt like invisible strings were tugging me forward, guiding me through trees I didn’t reco

"Where the hell have you been?"The words hit me the moment I stepped into the clearing.Frey was already on his feet by the fire, his shoulders bunched, his claws out. I hadn’t even finished brushing the dirt off my hands when he stalked toward me, his sharp blue eyes catching the light like cold flame.The children all stopped what they were doing and went quiet. A little girl even pulled her blanket over her head as if that would protect her from the storm brewing.I didn’t stop walking. My heart was still pounding too hard, my skin still humming faintly with golden light, and Rafe’s smell still clung to me like smoke.Frey stopped just short of me, close enough that I could see how his nostrils flared as he took in my scent.And then his lips curled."You smell like him," he spat, his voice low but sharp enough to cut.I froze.The fire cracked between us, and I felt the golden spark under my skin prickle to life again.“You’ve been with him,” Frey said, louder now. “You went runn

"Let me go."Light flared down my arm, searing into my knuckles, and when my fist connected with his jaw, the whole forest seemed to shudder around us.He didn’t just stumble.He went flying.His body hit a tree hard enough to split the trunk down the middle, wood groaning and splintering under him before he dropped to the ground in a cloud of needles and bark.I stood there, chest heaving, the golden light still swirling around me, sparking from my fingertips to the blackened ground. My breathing sounded too loud in the silence that followed.Then I heard it.A laugh.Low. Rough. Infuriatingly amused.Rafe pushed himself to his feet, brushing a streak of blood from his lip with the back of his hand.“Feel better?” he asked, his voice curling into a dark smile.My lip curled, and I took a step toward him, the ground quivering faintly under my feet as the light coiled tighter. “Don’t start with me, Rafe.”But he was already grinning through his split lip, his silver eyes burning hotter

"We’re all just waiting to see who you kill first."The boy’s words kept ringing in my ears, louder with every breath, until I couldn’t stand to sit there another second.“Enough,” I hissed to myself, shoving off my knees.Someone said my name as I stormed away from the fire — Frey’s voice, low and careful — but I didn’t look back.Not this time.The cold night swallowed me up almost instantly, branches clawing at my arms as I pushed through the undergrowth.My fingers itched, my veins too hot, and little sparks of that golden light kept flickering under my skin like embers trying to catch.I hated it.I hated him.I hated all of them.The boy’s mismatched eyes, Frey’s knowing silence, and most of all… Rafe.That arrogant bastard’s face wouldn’t leave my mind, no matter how fast I walked. His voice — the last words he ever said to me before turning his back and letting me drown."You’re too weak to stand beside me."And I believed him.For far too long, I believed him.I shoved anothe

“I thought you’d be asleep by now.” Frey said, leaning against the tree like he owned the whole forest.I nearly jumped out of my skin.“Gods, Frey, you—” I pressed a hand to my chest and glared at him. “Do you creep on every girl who can’t sleep, or is it just me?”He smiled, sharp as a blade in moonlight. “Only the dangerous ones.”I stepped off the cabin porch and into the cool night air, arms crossed. My cheeks burned hotter than I liked to admit. All around us the camp was quiet. The fire was nothing but a faint orange glow in the pit, kids curled up in blankets like little foxes. The air smelled like ash and damp pine.I’d been trying, but failing to sleep for hours. My body was heavy but my mind just… wouldn’t shut up. Rafe’s voice still rang in my head from earlier, every word another bruise. The children’s hollow eyes haunted me. Even Frey’s crooked smile left me feeling all tangled up inside.Now here he was, all tall and lean, leaning like he’d been waiting just for me. M

I woke to the sound of boots scraping against the floorboards.For a moment, I stayed still, feigning sleep, hoping the quiet rhythm of my breathing would mask the storm churning inside me. But even with my eyes closed, I could feel it—him. Frey’s presence was impossible to ignore, a restless heat that settled in the air whenever he was near.When I finally opened my eyes, he was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, watching me with that infuriatingly calm smirk. The early morning sun cut through the cabin window, turning his dark hair almost golden at the edges.“You’re a light sleeper,” he said.“And you’re a heavy watcher,” I shot back, my voice hoarse from sleep.He chuckled at that, low and easy, but his eyes didn’t leave mine. There was something in his stare that made my chest tighten, something that reminded me too much of the way Rafe used to look at me before everything fell apart.I sat up, pulling the blanket around me. “Do you just… stand there and stare at people

I did not open the e-mail.Not that night. Nor the next morning. Not even after reconsidering the subject line—We have to discuss something.Landon needed a lot of things. Closure. Forgiveness. Maybe a soul.I did not intend to provide anything else.I opened up a browser and typed in two words that I had forgotten: personal reinvention.The salon smelled of citrus and hairspray. I sat beneath the harsh glow of vanity lights while a stranger studied my face like a canvas she’d been aching to paint."So," she said, taking her gloves off, "what are we going to do today?"I looked at my reflection—flat, lifeless brown hair, cheeks still pale from the hospital, lips pressed into a firm, unsmiling line.I pressed the glass gently. "We're deleting her."She raised one impeccably arched eyebrow. "Erasing?""She is too soft. She forgives people who don't deserve forgiveness. She stays quiet when she should be speaking out."The stylist smiled mischievously. "Oh, I see. We’re making a monster.

The hospital smelled of antiseptic and shattered hopes.It felt odd entering through the doorway again—this time without cane to lean on or hand to cling to. I went in without support, shoulders squared, sunglasses shielding still-sensitive eyes. It was all sharper. Brighter. As if waiting for me to awaken.Dr. Knox's office was located at the far end of the hall. The receptionist double-taked when she noticed me."Elara?" she spoke softly, nearly whispering. "You"Such as one who is seeing for the first time?" I suggested, tilting the brim of my spectacles with a half-smile.She pasted on a smile. "Dr. Knox is expecting you. Go right on in."I knocked, then went in.Dr. Knox looked up from her tablet. "There she is." She stood up from her seat, approaching me with a smile. "Let me take a look at you."I removed the sunglasses, and we sat there staring at one another for some time. Her eyes searched me intensely."Tracking is fine. Any pressure sensations? Flashes of light? Headache?"

The sunbeam warmed my skin as I walked through the glass doors of the hospital. It should have been like starting over, like having a miracle set before me. But instead, I walked as if I had entered right in the eye of the storm.Mark was leaning against the car in a relaxed pose, arms crossed, sunglasses on the nose as always. He stood up straight when he saw me. "Miss Matthews," he said, opening the back door as though nothing had changed.I hesitated. “Please, don’t call Landon.”His brow furrowed. “Ma’am?”I adjusted the straps on my bag. “Don’t tell him I’m out. Not yet.”His lips had begun to open as if he were about to ask something, but an abrupt tension in my posture restrained him."I comprehend," he finally said.I nodded and moved over into the back seat. "I have to go to the family guesthouse, not the penthouse,""One in Rosehill?" he asked, briefly glancing over his shoulder in my direction."Indeed, serene. I yearn for such calmness."Mark declined to take the issue fur

Something seemed amiss.I blinked twice, then again, slowly. The pain in the back of my eyes burned, yet it was subdued—muted. The world wasn't black. It was something else. Liquid light nudged the edges of my vision, like the first hint of day through mist."Elara?" There came a voice through the mist. Filling. Warm.I shifted my head slightly, and the motion had the sensation of pulling my skull through sandpaper."Elara, do you hear me?" The voice came closer—Dr. Knox.I had a dry mouth, though I could muster a rasp. "I can hear you."A sigh of relief. "Well. That's fine. You certainly scared us enough with your post-op experience.""Did. did it work?" My voice cracked, though I barely noticed. My fingertips hurt on the rough surface of the hospital bed.There existed a pause. I could feel it before she went on.You tell me.I wrenched them open as far as I could. Light blinded me: searing, brilliant, intruding, yes. Light. No dark outlines dancing in the dark. No hues. Burning, re

The bathroom floor was cold.I laid on the cold bathroom floor, every inch of my body screaming in pain. My head was in a war zone, But the worst part? The silence. It was suffocating, like the air itself had turned heavy and still. I tried to sit up, but my limbs felt like lead. Then, a strange pressure pressed down upon my eyelids, the feeling of being sucked into some kind of dark, open space. My hand flew to my face, fingers shaking. Wet. Sticky.Blood.It trickled into my fingers, a slow tide that felt heavy and suffocating. Panic clawed at me, I tried to open my eyes, but it was useless. The effort itself was painful, and the outlines I once could see were gone.I could only see pitch darkness.My right eye, burned like fire, the pain so strong it sent my whole body tumbling back down when I tried again to stand up.I can't see.It hit my brain like a streak of lightning, and I felt breathless, frozen in fear. The bathroom swayed to a tilt, and it was as if the world had

It didn't stop.I pressed my ear to the bathroom door, and a hand to my mouth to keep my whimpering silent.Landon didn't stop cheating on me. Now, as I listened to his hearty laughter and the ‘pit pat’ of the water as it hit the ground, I wondered how I had not noticed it.“I miss you, baby…” I heard him say, and I took a step back. I didn't want to hear anymore.I'd stepped backward, and the world blurred for a second before coming back into harsh focus.My brain was screaming at me to run and to just pretend I hadn't heard any of it. “So do you need me right now? I could…”Another trembling step back from the bathroom door, every word from his mouth made it harder to breathe. This was not the Landon I knew. The more I listened, the more I felt like I wasn't even real.Like this all wasn't real.He laughed-a rich sound with that same flow that once drew me to him like a moth to a flame. Now it was all wrong-twisted. It showed me something that I had been too blind to see, too bl