Novel-novel oleh Vivi Anne

Lucas’s POVThe morning sun filtered through the garden’s sprawling oak trees, casting dappled shadows across the grass where I knelt, my heart thumping with a rare lightness as I played with Noah and Lily. My pulse steadied, my throat easing as Noah’s giggles echoed, his tiny hands tossing a ball, his pulse racing with joy, his heart bright. Lily’s eyes sparkled, her pulse calm as she ran circles around me, her throat tightening with laughter, her heart fierce with the carefree spirit of childhood. My hands trembled slightly, not from fear but from the warmth of this moment, my eyes stinging with love as I watched them, my stomach settled for the first time in weeks. Hope was inside with Vivian, her pulse strong, her heart steady in her crib, a tiny beacon of our family’s resilience. My throat burned with gratitude, my pulse quickening as I tossed the ball back to Noah, his eyes burning with delight. But beneath it all, a shadow lingered—my throat tightened, my heart thudding wi

Olivia’s POVThe suffocating dread that had haunted me for weeks, like a chain around my heart, had finally loosened, leaving my pulse calm and steady, a quiet rhythm I hadn’t felt in too long. My heart beat with newfound strength, my throat no longer raw with fear, my eyes free from the sting of constant tears. Sitting in our living room, surrounded by the warmth of our home, I felt life knitting itself back together. My hands rested steady in my lap, my stomach settled as I watched Noah and Lily chase each other around the couch, their pulses light, their hearts bursting with giggles that filled the air. Hope, our tiny miracle, slept peacefully in her crib, her pulse strong, her heart fierce despite her fragile frame. My throat tightened with love, my eyes glistening as I gazed at her, my heart swelling with the realization that we were healing, that Austin’s shadow was fading. But a fire burned in my chest, my pulse quickening with a fierce need—not for fear, but for closure.

Lucas’s POVThe hospital’s scent clung to the air as I stood in the NICU, my heart pounding like a relentless storm against my ribs, each beat heavy with relief and lingering dread. My pulse raced, my throat raw from the weight of the past weeks—Olivia’s fear, the kids’ trauma, and the dark plan I’d set in motion to end Austin’s threat. My eyes stung, my hands trembling as I sat on the chair, the pain in my injured leg a constant ache, my stomach churning with the secret I’d shared with Olivia. I’d told her about the ricin, the prison attack, the slow agony awaiting Austin, and her reaction had surprised me. Her pulse steadied, her eyes softening with a happiness I hadn’t seen in weeks, her throat easing as she stood beside Hope’s incubator. “He’ll be gone, Lucas,” she’d whispered, her voice light, her heart lifting, her eyes glistening with relief. My pulse faltered, my throat burning as I nodded, my heart thudding with a mix of guilt and satisfaction, my eyes burning with the

Noah’s POVI sat on the squishy chair in the waiting room, my heart going thump-thump fast. My hands were all shaky, and my tummy felt wiggly, like worms crawling inside. My throat felt funny, like I swallowed something too big, and my eyes got all stingy as I looked at the bright lights in the therapist’s office. Everything was scary since the bad man, Austin, took me and Lily away. His mean voice kept ringing in my head, saying Lily wasn’t my real sister, making my heart feel all mixed up, like when my crayons get all jumbled in the box. I loved Lily, but sometimes I wasn’t sure, and that made my tummy hurt more. My pulse went fast, my eyes all watery as I hugged my stuffed bear, Mr. Snugs, tight. Then Lily came out from her talk with Dr.Wills her eyes all shiny and happy. She ran to me and hugged me, her arms warm and squeezy. My heart felt big, but my throat got tight, and I didn’t know why she hugged me so sudden. My pulse slowed a little, my eyes still stingy as I hugged he

Lily’s POVThe world felt too big sometimes, like it was pressing down on my chest, making my heart thump hard and fast, like a bunny running from something scary. My throat all tight and scratchy as I sat in the therapist’s office, the soft blue walls and squishy chair doing nothing to calm the flutter in my tummy. Everyone kept asking if I was okay—Daddy, Mommy, Aunt Vivian, even Uncle Ethan—their eyes all worried, their voices soft like I was a glass doll that might break. But I was okay, wasn’t I? My heart felt steady, my eyes stinging a little as I fiddled with the hem of my dress, my hands shaky but sure. I didn’t feel broken, not like they thought I should be. That bad man, Austin, who took me away from my family, he said mean things, called himself my daddy, said Mommy and Daddy only kept me out of pity. But I didn’t believe him. My pulse calmed, my throat easing as I remembered Daddy’s warm hugs, Mommy’s soft voice promising they loved me, really loved me. My heart glow

Olivia’s POVI sat beside Hope’s incubator, her tiny form a fragile beacon in the chaos of my mind.My pulse raced, my throat raw from unshed tears, my eyes stinging as I watched her steady breathing, her pulse calm, her heart strong despite her prematurity.My hands trembled, my stomach churning with the relentless fear that Austin’s shadow still loomed over us, his taunting words about a backup plan clawing at my sanity.Lucas stood nearby, his pulse steady, his eyes burning with concern. My heart thudded, my throat burning as I felt the weight of his gaze, the strain between us lingering like a bruise. “Olivia, you need to go home,” he said, his voice low but firm, his heart resolute. “Take a bath, rest. I’ll stay with Hope, make sure she’s safe.”My pulse faltered, my eyes narrowing with resistance, my throat tightening with the fear of leaving her.“I can’t just leave,” I snapped, my voice sharp, my heart aching with protectiveness. “What if something happens?”Lucas’s pulse quic

Anna’s POVThe celebration didn’t end all at once.It faded.Like music turned down slowly instead of cut off—voices lowering, laughter stretching wider but quieter, energy melting into something warm and heavy. The locker room had emptied, the team scattering into smaller groups, some heading out, some lingering with tired smiles and flushed faces.I sat on the edge of a bench, Liam’s jacket still wrapped around me, watching the brothers talk among themselves a few feet away.Kyle leaned against a locker, phone in hand, probably texting someone he absolutely shouldn’t be texting at this hour. Tyler stood with his arms folded, posture relaxed but alert, eyes flicking occasionally toward the door. Henry sat on another bench, towel draped over his shoulders, his gaze thoughtful. Liam stood at the center of them all, effortless as ever, like gravity bent toward him naturally.They looked… whole.Together.And somehow, impossibly, I had been folded into that picture tonight.“Ready?” Liam

Henry’s POVThe locker room doors closed behind us, muting the roar of the stadium into something distant and unreal. For a moment, it was just the echo of our footsteps and the sharp smell of sweat, ice, and adrenaline.Then someone shouted.“We did it!”And just like that, the room exploded.Music blared from a speaker Kyle must’ve smuggled in. Jerseys were ripped off and flung across benches. Someone popped a bottle—champagne, I realized distantly—and foam sprayed across the tiled floor.Victory always felt loud.But tonight, it felt… fuller.Anna stood just inside the doorway, frozen in place like she wasn’t sure she was allowed to cross the threshold. Liam’s jacket still hung off her shoulders, sleeves covering half her hands. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in everything—the noise, the chaos, us.She looked small there.Not weak.Just… new.I moved toward her before I consciously decided to.“You okay?” I asked.She startled slightly, then nodded. “Yeah. Just… I didn’t e

Anna POVThe first thing I noticed after the final buzzer wasn’t the cheering.It was Enid.She stood up so abruptly that her seat snapped back with a sharp crack, the sound swallowed instantly by the roaring stadium. Her face was blotchy, eyes glassy and wild, makeup smeared like she’d been crying longer than anyone realized. She wasn’t screaming anymore. She wasn’t posturing.She was breaking.I watched her clutch her coat around herself as if she were cold, even though the stadium was overheated with bodies and noise and triumph. Her gaze flicked once—just once—toward the ice, toward Ryder, toward me.The look in her eyes wasn’t hatred.It was devastation.She turned and pushed through the crowd, shoulders shaking, knocking into people who barely noticed her. No one stopped her. No one followed. The cameras didn’t care.Not anymore.“Anna?” Henry’s voice reached me gently. “You okay?”I nodded, though my chest felt tight, crowded with too many emotions pressing against my ribs. Gui

Tyler POVI know Ryder Willson is going to lose before the scoreboard tells anyone else.It’s in the way his shoulders hunch, like he’s carrying something too heavy.It’s in the way his scent fractures—confidence cracking into rage, jealousy, and something dangerously close to desperation.And most of all, it’s in where his eyes keep drifting.Not to the puck.Not to his teammates.To Anna.“She’s not even looking at him,” Kyle mutters as he skates past me, breath fogging the air. “That’s what’s killing him.”I don’t answer, because Kyle’s right—and because I’m too busy watching Ryder miss his mark by a full second. His timing is off. His rhythm shattered.Liam’s voice snaps through the comm.“Tyler. Pressure him. He’s spiraling.”A slow, sharp smile curves my mouth.“Copy that.”The puck slides across the ice, and instinct takes over. My skates bite, muscles coiling, years of discipline humming through my blood. I pivot, scanning the ice in a single sweep.Willow-Hills is scrambling.

Anna’s POVThe whistle blows.Play resumes.The ice comes alive again — skates carving sharp lines, sticks clashing, the crowd roaring as if nothing monumental just happened a few seconds ago. But everything has changed. I can feel it in the air, thick and charged, like the stadium itself is holding its breath.Ryder takes his position at center ice.I watch him without meaning to.He’s tense, shoulders locked, jaw clenched so tight it looks painful. His grip on his stick is wrong — too rigid, too angry. This isn’t the Ryder who used to dominate the rink with effortless confidence. This Ryder looks like he’s fighting something inside his own head.The puck drops.He misses the pass.It’s small — blink-and-you-miss-it small — but it happens. The puck slides cleanly past his stick, bouncing uselessly toward the boards where a Winterveil player snatches it up without hesitation.A ripple of confusion moves through the crowd.My breath stutters.Ryder reacts a second too late, twisting sh

Anna’s POVThe break in the game came too soon.One moment, the crowd was still buzzing from the kiss — the shockwaves of it rippling through the stadium like an aftershock — and the next, the referee’s whistle cut through the noise, sharp and commanding. Players skated toward the benches, sticks tapping the ice, coaches shouting instructions that blurred into meaningless sound.My heart was still pounding far too fast.I could feel it everywhere — in my throat, in my fingertips, in the places Liam had touched me when he pulled me close. My lips tingled faintly, the echo of his mouth still lingering, and that alone should have terrified me.This was supposed to be fake.I shifted my weight, suddenly hyperaware of how exposed I felt standing there. Even with the Winterveil boys flanking me, even with their presence acting like a shield, I felt like the entire stadium could see straight through me — to the girl who had been shattered and was now pretending she wasn’t.Then the air chang