Novels by J-Noiré

Lila’s POVThe silence that followed Drew’s words was worse than the shouting, worse than the accusations and worse than the moment I thought I might lose him on that stretcher."You’re no different from her."The phrase looped inside my head like a broken record, until it wasn’t his voice anymore. It became mine, whispering into my ear, accusing me and condemning me.My hate for Kimberley intensified too.Even though she was not here her ghost filled the room, her presence had become a constant between Drew and I. She was the woman who had carved him open and left wounds that had never closed. The woman I swore I would never become. And yet, in his eyes, I was already like her.I sat frozen in the chair, my body rigid and my breath shallow. The heart monitor’s steady beeping mocked me. Every note said he was alive, that I had not lost him in body. But what use was that? when his heart and his trust was slipping further and further away from me.I don't know how I got to this point wh

Lila’s POVI didn't know when I slept off, after crying for hours, exhaustion finally took over me and I slept off. Even in my sleep all I could think of was Drew, not minding the fact that he hated me now. I didn't know how long I slept but immediately I woke up his eyes opened, staring at me with so much intensity and in that moment my entire world shifted.For hours, no it felt like lifetimes, I had sat in that chair beside his bed, counting the rise and fall of his chest, terrified that each breath might be the last. My body went numb, my mind was shattered, and now… he was awake. It felt like a miracle.I don’t even remember moving, only that one moment I was frozen in disbelief, and the next I was leaning forward, cradling his face in my trembling hands as if anchoring myself to the proof that he was alive.“Drew…” I whispered, my voice already breaking. “You’re awake. Oh God, you’re awake.”Relief ripped through me so violently that my knees nearly gave out, even though I was s

Drew’s POVThe first thing I became aware of was the light.It was too bright and sharp, so much so that it pierced through my eyelids and dragged me out of the dark haze I had been lost in. I groaned softly and shifted, but the movement sent a lance of pain straight through my ribs.My eyes snapped open. The ceiling above me was white and unfamiliar. A steady beeping noise echoed close to my ear, machines hummed and the faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, so strong it coated my tongue.I was in the hospital.The realization hit slowly, like waking up underwater. I turned my head just slightly, and even that small motion had me wincing. Bandages tugged against my skin and the ache in my chest biting deep. My right arm had an IV taped to it, tubes leading to a bag that hung from a metal stand.I had no idea how it happened but somehow, I had made it out of the wreck.The memories came in fragments, flashes that hurt as much as the wounds I carried now. I slowly remembered e

Lila’s POVThe seconds stretched endlessly, each tick of the clock above me digging deeper into my chest.I sat outside the emergency ward, folded into myself and hugging my knees tightly, as if I could hold myself together with just that pressure. The world around me moved in a blur of footsteps, rolling carts, and murmured voices, but none of it mattered. I could only hear my own heartbeat, frantic and uneven, like a drum warning me that something was terribly wrong.The door to the ER would swing open now and then, and every single time, my body jerked upright. My heart leapt into my throat, only to crash violently back down when I realized it wasn’t him they were talking about. It was someone else, another patient with another emergency.The waiting was torture.I pressed my hands into my stomach, curling inward as though I could shield the tiny life within me from the weight of my guilt. I felt every muscle in my body wound so tight it was painful, my fingers digging into my rob

Lila’s POVThe silence he left behind was worse than his anger.As soon as the door clicked shut, it was like the air in the hospital room shifted, thickening until it pressed down on me. I could still hear his voice echoing in my head, sharp and furious, tearing through me like shards of glass.Is the child mine?Did Max know all along?The questions replayed, over and over again until my chest felt raw.I pulled the blanket up to my chin, trying to steady the tremor in my hands, but nothing helped. My eyes burned, swollen from the tears I had already shed, and still more slid down my cheeks. The ache in my body was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.I was so sure now that he hated me and maybe he would never look at me the same way again.I buried my face in my hands and sobbed quietly, muffling the sound so the nurses wouldn’t hear. For the first time since Max dragged me into that nightmare car, I felt truly suffocated. At least then I had hope that Drew would come for me.

Drew’s POVAs I left her room it felt like the walls of the hospital pressed in on me. The door slammed behind me, but it didn’t silence anything.My chest was still heaving, my fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails biting into my palms. The hallway stretched ahead, sterile white, but all I could see was her face, the way her lips trembled, the way her silence betrayed her.Max knew about my child.The thought roared through my head like fire and intensified the pain I felt inside.He had known about the baby before I did.He had been circling her, taunting me, threatening Lila and all along, he held the one truth that should have been mine. I remembered when he came to my office and was threatening to spill Lila's secret but Lila said he was lying and I believed her. Max must have thought I was very stupid to have believed her all this while.I shoved a hand through my hair, my steps uneven as I walked down the corridor. Nurses glanced my way, their gazes lingering, but I ign