Mag-log inVincent"What... what do you mean by that?"The words barely escaped my lips. My voice cracked so badly I almost didn't recognize it as my own. I stared at Ronan, refusing to blink, refusing to believe what I thought I'd just heard. My heart pounded violently against my ribs, each beat louder than the one before, as though my body was already preparing itself for a pain it knew I couldn't survive.Ronan's lips trembled. He tried to speak, stopped, then swallowed hard. His eyes were red, and he couldn't even look at me for more than a second before lowering his head again."I... I got the call from Mr. and Mrs. Vale," he said quietly, his voice thick with grief. "Madam Nyelle... she passed away during the surgery. It happened... two days ago."For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. Everything around me disappeared.The doctors. The machines. The hospital room.Nothing existed except those words echoing inside my head over and over again.She passed away."No..."I shook my head immedia
VincentFive days later...The first thing I heard was the steady beeping of a heart monitor. It echoed through the room, slow and rhythmic, pulling me out of the darkness one painful breath at a time. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and every inch of my body throbbed as though I'd been run over by a truck. I forced my eyes open anyway, blinking against the bright hospital lights until the blurry figures around me slowly came into focus. Doctors surrounded my bed, speaking over one another as they checked the machines beside me. One flashed a light into my eyes while another held up two fingers."Mr. Hale, can you see this? How many fingers am I holding up?"Before I could answer, Ronan's relieved voice broke through the room."He's awake! Boss is finally awake!"Within seconds, more doctors gathered around me, checking my pulse and asking questions, but none of their voices registered. None of it mattered. There was only one person I wanted to see.Ignoring the sharp pain that ripp
NyelleMr. and Mrs. Vale stared at me in silence.The air inside the hospital corridor felt unbearably heavy. Mrs. Vale's hands shook violently as tears continued to stream down her face. She looked at me, then at her husband, as if desperately hoping one of us would take the decision away from her.But no one spoke.Finally, she shut her eyes, took a shaky breath, and nodded."...Fine," she whispered, her voice breaking. "We'll do it."I didn't say another word.Together, we left the hospital and drove straight to the police station.The moment we stepped inside, the officers brought Cassia out after reviewing the evidence. She still wore the same expensive clothes she'd been arrested in, but the confidence she'd always carried was nowhere to be seen. The second she saw Mr. and Mrs. Vale standing beside me, a relieved smile appeared on her face."Mom!" she called happily. "Dad! Thank goodness you're here. Tell them this is all a misunderstanding. Tell them to let me go."Neither of t
NyelleMrs. Vale stood frozen, her tear-filled eyes searching my face as though she were afraid I would disappear if she blinked. The shock of hearing my voice still lingered in her expression, but slowly, that shock gave way to something far more painful, guilt.I lowered my eyes, the memories rushing back before I slowly gathered the courage to speak.After the accident with Cassia, they had wanted to send me back to the orphanage. I couldn't bear the thought of going back there. I'd already been abandoned many times, taken away, brought into a family that never truly accepted me, and now I was about to be abandoned all over again. I was terrified that if I returned, no one would ever come for me again.So I made a choice.I pretended to be mute.I became quiet, fragile, and obedient, hoping they would pity me enough to let me stay. When everyone blamed me for Cassia's accident, I never defended myself. I simply accepted every accusation because I was afraid that if I spoke, they'd
NyelleMy trembling eyes lifted instinctively, searching for the place where the gunshot had come from, and just in time, I caught the silhouette of someone disappearing over the edge. The figure didn't stop, didn't even look back, vanishing as though they had planned every second of it.My heart lurched violently.Was that... the shooter?Before I could think any further, Vincent's weak chuckle pulled my attention back to him.He was smiling.Blood continued to pour through his fingers where he desperately pressed against the wound, staining his white shirt a darker shade with every passing second, yet instead of worrying about himself, his eyes remained locked on me as though nothing else in the world mattered.I completely lost control."You've been shot!" I cried, dropping to my knees beside him, my hands shaking so badly I barely knew where to touch him without making things worse. "You're losing so much blood!"My voice cracked, trembling with panic.He looked at me as though he
NyelleBefore the disaster..."Don't you think you were a little too harsh on him?" I signed as the car rolled to a stop outside the racing station, then looked at Nico with a sigh. "Having him arrested while he was asleep... wasn't that a bit cruel?"Nico unfastened his seatbelt and turned to me, one brow raised."You still care about him that much?" he asked, sounding almost offended. "The man broke into my house, fought me, refused to leave, and acted like a lunatic all night. He seriously thought waiving my rent for a year would magically fix everything." He snorted before pushing the door open. "Trust me, he deserved every second he spent behind those bars."I lowered my eyes without replying.Did I still care?I wished the answer were no.But the truth sat heavily inside my chest, refusing to disappear no matter how much I hated it.Nico noticed the silence but wisely said nothing else. Instead, he walked around the car and opened my door for me. I climbed out slowly, one hand u
Nyelle“What kind of game are you playing right now?” Vincent’s voice came out in a harsh whisper, but the anger inside it still made my chest tighten painfully.His jaw flexed hard as he stared down at the words on my iPad like they personally offended him. The veins along his neck stood out sharp
Nyelle“It’s been five years… and I hate to admit it, but I’ve always loved you…”Vincent’s voice froze me the second I stepped into the dark living room.My fingers tightened around the small cake box in my hands while my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Rose petals were scattered across the
Nyelle “Come meet me at the usual spot.” The moment Nico said those words through the video call, my chest tightened unexpectedly. It had been five years since I stepped anywhere near the racing station. Five whole years since I touched a bike, smelled gasoline in the air, or felt the kind of
NyelleHis words left me slightly shaken, but I refused to let it show on my face. The masked man stood directly in front of me with his arms folded across his chest while his sharp eyes studied me carefully, almost like he was trying to figure out whether I was brave or simply losing my mind.Mayb







