Semua Bab Chasing Midnight Promises : Bab 101 - Bab 110

When I finally stopped laughing—since Raven clearly wasn’t buying it—I drew in a deep breath and spoke again, slower this time.“I’m not lying,” I said, my voice turning serious. “I swear I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I only wanted to take a bath. Something to help me relax. Today’s been hell since morning. That’s all it was.”She didn’t react, so I kept going.“But somewhere in the middle of it… something changed. I heard your knocks. I heard you calling out. And that was when I tried to get up. But I couldn’t. It was like the water… had trapped me.”Raven’s foot stopped tapping.She slowly unfolded her arms and turned to me fully.“You couldn’t get up when I started knocking?” she asked.I nodded. “Yes.”“Wait... you heard me knocking?” she asked again, eyes narrowing.Another nod. “I heard you. I heard you call my name too.”Her mouth parted, but no words came. She blinked. Swallowed.“Mia… do you know how long you were in there?”I hesitated. “Maybe ten minutes? I got into my ro

The rest of the evening moved with a softness I didn’t expect, like time had decided to put on fuzzy socks and slow dance across the floor. Everything felt... calmer. Even the sky outside seemed to mirror the mood—quiet, low, and brooding.The clouds had gathered with that heavy, moody look they wore right before a downpour—the kind that made you pause whatever you were doing and just listen. But the rain never came. Instead, the world held its breath and left behind a chilled breeze that crept in through the slightly cracked window, brushing against my skin like a sigh.And in that strange serenity, Raven lived up to every single word she'd promised.Dr. Raay, the therapist-chef, went to war in the kitchen.About forty-six minutes later, she began parading in with food like she had a whole staff working overtime. I sat on my bed, initially too stunned to speak. One meal. Then two. Then five. She kept going.She had become a magician, summoning dishes I hadn’t tasted in what felt like

Raven stuck her tongue out before slipping out and clicking the door shut behind her.I stared at the closed door for a moment before groaning. With a grumble, I crawled out of bed, grabbed my laptop from the study table, and dove right back under the blankets, building a fortress out of pillows and tangled sheets.A few taps later, I joined the Zoom meeting.And regretted it immediately.No one was talking about the project. Not even close.They were deep into the same conversation I thought everyone had moved on from—Ava, Noah, and Raya’s messy triangle.I placed the laptop on the bed and sank deeper into my pillow cave, adjusting myself so I wouldn't strain anything important. I just wanted to disappear into the background and wait for the drama to blow over.But instead of stepping in, our group lead—the one person who could’ve salvaged the meeting—was encouraging the chaos. Laughing. Stirring the pot. Throwing in comments like he was hosting a reality show reunion.I stayed quiet

Raven swallowed hard, her lips parting, but no words came.“No one speaks to him the way they should,” I continued, voice lowering, brow tightening. “Because they’re afraid. Because he has something on them. But me?” I paused. “Whatever spell he’s been casting on everyone else—he picked the wrong girl this time.”And with that, I turned.I didn’t wait for permission or another reason to stay back. I walked out, her footsteps quick behind mine, her voice trailing behind in warning.“Mia—wait—”But I was already there.I stepped into the sitting room like I was walking onto a stage. The moment I saw him, every word I’d rehearsed in my head started to scatter.Noah.He was slouched on the couch like it belonged to him. Legs crossed. One arm flung over the backrest. He didn’t look like someone who was intruding—he looked entitled.The room fell quiet the moment I entered.I cleared my throat and stepped right into the center, folding my arms across my chest.“You wanted us to talk?” My vo

“Mia.”Raven’s voice cut through the tension like a blade—firm, urgent, unmissable.I blinked, my breath catching. The air between Noah and me shifted instantly, like the spell had cracked.Raya.The video. The questions.I’d almost forgotten why we were standing here in the first place.I stuttered, trying to gather my thoughts, to claw my way back to reason. I stepped away from him, heart in my throat, fingers curling by my sides like they could steady me.“Y-Yes. Raya,” I mumbled, blinking hard, throat tight, heart pounding like it was begging me to run. “She was here. Like I said. Nothing happened after that. She just… left.” I stammered, reaching for composure.But the words sounded weak—like tissue against wind.Noah stepped forward again.I moved back instantly.He didn’t stop. He kept coming—slow, sure, lethal.“You think I’m stupid?” His voice had sharpened to glass. “You expect me to believe she walked in here, and you said nothing that made her disappear?”I shook my head,