CRAVING ISABELLA のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 131 - チャプター 140

NOAHIsabella steps into view, her smile already forming when she sees me. Then she sees Madelyn. It seems she didn't hear her remark a second ago.The car door shuts. The smile doesn’t drop. Not immediately. Isabella’s too polite for that. She walks up beside me, sliding her hand into mine, her smile still in place. She leans into me, and I breathe her scent in.Fuck. That calms me. "I missed you," she says, her voice soft, muffled against my jacket, before she tilts her head and kisses my lips. She doesn't care if Madelyn is watching. Well, that's my girl. "Missed you too, Minnie," I tell her, my thumb gently pinching her cheek, which makes her giggle. Can she be any cuter? When she finally turns, her eyes fall on Madelyn, a polite curiosity replacing the initial surprise, and her brows raise slightly."Hi," she says, her voice friendly, extending her hand. "You must be...?"Madelyn beams. "Cousin," she says, taking Isabella's hand. "From his father's side. I'm Madelyn. I've heard

ISABELLAMornings like this are rare. Just us. Noah is about to kiss me again. His lips are inches from mine, and I can already feel his breath against my mouth when the door opens. We both turn at the same time. Madelyn appears at the door. She's staring at us, taking in the very position we're in. And then all she does next is blink. She's really weird. "Wow." She mutters.Noah pulls away from me, his jaw tightening. "What the hell?""I..." Madelyn lifts both hands. "Sorry bud. I just... I knocked.""You did not fucking knock!" "O...Kay... I did tap.""You just barged in."I slowly push myself up onto my elbows, staring at her. “Good morning…?”She shifts awkwardly. “Good morning. I just wanted to say hi to Noah before I headed out.”I turn my head very slowly toward my boyfriend. I fix him with a look. A very specific look that I'm sure he understands. What is this about?“It’s not...” he starts, already frustrated. “She just...”Madelyn cuts in, “Relax. I wasn’t interrupting an

ISABELLAThe door swings open without warning.I jerk so hard I nearly fall off the bed.Noah stands there, one foot still in the hallway, balancing a large wooden tray in his hands. Steam curls up from small bowls and plates. There’s grilled shrimp glazed in something golden, sliced mango and dragon fruit, flatbread folded beside a dish of creamy sauce, and something that smells citrusy and spicy all at once.He blinks at me.I blink at him.Slowly, a grin pulls at his mouth. “Should I be concerned that you look like you just got caught burying a body?”I swallow, pressing a hand to my chest. “You scared me.”“That was not a scare reaction.” He steps inside and nudges the door shut with his foot. “That was a ‘my secret lover just escaped through the window’ reaction.”Despite myself, I smile.He walks toward the bed and sets the tray carefully on the dresser instead of the nightstand, like he’s afraid I might knock it over in my current jumpy state.“What?” he asks, tilting his head.

ISABELLAThe playroom looks like a toy store exploded and left its contents in here. Honestly, I don't know what to say. I'm speechless. Not even Nadia has this many toys. Blocks everywhere. There's a pink dollhouse tipped on its side. One sticky-looking crayon is melting into the little white rug.I glance around and spot Ethan halfway up a low bookshelf. Already? Absolutely not. I walk forward and scowl at the grin he gives me. "Eli?" I say, walking further into the room. She’s seated perfectly cross-legged on a tiny velvet chair, watching him. “Bella,” she says calmly.Wow. I don't know how she knows my name. Or why she's this excited to see me? “Yes, hi, that’s me,” I murmur, scooping Ethan off the shelf before he can attempt the final summit.A few minutes later I have them both on the rug. Eliana tucked under my arm while I read a picture book about farm animals. Ethan keeps poking the cow and shouting, “Moooo,” at volumes that would wake the dead.But slowly… gradually… th

ISABELLANow I just think that I should have stayed at home and not go anywhere. If I had... then... then... I sniff and shut my eyes.The ambulance arrives before Madelyn does. The sirens are distant at first. Then closer. Then right outside the house. Everything after that moves too fast and too slow at the same time.I know when the paramedics rush in. They take over immediately, their hands replacing mine. One of them gently but quickly peels back the blood-soaked cloth.“That’s good pressure,” he says. “You did the right thing.”I don’t feel like I did.They wrap Ethan’s head in thick gauze, checking his pupils with a tiny light. He whimpers weakly but he’s still awake.“Stay with us, buddy,” the paramedic murmurs.When Madelyn arrives, she hugs me tightly and I think I really need the hug. At least it makes my sniffing stop. When she pulls away, her eyes take in the blood on the rug, on me, on everything... but she doesn’t hesitate.She goes straight to Eliana, lifting her from