Semua Bab CRAVING ISABELLA: Bab 171 - Bab 180

ISABELLAI let out a shaky breath, a small, giddy smile still tugging at my lips as Noah’s face fades from the screen. "Fiancée," I whisper to the empty air. The word does feel like a cool balm on my overheated skin.The heavy rooftop door creaks open, cutting my moment of peace short. I jump, nearly dropping my phone as Leo's cousin, Maya, steps out into the night air. She’s holding a half-empty glass of prosecco, her eyes scanning me with a perspective look.I am so not ready for any talk right now. Only God knows what she wants from me. "There you are," She says, leaning against the doorframe. "We were about to send a search party, but then I figured you were just hiding from the 'Ten Fingers' trauma." She pauses, squinting at me. "Wait. Why is your face even redder than it was inside? Isabella, are you okay?""I'm fine!" I say, a little too quickly, fanning my face with my hand. "Just... the humidity. And the wine. And everything."Maya walks closer. "Uh-huh. Sure. You look lik

NOAHTwo days. That's how long I've been here. I wouldn't call it exactly two full days as I occasionally leave with Giovanni to his place at noon but still... For one, I'm glad Isabella is safe and not here where Mason can get his filthy men watching her. He doesn't know I'm here. I know he's literally going nuts searching for me. But knowing him, I'm sure he'll soon figure it out.This place fucking smells like Hardin's signature espresso and baby powder since the twins basically live here most of the time. It's more like their third home. Well, Harriet's place is their home, Diva's place is their second home and this place is their third home.It's been forty-eight hours of laying low, sleeping on a couch since Hardin doesn't want Harriet's bed slept on..., and jumping every time a car idles too long outside.Now, I'm sitting on the plush rug in the living room, a twin tucked into each side of my lap. Eliana is currently trying to feed herself, while Ethan is banging a keychain a

NOAH"Do you have another option?" Yes. A thousand options. All of them involve not walking into Kol's house like some desperate charity case."Are you high?" I stare at Hardin like he’s grown a second head. "Am I?""Go to Kol? Kol. The man who couldn't stand the sight of me growing up? The one who looked at me like I was some stray Diva forgot to throw out? I’d rather go back out there and let Mason take another swing at my jaw."“That’s not..."“That’s exactly what it was,” I cut in, my voice rising before I can stop it. “Don’t rewrite it now because it’s convenient.”“He put a roof over your head.”“He put a roof over your head, Hardin. He tolerated me. There’s a difference.”Hardin exhales slowly, like he’s choosing his next words carefully. “He was a father to me.”“Exactly,” I say, pointing at him. “To you. Not to me. Never to me.”Then, quieter... he says, “You’re not a kid anymore, Noah.”I scoff. “What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means,” he steps closer, “whatever issues

ISABELLAThe morning of the wedding doesn't start like the movies. You know, like the ones where birds chirp, where there's sunlight and music... This morning starts with the frantic energy of seven women and a toddler.Wait, six? Sarah, Fiona, Maya, Tina...Tina was right about the bridal suite. She was also right about the fact that I couldn't handle the duties of the maid of honour. I gladly let her take over yesterday when I realized I was just wearing the title while she was doing the actual work.In this room, there are garment bags, half-eaten fruit platters, and stray bobby pins.Chloe sits in the center of the storm, looking surprisingly calm for a woman about to walk down the aisle.“Isabella! Tell me this eyeliner is even,” Tina shrieks, leaning so close to the vanity mirror she’s fogging it up. “If I look lopsided in the professional photos, I’m suing the photographer.”I squint at her maid of Honor dress already zipped up... a shade that complements Chloe’s perfectly. “Yo

ISABELLAI think that chaos has a way of rearing it's ugly head in ones life no matter how beautiful and peaceful your life seems to be. My life is always far from quiet. It's always one chaos or another. That's why the silence feels wrong.I’m halfway through brushing my hair when my phone rings.Unknown number.I almost don’t pick it up.Almost.“Hello?” I say, tucking the phone between my shoulder and ear as I drag the brush through a stubborn knot.There’s a pause on the other end. Papers shuffling. A voice clears.“Is this Isabella Jordans?”“Yes… who’s this?”“This is Nova Hospital.”Everything in me goes still. A hospital calling? The brush stops mid-stroke. My fingers tighten around it.“I’m calling in regard to your mother.”My heart stutters. “What... what about her? Is she okay?”“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we can’t disclose details over the phone. We need you to come in as soon as possible.”“What do you mean you can’t...?” My voice cracks. “Is she hurt? Is she awake? What hap