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Home / Romance / CRAVING ISABELLA / Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

All Chapters of CRAVING ISABELLA: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

202 Chapters

181.

ISABELLA“I just need you to stay there,” Noah says. “Don’t leave the hospital.”I let out a hollow laugh. “Where exactly would I go?”“Minne.”“I said it’s fine, Noah.” My grip tightens on my phone. “I’ll handle it.”Before he can argue, I hang up. My brain is already a mess trying to understand what he means by he doesn't have the money. 🦋🦋🦋I don’t remember walking back inside. One second I’m outside, the next I’m standing in that same sterile hallway again, the smell of antiseptic burning my nose.The doctor is still there, speaking to a nurse, flipping through a chart like this is just another day. Like my world didn’t just get flipped upside down.“Doctor,” I call.He looks up. “Miss Jordans.”“I need to talk to you.”He nods and steps aside with me, giving me his full attention.“I don’t have the money right now,” I say immediately, the words rushing out before I can lose my nerve. “But I will. I just… I need time.”His expression doesn’t change. “I understand, but...”“No,

182.

ISABELLAThe doctor doesn’t waste any time once we step back into his office. His eyes flick between me and Noah, then to the screen, then back.“The deposit has been confirmed,” he says.I exhale. My chest feels slightly less heavy, though only slightly.“Thank you,” I whisper.“We’ll begin the necessary diagnostics immediately... CT scans, biopsies, staging,” he continues, already scribbling notes. “In the meantime, there are a few things you’ll need to arrange.”I nod before he can finish. “Anything.”He lists medications I need to pick up, nutritional supplements, soft foods, a few comfortable clothes for my mom… basic things that somehow feel impossible to collect right now.“Comfort matters,” he adds, almost gently. “It helps with recovery, even in early stages.”Recovery. I cling to that word as if it were a lifeline, because it isn’t a word I get to hear often in my life.“We’ll get everything,” I say immediately.Noah gives a short nod beside me. “Today.”The doctor hands me

183.

ISABELLAI don't wait for his response. I can't. If I stay in that house for one more second, the walls... stained yellow from years of her smoke and his apathy will close in and suffocate me.So I grab a few of her softest nightgowns and a threadbare cardigan she loves and shove them into a bag.When I walk back out to the car, Noah is leaning against the hood. He looks up the moment the door slams, his eyes scanning my face, noting the blotchy red of my cheeks and the way my breath is still hitching. He doesn't ask what happened. He doesn't have to. I'm glad he doesn't."Let’s go," I manage.The drive back to the hospital has me exhausted. Or maybe it's the adrenaline that fueled my screaming match with my father that has evaporated, leaving behind a hollow, aching fatigue that settles deep in my bones.When we haul the bags of supplies up to the ward, the fluorescent lights of the hospital feel blinding. The air is colder now, nighttime bringing a clinical chill to the hallways.

184.

ISABELLAI linger in the room until my mother falls into a true, deep sleep... not the chemically induced haze of the ventilator, but the heavy slumber of someone who has finally exhaled. I press a final kiss to her knuckles and slip out, my legs feeling like they’re made of lead and light all at once.When I reach the waiting room, I see Noah. He’s awake now, standing by the large window, staring out at the rising sun. "Noah," He turns. His eyes search mine, terrified of what he might see. "Minnie? What is it? Is she...""Curable," I choke out. The word breaks in the middle, half-sob, half-laugh. I practically stumble toward him. "The doctor said it’s Stage II. It hasn't spread. He said she has a fighting chance, Noah. A real one.""God," he mutters, closing his eyes. "Thank God."I reach him and just... collapse. I don't have the strength to be the strong one anymore. My hands bunch into the fabric of his hoodie as I sob against his chest. I tell him everything through gasps... h

185.

ISABELLA The air in the waiting room doesn't just feel thick. It is thick and ionized by the static of the television and the confession hanging between us. I look at Noah, and for a moment, he is a stranger. Most times, I won't lie. Most times it does seem he's not the same person. I meant the same guy who took me to the park, the same guy who took me on a trip just to make me feel better and alleviate the stress. Is he the same guy who just dismantled an empire and signed his father’s death warrant in a single, cold stroke? I don’t say a word. I can’t. My throat is tight, constricted by the weight of a life saved and a life destroyed. I see the fire in his eyes... that defensive, jagged protective streak... and it terrifies me. "I don't support this, Noah," I finally whisper. "I don't support the way you did this. You went to a devil to take down a monster, and you didn't think about what that would do to your soul." "I did it for us," he insists. "I’ll be careful, Minnie. Ko

186.

ISABELLAI'm staring at Noah while I hold my breath. Can words hang between us? Because... yeah, these ones do. I mean, I'm not just his girlfriend anymore. I'm his freaking Fianceé. And if he doesn't respect that, I don't know what he will.I get it. He's hurting. He made a promise to Hardin. Hardin his his brother. But it just baffles me that both brothers are so willing to take down their dad's in this manner. Even though the men in question are brutal people. Noah’s grip on the steering wheel tightens, his knuckles paling, his jaw ticking like he’s grinding down everything he wants to say but can’t quite release yet.“…What?” he finally asks, his voice quieter now. Careful.I don’t back down. “You heard me,” I say, softer than I expect, but steadier than I feel. “You made a promise to your brother. Fine. I get that. Loyalty, blood, all of that.” I swallow, my fingers tightening in his. “But I’m right here, Noah. I’m the one who’s going to be standing next to you when all of this

187.

ISABELLA "So he outed his Dad to the bad people?" "The cops." I correct her."For what reason?" She is confused. Yeah, she's definitely confused. I mean, she has that scrunch on her face. I don't want to make her think about this too much. I didn't even want to tell her anything about it. If she hadn't pressed, I wouldn't have divulged a word."I think his Dad must have done some pretty personal things for him to have swung on him like that. How lucky your father and I are..." Her voice trails off at that word.Wow. Just wow. My eyes widen and I press my lips shut. This is the first time she's mentioning him since she got in the hospital last week. "Don't say anything. I know what you want to say. I don't want to hear it." She holds a hand up."I wasn't gonna say anything, mom." I'm smiling now, though it's a sad smile. "You okay?" She rolls her eyes. "He didn't come to see me." She mutters."He did call." I offer. "Like that would make it better." "No, I know it doesn't but...

188.

ISABELLA"No," I say immediately, but it comes out thin and I almost do not recognize my voice. I've been loud and dramatic but this is me being a helluva confused. "No, that's not... you're not making any sense." I say, because she isn't. "You're my mom. You raised me. You.. you.. "“I raised you,” she says carefully. “Yes.”Something inside me twists. “No,” I shake my head, stepping back. “No, don’t do that. Don’t start choosing your words now like... like that means something different.”“It does mean something different.”My pulse pounds in my ears. “Then say it,” I demand. “Say what you’re trying to say.”She inhales shakily. “The woman who gave birth to you…” she starts, then falters. "was Dana Adams."My knees almost give out, and I grab the edge of the hospital bed to steady myself. "No." I shake my head, once, twice, harder the third time. “No, that’s not funny. Don’t... don’t do that.”“I raised you,” she says quietly. “I held you when you cried. I fed you, clothed you, wat

189.

ISABELLA The way I make my way back to the house is a miracle. I walk, taking slow steps while I try to assimilate. Was she right? Or was she lying to me? She's the woman I know. I don't know anybody else. I don't have a dead mother.I'm walking to the one person who can give me answers. I'm not crying though. I think that it'd be too dramatic to cry. Not until I understand everything."Dad?"No response. I step further inside, shutting the door behind me. I glance around, but now, I'm staring at everywhere different? The couch. Did Dana ever sit there?“Dad!” I call again, louder this time.A sound comes from the stairs. And then he appears. He looks tired. More than tired... wrecked. His shirt is wrinkled, sleeves rolled up unevenly, like he’s been running his hands through his hair over and over again.“Isabella…” he breathes. “You’re back. I was just about to...”“Don’t. When I left... you didn't look like that. Tell me, js she lying?” I ask.Straight to it. No warning. His face

190.

ISABELLA"I'll understand if you need time.""Time? You're fucking kidding me. I want space. I want a year from you people."The silence that follows is unbearable. I can hear everything... my breathing, his uneven exhales.“I’m sorry.”It’s quiet. So quiet I almost miss it. I frown. “What?”“I said… I’m sorry.” His voice cracks this time, and that’s new. That’s never happened before. “Not just for this. Not just for what you found out today. For everything.”I swallow hard, but I don’t say anything. Because if I do, I might fall apart.“I should’ve told you,” he continues, stepping forward slowly. “I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning. You deserved that. You deserved the truth about your mother… about who you are.”A tear slips down his face, and it does something to me.“I thought I was protecting you,” he says. “But I see it now. I wasn’t protecting you. I was scared,” he admits. “After that night… everything changed. I wasn’t the same man anymore, Isabella. I made c

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