Semua Bab To live before dying : Bab 11 - Bab 18

The room was too quiet and Eva’s hand was still on the doorknob.Nathan’s words were still hanging in the room like smoke:“I don’t like it when you leave the room without saying goodnight.”It wasn’t what he meant to say, but it was the closest he’d been to honesty with anyone in months.His pulse had betrayed him — a faint flutter beneath his throat.And Eva, despite trying to maintain her professional calm, had inhaled a slow, startled breath she couldn’t hide.Her eyes had softened in a way they weren’t supposed to.Not She opened her mouth to talk..... And then A KNOCK.A loud, sharp, perfectly timed knock cracked through the tension like lightning.Eva flinched.Nathan’s jaw tightened — a flash of irritation snapped across his face so quickly only someone standing close would see it.A micro-expression of his eyebrows slicing downward, lips pressed hard, nostrils slicing, all gone in a sec.Then another emotion followed suit but it was something darker, resigned.Nathan mutte

AUDREY POV The bar smelled like last night’s whiskey and some trace of lemon polish. I liked that smell..... It was honest and familiar. The kind of smell that reminded you the world was still moving while everyone else was pretending it had stopped.I slowly wiped down a glass one more time, careful to catch every speck of dust. My shift was already halfway over, and the crowd had thinned to the usual late-night regulars who knew better than to get sloppy with the tabs. I let my mind wander a bit, thinking about Eva, thinking about my family more especially me.Eva,My best friend is Over there in that huge, silent mansion, probably hovering over Nathan like she had a clipboard permanently attached to her hand. She didn’t need a boyfriend, not really. But she deserved someone who’d stick, someone who could see her without her having to announce it to the world. I’d do what I could. I always did.The bell above the door jingled, sharp and clean.I looked up.It was Henry.The sight of

EVA POV The morning light came in soft through the tall kitchen windows, laying pale gold stripes across the marble countertops. I was measuring Nathan’s medication into the small weekly organizer when Maria walked in, her eyes wider than usual.“He’s up,” she said, voice low as if sharing a secret. “And he’s in the dining room. Asked for breakfast to be served there. For everyone.”I paused, a capsule pinched between my fingers. “Everyone?” I turned looking at her in surprise as my eyes wideneds “You, me, Luna… even offered to call in James and Theo from the garden.” She shook her head, a faint smile touching her lips. “Said, ‘If we’re all living here, we might as well eat like we mean it ”That didn’t sound like Nathan at all. The Nathan I knew took his meals alone, if he took them at all. More often, he’d grab something on the way to the studio or skip entirely. A shared breakfast felt strangely… domestic. And dangerously inviting.“I have his meds ready,” I said, avoiding Maria’

EVA POVI stood in the center of my dark bathroom, the silence throbbing in my ears. No water. No way to wash away the evidence of my embarrassment. For a long minute, I just breathed, staring at the dry faucet as if my will alone could make it work.Panic was a cold hand around my throat, but I forced it down, trying to stay calm.Think, Eva. Think....My eyes landed on the pack of bottled water by the mini fridge in the corner, the one Maria kept stocked for late-night hydration. Six small bottles. It would have to do.I moved quickly, quietly, locking the bedroom door before stripping off my stained scrubs. The fabric clung unpleasantly, and I avoided looking at it directly, bundling it into a tight ball before stuffing it into the bottom of my laundry bag. In the dim light from the hallway slipping under the door, I could see enough to clean myself—a clumsy, inefficient process, but it was all I had.The water was cool, shocking against my skin. I used one bottle to rinse my butt,