No More You의 모든 챕터: 챕터 121 - 챕터 130

Azzmi immediately regretted leaving her room.The moment she saw Raven standing there, every embarrassing thought she'd spent the last hour trying to bury came rushing back.His face.The memories.The questions.Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly.She lifted an eyebrow, hoping she looked far more composed than she felt.Unlike her, Raven appeared completely unaffected."I see you're finally awake."A faint trace of amusement touched his voice."I was starting to think you'd sleep through the entire day.""Why would I stay in bed all day?"Azzmi crossed her arms.Defensive.Suspicious.Trying very hard to act like last night didn't exist."Considering how drunk you were?"His mouth twitched slightly."I wouldn't have been surprised."Azzmi rolled her eyes.Mostly because it was easier than looking directly at him."I don't remember much."The lie wasn't entirely a lie.She remembered enough to be uncomfortable.Just not enough to be certain."That makes two of us."Her head snapped

Something felt wrong.The moment Azzmi answered her father's call, a knot formed in her stomach.Her father almost never called her this early."How's your husband this morning?" he asked.His voice sounded strained.Tired.Almost forced.Azzmi sat up a little straighter."He's fine. He already left for work.""I'm glad."The answer came too quickly.Something wasn't right."Dad?" she asked carefully. "Is something wrong?""What? No." His response was immediate. Almost defensive. "Why would you think something is wrong?"Azzmi frowned."You sound different."A brief silence followed.Then he laughed lightly."I've just been busy. The company is growing faster than I expected. New investors, new projects, more money coming in."His voice softened."The profits are excellent, but it means more responsibility."That sounded reasonable.Yet the uneasy feeling remained."I see," she said. "Well, don't work too hard.""I'll try."Another pause.Then his voice grew warmer."I'll talk to you

The second her palm connected with Zerra's cheek, the room went silent.Azzmi barely felt the sting in her hand.Right now, she didn't care.Her chest rose and fell with sharp breaths as she stared at Zerra. Anger still burned through her, hot and fierce. If she had to choose again, she would make the same decision.Zerra touched her cheek and turned away.A few seconds later, Raven stepped between them.Azzmi's stomach tightened.Not because she was afraid of him.Because she already knew what was coming.He faced her, his jaw set hard, his eyes locked on hers. She immediately looked away.Of course he was angry.He hadn't said a word while Zerra crossed every line, but now he was stepping in.For Zerra.Just like always.Azzmi forced herself to breathe.It shouldn't hurt.It shouldn't matter.To him, she was nothing.That was why she had prepared herself for this moment long before it arrived.“Babe,” Raven said.His voice was directed at Zerra.“Y-yeah?” Zerra answered shakily.“Go

Azzmi knew Raven had given her a heads-up about what to expect at the orphanage, but it was still overwhelming.Despite that, she knew it was nothing she couldn’t handle. The children were all lovely, and of course, the little ones were incredibly adorable, especially when they clung to her.So far, she had read a few books to them, and they always seemed eager for more. As for Zerra, Azzmi barely saw her around. Each time she did, Zerra was standing at a distance, taking pictures. Azzmi really didn’t understand what she was doing there and couldn’t believe she had convinced Raven that she wanted to be there for the children. Was he really that blinded by her?While Azzmi was in the middle of reading another book to the children outside, she noticed Zerra again, taking more pictures and changing the scenery. Azzmi told herself she shouldn’t pay attention to her. Zerra wasn’t her concern, so she refocused on the book and finished reading.Despite how long she had been doing this, Azzmi

While looking in the mirror, Raven fumbled with his necktie, growing more frustrated as time ticked away. He knew his father would be calling again, demanding that he hurry for the emergency meeting that evening.Finally getting the tie right, Raven tilted his head to the side, catching a glimpse of Zerra through the mirror. She was curled up on his bed.Ever since returning from the orphanage, she hadn’t stopped crying, feeling guilty for accidentally hurting little Billy. Raven hadn’t expected her to be perfect. That’s why he understood her and had done his best to clear things up.Once he was finished with his necktie, he grabbed what he needed, preparing to leave. But before he could go, he walked over to her with a sigh.“Babe, you need to stop blaming yourself,” he said softly.Zerra sniffled, sitting up and wiping her tears with more tissues. “I just can’t help it. You should’ve seen the way Billy looked at me, like I was a monster. He was so scared of me.”“It’s just like you