Before The Fall Noah Hawley Novels & Stories

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before Mom spoke again. "You're not giving it to me? Sheila, what do you mean?" Her voice was full of shock, as if last night had never happened. In her eyes, everything was still calm and peaceful.

Rohan told her and she reluctantly did so. She smiled as she placed her hand on his shoulders. Just as soon as his hand wrapped her waist, she noticed Damien staring at her behind Rohan. “Damien?” she called and immediately, her legs wobbled. The heel from her shoe broke, and she fell to the floor, while the crowd gasped.

To watch her fall apart? She wiped her face fast. No. She wouldn’t give them that. They did this because of Noah. Because of what he was. Because of what she was to him. Or supposed to be. Someone out there decided that made her a target. Noah moved beside her, the heat of him seeping through the cold like a storm was building under his skin. His voice, when it came again, was low. Raw. “Sullivan,” he said, teeth clenched. “He did this. I swear he’s going to pay.”

My body shouldn’t react to him in the way it does. Padding with bare feet down the hallway, I make it to the top of the stairs, which looks down into the foyer where the front door stands proud and tall next to thick, white marble pillars. Out of the corner of the eye, I see Noah approaching the front door, despite there not having been any knock that I heard. The moment he opens the door, I watch Cian saunter in. Of course.

"You two are heartless! The anti-system device is already running. I'll be here to watch you get what's coming…argh!" Joan kicked me to the ground. "Stop trying to scare us." I hit the floor hard. Helen dragged me into the operating room. "There's no way you're stronger than the system…ugh!" Before she could finish, a mouthful of blood burst from her lips, and she collapsed to the ground. At the same time, Joan's phone started vibrating nonstop. On the other end, her assistant's voice shook with panic. "Ms. West, something's wrong! The company is in serious trouble!"

Andrew's house yet. Hazel excused herself and stepped outside to take the call. "Sorry, I'm at the hospital," she said as soon as she answered. "The hospital? What's wrong? Are you sick?" Hazel bit her lip to keep from smiling at the worry in Evander's voice. "It's not me. Noah fell and lost consciousness. We're in the emergency room waiting for the doctors to check on him," she explained. "Noah? He fell? Is he hurt?" "His mother said his nose wouldn't stop bleeding, so we brought him here right away," Hazel added.

Or just the hollow knowledge that she’d lost everything. She was led away, Catherine stumbling behind her. Their heels clicked against the tile one last time before the door shut. The silence that followed wasn’t empty, it was released. Reporters called out questions, flashes went off, but none of it mattered. Noah turned to me, took Nova gently into his arms, and for the first time in what felt like forever, his shoulders dropped, his breath came easier. “We did it,” he murmured, his forehead pressing to mine. My throat closed around the words. “We did.”

he shouted, catching his wife before her head hit the tile. Sophia, paralyzed in the hallway, stared at her mother's pale, broken form on the floor, her perfect mother reduced to a mess of guilt and terror. Meanwhile, at the Kingsley residence, Nathan sat in the dim glow of his study, eyes fixed on the email he had just sent. “Sooner or later, Rebecca Hawke will crack beautifully,” he whispered, a cold smile tugging at his lips. “And this…” he murmured, almost reverently, “is only the beginning.” He added as he stared at Fallon who was busy choosing her wardrobe for the upcoming event.

If I reacted faster. The first tear escaped before he noticed. Noah closed his eyes immediately. As though embarrassed. As though apologizing. As though grief required permission. Elena moved closer and reached for his hand. Her fingers wrapped around it gently. Firmly. "Noah." Her voice broke through the silence. He couldn't look at her. "You were just a child." "I let go." Elena shook her head. "No." For the first time, her voice became firm. "You fell."

As for Hayley, even though she was supposedly an unwitting victim who hadn't known the whole story, she couldn't avoid getting caught in the fallout. And Noah was naturally not doing any better. His company's stock price had plummeted, and apparently, some kind soul had even leaked evidence of his tax evasion and fraud. He'd already been summoned to the police station for questioning. Reading all of that put me in a good mood. I had a feeling I'd be able to get a good night's sleep that night. … I stayed at the estate over the next couple of days. After applying the ointment according to the doctor's orders, my skin had indeed mostly recovered.