Novel & Cerita Leaving By Roxana Robinson

“Change your mind real quick out there in the dark, didn’t you, princess?” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Gabriel stepped up behind me, his massive frame instantly blocking the doorway. His presence seemed to shrink the entire room. “Cut the crap, Roxy,” Gabriel’s deep, gravelly voice cut through the room. “She stays.” Roxy stood up, crossing her arms over her lace bra. She walked over, her eyes raking over my torn blouse and the raw, whiskey-rinsed scrapes on my hands. “She looks like a broken doll, Cerb. She won’t last a single song out there. The brothers will tear her apart.”

Maybe it was the high fever, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I fell into a deep sleep. By the time I woke up, it was completely dark outside. My throat felt like it was on fire. I staggered out of bed to get some water, only to realize the entire house was empty. I checked my phone. There were no messages or missed calls, but Simone had just posted on her feed. "Dinner with the family! Mom and Dad remembered that I love king crab!"

My words made Isabel, who was chasing after me, come to a stop. Rosalie and I went back inside the car. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Isabel fall onto the curb and wail. I didn't understand why she was upset. She made her choice, so why was she regretting it now? Nevertheless, none of this mattered to me now. My future was bound to be filled with bliss and joy. That was the most important thing. That night, my heart burst with satisfaction as I watched while Rosalie slept peacefully beside me. I had a few unread texts on my phone, and some of them were from Isabel. She said she had left and wasn't going to bother me anymore. She wished me well, hoping that I would be happy.

By the time I got there, the event had just ended. I watched as Vivian, Liam, and Desiree left the building with bright smiles on their faces. Trying to maintain my composure, I said, "You must've had a long day, Desiree. I'm here to pick you up." To my surprise, Desiree instantly hid behind Liam. With a look of contempt, she snapped, "I don't want to leave with you! You're an uncultured person. I want Liam to be my dad instead!" I froze for a brief moment. Then, I recalled how strangely she'd been behaving recently.

She looked lost, like she didn’t know what to say or do. “You need to leave, Roxy,” I said quietly as my pain increased. “Go and find Raven, but when you do, don’t return to Vlokwell. They would want you to be sentenced to death for killing Lord Ronald, no matter what excuse you use. Get as far away from here as you can. I’ll be fine. Ronald is dead now. No one else could really be a threat to me now.” Roxy bit her lip and watched me for a minute. She didn’t seem too keen on leaving and I could tell my final command to her was hard for her to accept, but finally, she nodded. She hesitated and then leaned in close.

“Do not stop.” He looked at her. “I will not,” he said. She nodded once. She left. He stood in the kitchen of the house on Calloway Street with the garden outside and the folder upstairs and six hundred people registered for tomorrow and the trial four months away and the book growing on the desk and a five-year-old peony in the ground that was going to bloom in spring and he felt the particular quality of a life that was not tidy or concluded or without its remaining difficulties but was entirely, genuinely real.

"Don't worry about me, Rosie. "Wasting 30 years to see a person's true colors is a steep price to pay, but at least I'm awake now. From now on, we only have to live the way we want." At that moment, the banquet hall's doors swung open. Lori made her entrance in a lavish wedding gown. She made her way down the aisle, and Dad stood at the end, looking at her tenderly. Then, their son, Lionel Gray, placed Lori's hand in Dad's. He said, "I'll leave Mom in your hands from now on, Dad. She suffered a lot to raise me, so I hope you can treat her well."

She understood him better than he understood himself. Of course, I knew that already. The moment they wheeled me out of the operating room, Xavier, who had always carried an unshakable calm, broke down in tears. Not just tears. He was sobbing uncontrollably. Later, I found out he had written a will months ago. If anything had gone wrong during childbirth, he had no intention of staying behind. The girl next door he had loved since they were teenagers was finally his. To lose me again... it would've destroyed him.

How could she be so heartless, leaving him no hope at all? Then a single notification caught his eye. It was from Mabel. "Leaving on your own is smart. But even if you didn't, Claude would've dumped you eventually. You'd better not come back!" He opened the chat history between Angelina and Mabel, and it was like opening a can of worms. The pregnancy photo was sent by Mabel. Mabel was the one who lured Angelina to Wildrose Estate. That night at the barbecue, Angelina had seen everything, too.

“It's clear as crystal. It's different. Different because I am the woman. Your Luna, so I have to be the one giving things up. Not you.” “What? I didn't say that. When did I…?” “Come with me then.” “You know I can't. There are things here to be sorted and…” “Delegate. You have a capable beta too.” “Baby, I can't just…” “It's settled then. I am going,” she stated and got up immediately. Dominic and the soldier automatically stood up. “You are leaving already?” Roxanne emerged from behind the counter. Athena kissed her cheeks, even as suspicious moisture tinged the back of her eyes. “Yes, Roxanne. Everything tastes divine. I will be back to hound you for that recipe later.”