Novel & Cerita Too Late By Colleen Hoover

Clara sat on the edge of her bed that evening, her red silk gown glowing under the soft light of her lamp. Her phone rested on the glass table beside her, and she kept checking the time every few seconds. It was almost 7:00 p.m.—the exact time she had told the gardener to meet her. She smirked. “Old fool,” she muttered. “Let’s see how loyal you are after tonight.” Her phone buzzed suddenly. It was the gardener.

Her legs went weak, but she still forced herself to move, stumbling back to her car and speeding toward the crematorium. "No way… This can't be true… The person I dissected was really Jay? Why didn't anyone tell me?" At a red light, she called the hospital director to confirm. Her hands shook as she waited, hoping he would deny it. But he didn't. "Yes, Jay Willis. He's the son the wealthy family recently taken back, right? Why are you suddenly asking about…" She hung up before he could finish. She ran four red lights, but she was still too late.

“He said if I can’t get a hundred million to him in ten minutes, he’ll destroy my face and strip me down in the middle of the street…” My mom’s voice roared through the phone. “This is unbelievable! Hold on, Xavier. I’m sending someone right now!” After I hung up, I finally felt a bit of relief. Once her people arrived, I’d be fine. Meanwhile, Leo stared at his phone, watching the seconds tick away. When there were only ten seconds left, he looked at me with smug satisfaction. “Time’s almost up. Be a good boy and take your clothes off yourself.” Just as he said that, dozens of heavy-duty trucks rolled up and screeched to a stop at the entrance of the mall.

"Sonia, where are you? I didn't forget about the movie tonight. Let's go together." Before he could finish, Zoey suddenly shouted, "Harvey! Weren't you supposed to help me with the videos tonight? And now you're ditching me for your girlfriend?" Harvey hesitated. "But I promised Sonia… How about tomorrow? We can go early in the morning…"

The awkward moment passed quickly, and everyone soon went back to enjoying the party. I laughed and joked along with them, genuinely happy for the two stars of the night: my best friend, Zoe Cole, and her boyfriend. The teasing had started earlier when, halfway through the party, Lucas Brent suddenly dropped to one knee and proposed to Zoe. That left only Felix Foster and me as the last two in the group with no signs of marriage after all these years. During one of the games, Zoe changed seats and sat beside me, quietly squeezing my hand under the table.

When the last counterattack failed spectacularly, the elders could no longer take it, and they gathered to force Stefan to give them an explanation. He kept silent for a long time. Stefan clenched his knuckles until they turned white, but he still refused to give them a reason. Finally, Corey walked into the meeting room with a document in his hand. He went straight to the elders and handed them the document. "It's because the woman with Hunter Caruso is the Donna, Elena Gallo."

"Sorry doesn't fix the three days I sat by my mentor's hospital bed, praying my phone would ring. Praying you'd call. Just to ask if I was okay." "But you didn't," I shook my head. "You were too busy celebrating Rebecca's stolen victory. Too busy believing her lies. Too busy painting me as some jealous lunatic." He knelt on the floor, shaking violently. "And now that you know the truth, you think 'sorry' fixes it?" I pulled my dress from his grasp. "The game is over, Miles." I looked down at the broken man at my feet. "You lost." Then I turned and walked toward the terrace, and didn't look back.

she breathed, “I’ve come.” Nathan went still. Then he smiled. Not the smooth, controlled smile I knew. This one was almost surprise mixing with utmost joy, too out of control. “Chloe?” His voice cracked. She stepped closer, took his hand, “I had to come. I hoped I wasn’t too late…” And just like that, the room faded. Nathan and Chloe were in some untouchable bubble of memory and love. People stared. I felt their pity like glass shards under my skin.

"Bring her back to me. I’ll be waiting." There was a long silence on the other end of the line before the assistant spoke again, his voice hesitant, "Mr. Horton, there’s something you should know. We traced Mrs. Horton's steps and discovered that she... she passed away two months ago. During a failed surgery. Her body has been lying in the hospital morgue ever since." I watched as the blood drained from Caleb’s face, his grip tightening around the phone until his knuckles turned white. For the first time, I saw it—the crack in his armor, the unmistakable flicker of disbelief and fear.

At this hour? Even if it was about the divorce, it didn’t need to be in the middle of the night. “This isn’t a good time,” she said firmly. “Whatever it is, let’s talk tomorrow.” She hung up. Leonardo stared at the dead screen. Not a good time? What could she possibly be doing so late? A dark thought crept in. Had Lucia betrayed him? The moment that thought took hold, something dangerous flickered in his eyes. Just then, the guest room door upstairs creaked open.