CHAPTER One Hundred and Seventeen.
Mirabelle’s POV.
The first thing I noticed was the sounda steady rhythmic beeping that pierced through the haze of my mind. It was faint at first, distant, like an echo calling me from the depths of a fog I couldn’t escape. My head throbbed, a dull persistent ache, and my eyelids felt impossibly heavy as I tried to open them.
The light was too bright.
I squinted, the sterile white of the room assaulting my senses. Everything was blurred, shapes and shadows bending together in a surreal dance. I blinked, my lashes wet with tears I hadn’t realised were there, and slowly, the world began to take shape.
A hospital room.
The faint antiseptic smell hit me next, mingling with the sterile cold air. My body felt alien, like it wasn’t mine. My limbs were leaden, my chest tight and a sharp pain radiated from the right side of my abdomen. I tried to shift, sit up, but the movement sent a fiery wave of pain tearing through me, forcing a gasp from my lips. I fell back against the bed, the sheets cool against my clammy skin.
Where was I? How long had I been here?
The beeping of the machines beside me seemed to grow louder, the steady rhythm echoing the frantic pounding of my heart. I turned my head, wincing at the ache in my neck. The monitors blinked with life, their screens a mess of numbers and lines I couldn’t comprehend. Tube snaked into my arms, the IV stand towering like a sentinel by my bedside.
I tried to piece it together but my mind was a fractured mess. Flashes of memories danced at the edges of my consciousnesspain, fear, the cold grip of despair. And then my heart seized as the last thing I remembered came crashing down on me.
My children.
Tyler, Mika, Skyler.
Noah.
I shot upor tried to. The agony in my abdomen was instant and unrelenting, a scream tearing down my throat as I collapsed back onto the bed. My hands clutched at the sheets, my breathing ragged as tears spulled down my cheeks.
“Tyler.” I whispered, my voice hoarse and barely audible. “Mika, Skyler.”
Panic surged through me like a tidal wave, and I struggled to push through the pain, to move, to find them. My eyes darted around the room, desperate and wild, until they landed on something, or someone.
There was a figure by my bed, their head resting on the edge, their body slumped forward. The sight made my heart skip a beat, confusion warring with recognition as I strained to see their face. Slowly, gently, I reached out. My trembling hand brushing against their shoulder.
The figure stirred, a soft groan escaping them as they straightened and then, my breath caught.
“Noah.”
His name fell from my lips like a prayer, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. His face was etched with exhaustion, dark circles under his eyes, his hair was disheveled. But he was here, my husband, my Noah.
He blinked, his eyes locking into mine, and the relief that washed over his face was Enough to make me break down right there. “Mira.” He breathed, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re awake.”
Tears blurred my vision as the memories came rushing back in a flood I couldn’t stop. The warehouse, the bombs, my babies strapped to explosives. Natasha’s twisted smile. The gunshot.
I gasped, clutching at Noah’s arms. “The kids.” I choked out, my voice trembling. “My babies, where are they? Are they okay? Noah, please”
“Hey, hey.” He interrupted gently, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. “Calm down Mira, they are okay and safe.”
The words took a moment to sink in, but when they did, a sob tore from my chest. Relief crashed over me like a wave, as I clung to his arm as if letting go would shatter the fragile reality I was grasping at.
“They’re at home with Grandpa Ed.” he continued, his voice soothing. “They’re fine, I promise.”
My head fell back against the pillow, my body shaking with silent sobs, they were safe, my kids. But the relief was quickly replaced by a new wave of questions, of fear and uncertainty.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “The last thing I remember Natasha she…. she…”
“Shh.” Noah said grabbing a bottle of water from the bedside and holding the straw to my lips. “Drink first.”
I sipped, the cool liquid soothing my parched throat. He set the cup down and leaned closer, his expression soft but serious. “You were shot Mira, Natasha, she lost it. I managed to disarm her, but not before she fired. The bullet was deeply lodged into your lower abdomen, you’ve been unconscious for two weeks.”
Two weeks. The word felt foreign, impossible. I stared at him, my mind reeling. “And Natasha?”
“She’s been arrested.” Noah said firmly. “She can’t hurt you, or anyone else ever again.”
Relief washed over me once more, but it was quickly followed by a deep, aching sadness. My children were safe, but everything else felt so broken, so uncertain, and then like a cruel echo, I remembered Noah’s words.
“Because she cheated on me.”
The memory hit me like a physical blow, and tears filled my eyes. I turned away, but Noah noticed immediately.
“Mira.” his voice was laced with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
I shook my head, the tears spilling over. “Did you mean it?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “The things you saiddid you mean them?”
Noah froze, his brows furrowing.
“Mira”
“Did you mean it when you said there was no point staying with someone who broke your trust?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Because if you did…. if you want to leave, I understand. II- deserve it.”
The words tore out of me, each one a jagged piece of my soul. I couldn’t stop the tears that followed, my chest heaving as I waited for his response. But then, to my surprise, he leaned forward, his hands cupping my cheeks.
“Mira.” He said softly, his voice thick with emotion. “No, I didn’t mean it.”
I blinked, confused. “What?”
“I only said those things to get into Natasha’s head,” he explained. “To make her think I didn’t care about you, it was the only way to disarm you and the kids. I know you still got shot because I was blindsided, I didn’t know she had a gun. But I know the way her mind works, if I had acted the way I was feeling, all of us would have been blown to pieces and I didn’t want that, so I had to thread very carefully.”
Relief and disbelief warred within me, and the tears came harder. “But, I hurt you.” I said through my sobs. “I betrayed you Noah, I kissed him, I broke your trust.”
Noah shook his head, his thumb brushing away my tears, and he did the thing he did with all my tears that he had wiped. He kissed his thumb. “We’ve both made mistakes, Mira. I chose to leave you, I chose my buisness over family. I went for the trip to Shanghai with Natasha despite you telling me you didn’t feel good about the trip. I was wrong for disregarding your feelings and not putting you first, I didn’t put more than enough effort to reach out to you because if I did-” he paused, his eyes full of emotions that couldn’t be explained with words.
” Because if I did reach out to you regularly and keep you company with regular calls, then you wouldn’t have felt insecure, you wouldn’t have thought that the voice you heard in that call that day was mine, you wouldn’t have fallen for that douchebag step brother of mine who wanted to get close to my wife.” He said words through clenched teeth, his fingers balled till his knockles turned white but then, he suddenly released it, his gaze softening on my features as he looked into my teary eyes.
“We definitely made mistakes, Mira. We both did. But the only thing that matters now is moving forward, what matters now is forgiveness, love and change for I’d always put in mind that my family will come first no matter the situation or condition I am in.” He took my hand in his and kissed the back of my palm. “I promise you, Mira. This is an unbreakable promise I am making to you and our kids.” he promised sincerely and the smallest of smiles tugged at the side of my lips…
I was happy, joyful infact, yet in disbelief.
He climbed into the bed, wrapping his arms around me. The warmth of his embrace was overwhelming, and I buried my face in his chest, letting the sobs wrack through me. He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering as he whispered. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.
And for the first time in weeks, I let myself believe it.
“Thank you, Noah,” I whispered, my eyes blurring with unshed tears.
He pressed his finger against my lips then wipes off a stray tear drop. “Say no more, Mira.”