Chapter 143 My Angel | 036
NOELLE
My adopted mother and father are sitting on the chairs in front of the desk.
Mother's hair looks unwashed, pulled into a messy knot that's already falling apart. Her skin is pale, her eyes are sunken, and her lips are cracked. She's clutching a handkerchief in both hands. Father is hunched beside her, his suit jacket rumpled, stubble thick on his jaw. His hands tremble where they rest on his knees.
But...for some reason, I don't feel sorry for them. There's not even the slightest trace of sympathy towards them.
They both look up at the same time. Mother's eyes well up with tears instantly.
"Noelle," she breathes, her voice cracking.
Father tries to stand, but his knees buckle halfway. He drops back into the chair with a defeated thud.
Mrs. Filch clears her throat behind me.
"I'll... give you three some privacy," she says gently. "Take as long as you need. I'll be in the staff lounge down the hall if anyone needs me."
She slips out, and the door creaks shut. Silence hangs thickly in the air while I stay frozen by the door, refusing to move further into the office.
Mother starts crying first, letting out hiccuping sobs that shake her whole body. She presses the handkerchief to her mouth. When she pulls it away, there's a bright red stain on the white cotton.
Blood.
I blink, surprised. Father reaches over and takes her hand. His voice is hoarse when he finally speaks.
"Noelle... please. Sit down."
I refuse to sit. Why should I have to listen to whatever bullshit they want to say?
I stay rooted by the door, my arms wrapped around myself.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, my voice flat.
Mother tries to speak, but another cough rattles through her. More blood stains the handkerchief. She doubles over, gasping.
Father's desperate red-rimmed eyes meet mine.
"Haden," he says, and I clench my fists, taking a step backward.
I knew it. They don't care about me. They never did. They're just here to try and drag me back to hell.
"He... he poisoned her," Father continues, his voice shaking. "Two days ago. He said he'd give her the antidote only if you come back willingly. As his bride."
Mother lifts her head. Tears roll down her face, mixing with the blood on her lips.
"I'm in so much pain, Noelle," she whispers. "It burns. It feels like there's fire in my veins. I can't... I can't keep doing this."
She reaches for me with trembling hands.
"Please, baby girl. Please come home. Just... come back to him. Three months. That's all we have left. Three months, or I'll die."
I stare at the woman who sold me.
At the woman who watched Haden lock me in a room for weeks. At the woman who never once came to check if I was still breathing.
And now she's dying. And she's asking me to save her. By going back to the monster who broke me.
My chest feels too tight, an overwhelming rush of anger flooding my bloodstream.
"You sold me," I whisper.
Mother flinches as if I just slapped her.
"You let him take me," I continue, my voice shaking. "You let him hurt me. You let him—" My throat tightens. I force the words out anyway. "You let him try and breed me. For money. For status. For whatever sick deal you made."
Father's head drops into his hands. Mother sobs harder.
"I know," she chokes. "I know. I was wrong. I was weak. I was scared. But I'm dying, Noelle. I'm dying, and you’re the only one who can stop it. Please, I'm begging you."
She slides off the chair onto her knees and starts crawling towards me, her hands reaching for me.
"Please, baby. Please come home."
I take another step back. My back hits the door, the knob digging into my spine.
How can she be so...shameless?
I shake my head slowly, angry tears filling my eyes.
"No."
Mother freezes, and Father lifts his head, his eyes wide.
"No," I repeat, my voice louder. "I'm not going back to him again."
Mother's face crumples.
"But I'll die," she whispers.
I meet her gaze, a sudden calmness settling over me.
"We're all going to die anyway, yours is just happening earlier," I utter softly, and blood drains from her face.
Father stares at me like he can't recognize me. But really I don't care.
"Noelle, you don't mean that," his voice cracks, laced with utter disbelief.
I let out a sarcastic laugh. "You don't want to believe it, do you? Now, listen to me carefully. I am no longer your daughter. I am married now. And trust me, you don't want to piss my husband off. Go back to Haden and tell him that I was never his in the first place. I sincerely hope you'll get better."
Without waiting to see their reactions, I turn away, open the door and step into the hallway.
Blue is waiting there, her arms crossed. She doesn't ask questions. She just falls into step beside me.
We walk in silence for a long minute. Then she finally speaks.
"Are you okay?"
I don't answer right away. I think about the blood on the handkerchief. The pleading in my mother's eyes. The way she crawled.
Then I touch the flame necklace at my throat. The pendant is warm.
"I'm fine," I say.
For the first time in my life... I actually mean it.
...
I push open the bathroom door, a smile on my face. My hands still smell faintly of the cheap pink soap from the dispenser. I glance at myself in the mirror one last time, my cheeks flushed from the cold water I splashed on my face, the necklace glinting against my collarbone.
My phone vibrates in my hand just as I reach for the exit.
Azren.
I answer on the first ring.
"Hey," I say softly, leaning my shoulder against the tiled wall.
His voice rolls through, smooth like butter.
"Angel."
One word. That's all it takes for my knees to go weak.
I close my eyes, letting the sound of his voice settle deep into my bones.
"How's my girl holding up?" he asks.
"I’m missing you," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "Even though I saw you like... seven hours ago?”
He lets out a low chuckle. "Seven hours is indeed too long. I'm counting the minutes until you're back in my space where you belong."
I bite my lower lip to keep myself from grinning like an idiot in an empty bathroom.
"You're ridiculous," I tease.
"Ridiculously obsessed with you," he counters. "Did you eat lunch?"
I roll my eyes even though he can't see it. "Yes, Dad."
“Noelle,” he says in a warning voice, his voice dropping even lower, my things clenching.
"Are you wearing the necklace?"
I touch the flame pendant automatically. "I’m never taking it off."
"Good girl," he purrs. "I can feel your heartbeat through it right now. It’s fast, a little nervous. Tell me what's got my Angel all worked up."
I laugh softly. "Just... school. And missing you. And maybe thinking about how sexy you looked this morning when you were still half-asleep.”
He exhales roughly. "You're killing me, Noelle."
"The feeling's mutual."
A moment of silence slips between us.
"Come home soon," he says, softer. "I need you close. I need to feel you breathing against me."
My throat tightens. "Soon."
"Be safe," he adds. "Text me when you're leaving campus. And when you're back in the car. And when you're walking through the gate. And—"
I laugh. "I get it. I'll text you every two minutes if that's what it takes."
"Good." I can hear the smirk in his voice. "That's my girl."
We linger for a few more seconds, neither of us wanting to hang up first, until I finally whisper, "See you soon, Az."
"Soon, Angel."
The call ends.
I let out a long breath, smiling like a lovesick fool at my reflection.
Okay. One more class. Then I’m home with him.
I reach for the door handle, only for the door to fly open before I even touch it.
Six girls storm inside, all wearing the same smug little smirk, their hair in glossy ponytails. The leader steps forward first, her lips curled like she just smelled something rotten.
She looks me up and down slowly.
"You're Noelle, right?" Her voice is syrupy sweet, laced with venom. "The one spreading shit about me."
I blink. I've literally never seen this girl in my entire life.
"I... don't know who you are," I drone.
She laughs.
"Oh, honey. You will."
The others fan out behind her with…weapons. There are baseball bats, lacrosse sticks, and one honest-to-god golf club. They're also going as far as blocking the exit.
I should really be terrified. But I'm not.
I feel... calm.
Unnaturally calm.
The blonde girl moves closer, twirling her bat lazily. She must be their leader.
"You told everyone that I slept with your ex." She leans in. "So now I'm going to make sure everyone knows what a lying, pathetic little bitch you really are."
I tilt my head.
"I didn't say anything about you," I respond. "I don't even know your name."
She smirks. "You will."
And that’s when I see the flame-shaped tattoo on the side of her neck. Just like my necklace.
I narrow my eyes at her. What are the odds that she’s…
“Sabrina?” I frown, and she freezes. Bingo.