Chapter 46. Stay And Fight

Chapter 46. Stay And Fight


Nolie POV

“For survival?” she asked. “No. But for living? Yes. Love and family. The only two things that keep the world from eating you alive.”

I smiled faintly. “You still sound like a poet.”

“Comes with being your mother.”

“Can I talk to them?” I asked. “The girls?”

“Of course.”

I heard her shout in the background — “Your sister’s on the line!” — and then chaos. Three voices at once.

“Mama said you’re rich now!”
“Bring me a pony!”
“I want a pink car, Nolie! A real one!”

I laughed — loud this time, honest. “You little monsters. You don’t even say hello first?”

More laughter. “Hi, Nolie! Are you coming home?”

“Soon,” I said. “And yes, I’ll get you your ponies, and cars, and whatever else you want.”

“Even chocolate?”

“All the chocolate in Italy.”

They cheered like it was the best promise in the world. And maybe it was.

For a minute, everything felt normal. Safe. Like I wasn’t hiding from police or a world that wanted me gone.

Then Mama came back on the line, quieter now. “Nolie?”

“Yeah?”

“Your father’s been asking about you.”

I froze. “Really?”

“Yes. He said… Wants to speak with his daughter.”

I swallowed. My throat burned suddenly. “Tell him… tell him when I call next time, I’ll talk to him. I think… I’m ready.”

Her voice softened. “Are you forgiving him?”

“I think I’m learning what forgiveness feels like,” I said. “And what sacrifice means.”

She made that small sound she always made when she wanted to cry but wouldn’t. “You sound like your father right now.”

“God, don’t say that,” I joked weakly.

We both laughed.

But the warmth in my chest stayed. A quiet, steady warmth.

“Stay safe, my heart,” she said. “And if that man — this Zorak — if he ever stops protecting you, you run. Understand?”

“I understand,” I said softly. “But… I don’t think he will.”

“Then maybe you’ve found what I found,” she said. “Love that’s wild, but real.”

The line went quiet for a moment. Then I said, “Mama… thank you.”

“For what?”

“For reminding me why I fight.”

We hung up after that.

I sat there for a while, staring at the black screen, smiling faintly.

Then I looked back out the window.

Zorak was gone from the farmhand’s quarters now. The night was calm again.

And something inside me settled.

The fear, the guilt, the exhaustion — all of it still there, but quieter now.

He’d fought for me. I’d heard it in the way those cops ran. I’d seen it in his eyes when he looked up at me.

If he could fight for me… maybe I could fight for myself too.

Fight for my family. For love. For something worth living for.

I got up and went to the mirror. My reflection looked tired — hair messy, eyes red — but alive.

I smiled. “Stay and fight,” I whispered to myself. “Got it.” I pushed myself up from the bed, wiped my face with the back of my hand, and pulled my shoulders straight. My reflection stared back — tired, yes, but alive. Not a victim anymore.

A knock came at the door.

I turned.

“Nolie?”

It was Vanya. Her voice was soft, careful.

I hesitated, then said, “Come in. You don’t have to ask, you know. It’s your house.”

The door opened, and she stepped in slowly. Her eyes flicked over me — the towel around my shoulders, my still-wet hair.

For a second, she didn’t say anything. She just crossed the room and hugged me.

Tight.

I froze at first — then melted into it. Her warmth felt like safety. Like relief.

She didn’t speak for a long time. Just held me. Then she finally said, “Are you okay?”

I was supposed to cry. That’s what normal people do when someone asks that.

But instead, I laughed.

Not because it was funny. Because if I didn’t laugh, I’d break.

Vanya pulled back, frowning. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I said, wiping a tear that wasn’t even from crying. “Just… that question. You have no idea how much it means.”

Her eyes softened. “Then maybe I won’t ask next time. I’ll just say, ‘I’m here.’”

“That works,” I said quietly. “That really works.”

She smiled. “Zorak told me to check on you before you come downstairs. The rest are here.”

“Verlin and Dua?”

“Yeah.”

I groaned. “Great. I’ll need armor.”

Vanya smirked. “I’ll stand between you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

We both laughed, the sound echoing through the quiet room.

For the first time since the fire, I felt something close to peace.

Maybe temporary. Maybe fragile. But real.

I looked out the window one last time. The night was still again, but this time, it didn’t feel heavy.

It felt like the calm before something new — not a storm, but a reckoning.

I’d been scared for too long.

Now? I was done running.

Zorak had his way of fighting — silent, ruthless, dangerous.

I’d find mine.

“Come on,” Vanya said softly. “They’re waiting.”

I nodded. “Let them wait a little longer.”

“Why?”

I smiled, brushing a hand through my damp hair. “Because for once, I want to walk in calm. Like him.”

Vanya grinned. “Now that’s the Nolie I remember.”

We walked out together, the sound of our footsteps soft against the floor.

And as I left the room, one thought stayed in my head — a quiet, stubborn promise to myself.

No one burns me twice. From downstairs came laughter — sharp, familiar. Dua’s. It floated up the hall like a warning.

I didn’t flinch this time.