Page 127 of Sardonic Burn

“I’m not sure if you can hear me,” I say, my chest squeezing. “But you don’t have to talk. In fact, I never have to hear you speak again. But please, just look at me, baby. Show me that you’re in there, somewhere. Please.”

I’m not above begging, not when it comes to her. I’ll gladly beg on my knees if it means a part of Noelle returning to me. I’ll do anything it takes to have her pull out of the shell.

I take her hand and bring it to my lips, placing a lingering kiss on the back of it. My own hands start trembling. Half of it is pure fury that this happened, the other half is sorrow. I want to believe that one day, sooner or later, Noelle will come back.

She needs to believe it, too.

I only wish she could hear me.

“The weather is beautiful today,” I say with a little laugh. “Once your bandages come off, I’ll be able to take you for a walk. I know your favorite season is spring because it’s not too hot and not too cold. It’s just perfect for your favorite outfits, and you’re still able to have iced coffee with a splash of vodka.”

Noelle doesn’t react.

I know she won’t react, no matter what I say, yet the disappointment and guilt still appear whenever she remains silent. The deadly silence is killing me, and I no longer know what to do.

I know all about her. I know her favorite movie, drink, food, and her favorite piece of jewelry. I know that she hates seafood, with the exception of sushi. She can eat a mountain of sushi, but only from the restaurant two streets from her penthouse.

Noelle loves cats, but she has no time to care for one, which is why all the strays around her home are always lingering around. She feeds them, pets them, and even sneaks them in when the weather is bad so they don’t have to sleep outside.

She absolutely despises the fact that her brother and mine were a thing. But no matter how much she claims she hates Niko, he’s her second favorite person. The first one is her little sister.

And even if she never admits it, she loves me.

I don’t need to hear the words to see it and feel it. I don’t know when the switch happened for her—fuck, I’m even not sure when it happened for me—but one thing is for certain. We fell in love when we shouldn’t have.

It’s what caused all of this mess.

I caused all of this mess.

“Noelle.” I speak once more, the spark of hope still lingering in my chest. “I’m sorry for failing you.” I bring her hand even closer to my lips, the fear of losing her entirely shattering my mind. “I’m so sorry that I was late, baby.”

A minute passes.

Then two minutes pass.

And slowly, Noelle turns to me.

For the next while, she’s looking straight through me, her head cocking to the side. She releases another deep sigh, then she blinks. A little flicker of light flashes behind her brown eyes, and her lips part.

“Hudson,” she croaks out.

Her raspy voice sends a jolt of happiness through my body. It takes me a moment to process it because although I heard it clearly, I’m still in doubt. Noelle calls my name in a throaty tone.

She clears her throat slightly, wincing.

“Shh,” I say. “Don’t speak.”

Noelle lightly shakes her head.

“No, let me,” she whispers, wincing at the sound of her voice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it for you to see. But you know, when he said that I was aware that Franco had nothing to do with my aunt’s death… I saw your face. You were looking at me exactly the way you were looking at me before all of this started; exactly the same as the night I killed him. I saw the hatred, and it’s what I deserve.”

I freeze at her words.

“See? There it is again. And I just want you to know that I’m sorry. But it’s not for killing him. It’s for dragging you into this mess with me. Because if you were to ask me if I would kill Franco again, knowing in advance that he didn’t kill Luciella… I would say yes.”

“No, Noelle.” I quickly try to retract. “I don’t blame you.”

And that’s the hard, cold truth.

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