Chapter 122

Noelle grinned at Damon. “Wow, you’re being really nice to me. Thanks, Damon!”

“Enough with that.” Damon didn’t even glance at her as he helped her upstairs.

Downstairs, the Anderson family watched them go, their reactions ranging from shock to suspicion.

Eli raised an eyebrow. “Okay, is Damon possessed or something! Since when does he care this much about Noelle?”

Charlie folded his arms. “Seriously, unless Noelle has something on him?”

Kimberly rolled her eyes. “You two need to stop. Damon is her older brother. Of course, he should care about her. What’s so strange about that?”

“Mom, if it were any of us, sure. But Damon? There’s no way this isn’t weird,” one of them shot back.

Kimberly crossed her arms. “Then tell me, what exactly is so weird about it?”

“I knew I wouldn’t be this confused...”

Vincent finally spoke up, his voice calm but firm. “Enough. Why are we acting like this is a bad thing! If Damon finally knows how to look after his sister, maybe we should just let him?”

Eli exhaled sharply. “Fine, whatever.” Then, with a smirk, he added, “Damon stepping up isn’t a problem for us, but I bet someone else is losing it.”

Kimberly sighed. “Eli, do you always have to be so sarcastic!”

“Oh, I live for it,” Eli said, grinning.

Meanwhile, Leia had been quietly watching from the second floor.

She had seen everything, how Damon, her most loyal supporter, had actually fought with Eli over Noelle. Over a slap. There was no reason for him to react like that. Damon was supposed to be the one person she could always rely on. And now, even he was turning his back on her.

As soon as they disappeared into Noelle’s room, Leia stormed back to her own. She barely made it to the bed before collapsing onto it, burying her face in her pillow as sobs wracked her body.

She hated Noelle. She hated everything about the Anderson family. Why is everyone against me? Why does nothing ever go my way? Why! I hate this. I hate all of it!

Her thoughts spiraled, landing on the message from before, the one promising to get rid of Noelle. But Noelle was still here. Still breathing.

She should be dead by now.

Damon stood at Noelle’s door, hesitating. He looked her over, his voice low. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Noelle flashed him a bright smile. “Totally fine! Damon, I’m super tired. Don’t worry about me.”

He still wasn’t convinced. “If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll get it for you.”

She paused, thinking. Then, lowering her voice, she whispered, “I actually do. Can you grab me some gauze and anti-inflammatory meds?”

Damon’s expression darkened instantly. “So, you are hurt.” His jaw tightened, and he silently cursed Eli for being a complete idiot.

Noelle, feeling drained, waved him off. “I’m fine! Just go buy it for me already. I need to sleep. Bye!”

Before he could argue, she pushed him out and shut the door.

Damon let out a frustrated sigh but turned to leave, heading out to buy the supplies.

Inside, Noelle dragged herself to the bed and collapsed. The moment she hit the mattress, her whole body trembled, like she was barely holding something in.

After a moment, she forced herself up and pulled up her shirt. The gauze around her wound was soaked with blood.

Chapter 123

Thankfully, her black top hid the fresh stains.

She carefully peeled the gauze away, sucking in a sharp breath. The bullet wound, which had just started to scab over, had been ripped open again thanks to Eli’s slap. Blood oozed out, and beneath it, she could see a glimpse of bone.

A fresh wave of pain hit her, sharp and searing. It hurt. Badly.

Her vision blurred as tears welled up, but she clenched her jaw and focused on keeping her breathing steady. She needed to stop the bleeding.

It took every ounce of willpower she had. By the time it finally stopped, she was completely exhausted.

Noelle laid back, exhausted, her forehead damp with sweat. Even breathing felt like a chore.

Then, her phone rang. The familiar ringtone pulled her out of her haze.

She reached for it, and when she saw the name on the screen—Nick—her lips quivered.

Before she could stop herself, the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. She answered, her voice small and broken. “Nick, it hurts so much.”