🌙 Author's Note -
In this chapter, we watch Rose take a bold step toward reclaiming her strength. After a storm of betrayal, she chooses not just to walk away - but to come home. We'll feel her pain, her healing, and the fierce love of those who never stopped waiting for her. A night filled with closure, comfort, and a whisper of new beginnings.
Let's dive in... 💫
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The night air was crisp and biting, filled with the tension of unresolved feelings and fragile hopes. As Rose stepped out of the hospital, the weight of the evening pressed on her chest - a mix of dread, anger, and reluctant relief. The city lights flickered around her, but nothing could outshine the turmoil inside her heart. Little did she know, this night would mark the turning point between her painful past and the uncertain promise of a new beginning.
She wrapped her coat around herself like a blanket, trying to steady her breath. But the moment she stepped off the curb, she saw him. Cole.
---
Cole's face went through a hundred shades in a single breath - disbelief, fear, the darting look of a man who had finally begun to understand consequences. He was pacing like a caged animal, hair a mess, eyes wild.
"Rose! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" he yelled, reaching for her arm. "Don't ever do that again. Come straight home with me like a good girl."
Rose's laugh was hollow. "Home? You call that home, Cole? That place was just a house. A home is where love lives - something you clearly forgot."
"Wait-what are you talking about?" he stammered. "You think Cassandra-no, she was just helping me plan your proposal-"
"Proposal?" Rose snapped, eyes blazing. "Does your proposal also include a 'practice honeymoon'? You disgust me, Cole. But you know what hurts more? That I believed you. That I gave you all of me - parts of me that were never meant to be yours."
"Rose, listen-"
"No," she cut him off. "We're done. Now get that lying face of yours out of my sight. Forever."
She turned and walked away, leaving him standing under the cold glow of the hospital lights.
---
Stepping into the warm halls of her childhood home brought a lump to her throat.
"Mom? Dad? I'm home," she called softly.
From the living room, her father, Mr. Clair, rushed to her and enveloped her in a hug.
"My sweet little angel... thank you for coming home," he whispered, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Please don't cry, Dad," she said gently, wiping his cheek. "Where's Mom?"
"In the kitchen," he smiled. "As soon as she heard you were coming, she kicked the staff out and started cooking all your favorite dishes herself."
Rose's face lit up. "I missed Mom's food so much!"
Just then, Mrs. Clair appeared at the doorway, apron still tied, eyes brimming with joy.
"My princess!" she cried, pulling Rose into a tight embrace.
"Darling," Mr. Clair chuckled, "don't choke her. Let her breathe!"
All three burst into laughter, and the night was filled with warmth, stories, and laughter over dinner - something Rose hadn't felt in years.
Later that night, Rose curled up in her old bed. It still smelled faintly of vanilla and the lavender sachets her mom used to tuck into drawers. Dialing a familiar number, she held the phone close.
"What the hell, Rose?!" came Victoria's voice on the other end. "You vanish all day and expect me not to freak out?! I swear, if you don't send your live location right now-"
"Vic!" Rose laughed. "Calm down. I'm fine. And I've got two good news for you."
"Start with telling me you're not with him."
"I'm not," Rose assured.
"Thank God. Okay, go on."
"One: I broke up with him. Two: I'm finally back home."
There was a pause.
"I'm coming over. Right now. And I swear, you're getting a good beating from me first!"
"I missed you too," Rose said, giggling.
An hour later, Victoria burst through the door like a storm. She greeted Mr. and Mrs. Clair with a quick hug and darted straight to Rose's room.
Before either of them could say a word, Rose ran into her arms and burst into tears.
"Now, now, shh," Victoria murmured, stroking her back. "He's gone. Let it all out. Don't waste another tear on that jerk."
Rose - "Ye..yes..
Victoria smiled and pulled her into another hug. "Good. Because you're home now. And nobody gets to break you here."
Rose sniffled, then pulled back a little, her eyes still shimmering. "You should know what happened today, Vic. All of it."
Victoria tilted her head, concern softening her voice. "Tell me."
Rose exhaled slowly. "It started in the forest. I wasn't even supposed to be there... but I was angry. At Cole. At myself. I just walked and walked until I heard someone groaning. I thought it was an animal at first. But then I saw him - a man slumped against a tree, bleeding."
Victoria's brows shot up. "Who?"
"Noah Meddex," Rose said quietly. "Yes. The Noah Meddex. Cold, untouchable CEO, bleeding under the stars like some tragic hero. He told me to leave him there, like he didn't care if he died."
Victoria's mouth fell open. "You're kidding."
"I'm not. He was stabbed, Vic. He was losing blood fast. I... I couldn't just walk away." Rose's voice trembled but stayed firm. "I called Dad. He sent one of his trusted men with a car. We got Noah to the hospital. He even said 'sorry' and 'thank you.' Can you believe that? Noah Meddex."
Victoria blinked, then let out a low whistle. "That's... insane. You saved his life."
Rose shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe fate did. But I was there."
Victoria squeezed her hand. "And Cole?"
Rose's jaw tightened. "When I stepped out of the hospital... there he was. Waiting. Acting like I was the one who owed him answers. He tried to pull me back like nothing had happened, like he still had a claim on me."
"What did you do?" Victoria asked softly.
"I finally stood up for myself," Rose said, her eyes blazing at the memory. "He tried to tell me Cassandra was just helping him plan my proposal. I asked him if the 'practice honeymoon' was part of his proposal, too. And then I told him we're done. That he should get that lying face out of my sight forever."
Victoria let out a low, impressed laugh. "You actually said that?"
"I did. And I walked away." Rose's voice cracked, but she lifted her chin. "For the first time, I walked away."
Victoria's eyes softened. She reached over and cupped Rose's face. "Good. That's my Rose. The one who saves lives and takes no crap."
Rose gave a watery smile. "It still hurts. But I'm home. And I'm not letting anyone break me here."
Victoria hugged her again, tighter this time. "You're stronger than you think, Rose. And if that Noah guy shows up again... I'm gonna need all the details."
Rose laughed softly against her shoulder. "You will. But for now... I just want to breathe."
The two girls sat together on the old bed, wrapped in the soft glow of the lamp, a fortress of whispered truths and newfound strength building around them.
Noah's POV -
The smell of antiseptic burned his nose. Bright light pressed against his eyelids, but it was the memory of her voice that dragged him awake.
A girl with fire in her tone and softness in her eyes.
A stranger who didn't run when everyone else would have.
Noah stared at the white ceiling of the hospital room. The machines beside him beeped in a calm rhythm, but his mind was restless, full of swirling thoughts. He should be thinking about his attackers, about revenge, about the empire he'd built. Instead, he thought of her hands shaking but steady as they wrapped his wound.
Her eyes. Her anger. Her courage.
He didn't even know her name. But for the first time in years, Noah Meddex wondered what it would be like to be seen not as a headline, but as a man.
He closed his eyes again, and the ghost of her voice whispered through the pain: "You wouldn't kill me for helping you. Will you?"
A low, almost amused breath left his lips.
"No," he whispered to himself. "It can't be her."
Kyle, who had been waiting just outside the door, heard his brother's faint words. Worry prickled through him, and without a second thought, he rushed to the nurses to check on Noah's condition.
"He's stable," the nurse said. "But he's awake now and... he seems distracted."
Kyle quietly slipped into the room, approaching his brother. Noah turned his head slightly, meeting Kyle's gaze. In that simple look, there was no need for words. Kyle gave a small, reassuring smile, silently saying, You're safe. You'll get through this.
Noah allowed himself a faint smile in return, but then his eyes wandered to the window. Outside, the night sky was calm, and for a brief second, he could almost see her - Rose - walking through the forest, stubborn and fearless, laughing softly even in the chaos.
For the first time in years, the untouchable Noah Meddex felt something unfamiliar stirring in his chest: curiosity, warmth... a quiet pull toward someone who had already changed him without even trying.
And far away, a girl named Rose was wrapped in the comfort of home, surrounded by laughter, yet unaware of the shadowed thoughts of a man she had unknowingly touched.
Hope, fragile but undeniable, quietly bloomed.💫
💫 Teaser for Chapter 4 -💫
Rose thought coming home would mean calm skies, a chance to heal, and a moment to breathe. But the universe had other plans. What was supposed to be a simple day out with Victoria turns into laughter that echoes through the streets, playful banter that sparks unexpected smiles, and a certain Meddex brother appearing at the perfect, impossible moment.
Between teasing remarks, stolen glances, and hearts quietly stirring, Rose finds that even ordinary moments can feel electrifying. Friendships deepen, secrets linger, and emotions she thought she'd buried refuse to stay hidden.
Sometimes, the smallest meetings leave the biggest marks, and the quiet pull of something unspoken can change everything. Brace yourselves, because Chapter 4 is a swirl of chaos, charm, laughter... and the slow, irresistible tug of hearts colliding. 🌟
🌙 Author's Note
Hey loves! 🧡
Thank you for walking with Rose through one of her darkest nights. Coming home gave her comfort, but calm skies don't mean the storm has ended - it's only waiting to return, stronger, fiercer, and far more revealing. Both family and fate have secrets to unfold, and yes, Noah's shadow will linger where she least expects it.
Stay close, because in Chapter 4, we'll discover that sometimes the safest places hide the deepest truths.
Your messages, comments, and reactions mean the world to me - they keep Rose's story alive and growing with every heartbeat.
With all my love,
Darkangel🖤🌙🧿
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