All Chapters of I Came Back To Ruin You: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

CHAPTER ELEVENA few days later, my condition had worsened drastically. My vision faded more each day. Sometimes I could barely see shapes or make out words. My head hurt more. My nose bled more. My mouth bled more.Yet I forced myself to continue. With a weak hand, I picked up my phone to dial Julian’s number. Although I could barely see the screen, I traced the keys with my fingers, relying on muscle memory, and dialed his number.He picked up on the second ring.“Hey, baby. Are you good?” He was breathing hard, as if he had been doing something strenuous.“Yeah,” I said weakly. “Where are you?”“I’m home. Baby, are you okay? You sound weak. I thought the doctor said you were stable and ready to be discharged?”“Can you come over?”He paused. “Why? Do you need me to help you pack?”“Is Lila there as well?”He took a long pause, then replied, “Yes, she is.”“Can you bring her with you?”He hesitated.“Please, Julian. I miss the company of both of you.”Silence.“Don’t you want to be

CHAPTER THIRTEENI woke up slowly, my eyelids felt heavy at first, then they fluttered open. The room was dim, machines hummed softly nearby. A single flower rested on the small table beside my bed. Its petals were a soft, creamy white with the faintest blush of pink, delicate and perfectly formed. I reached out with a trembling hand and picked it up. The stem was cool and smooth between my fingers. I brought it closer, turning it slowly. Beside where the flower had sat was a folded piece of paper. A handwritten note. My heart gave a small, unsteady beat as I opened it. The handwriting was elegant and the most beautiful one I had ever seen.It said, “My dearest Tessa,If you are reading this, then the shadows have already begun to claim what should never have been taken from you. Your heart, so full of trust and love, deserved gardens instead of thorns. It deserved a love that cherished every breath, not one that counted the days until it could steal what remained.I am sorry—deeply

Chapter 15: The New DoctorI left the hotel rooftop with Julian. We went home in silence. He had prompted a conversation about the investment i had promised for his father's logistics company but I declined, using a bad headache aa a cover up and went to bed. The next morning I headed straight to Vanguard Hospital. The hospital I had died in in my previous life. I needed that doctor. Dr. V—? I needed to meet him and if possible, I needed him to he my doctor. But, when I walked up to the reception, I realized how foolish how that sounded. Who would know any Dr V from three years into the future? It was ridiculous so I just told the nurse, “I need to see a doctor for treatment. Transfer me to any available one.”The nurse looked up from her screen. “Name?”“Tessa Averton.”She typed, eyes scanning. “Dr. Felix has space. I’ll send your request through now. Take a seat in the waiting room.”I nodded and sat on one of the hard chairs. My bag stayed on my lap. No phone out. No fidgeting.A

Chapter 17: The SlapI drove to the house with my transfusion bag still faintly bruised on the inside of my arm.The door was unlocked when I got there.I heard them before I saw them. Laughter. Easy and domestic and the kind that belongs to people who think they're alone. I walked into the dining room and found them at the table together, Julian's fingers at Lila's lips, picking something away. A crumb. A piece of food. His hand pulled back when he heard my heels."Tessa." He stood too fast. "You're back."Lila touched her mouth and looked at the table.Julian crossed to me, hand extended like he wanted to touch my shoulder. "Lila had a fall earlier, her lip was a little—I was just checking if it was still bleeding."I looked at them both.No heat. No tightening in my chest. Just the quiet satisfaction of a woman watching people perform for an audience they've already lost."I'm tired," I said. "I need to rest."I walked past him toward the stairs.---He followed me up. I knew he w

Chapter 19Francesca pushed open the office door, her heels clicking fast against the bare floor. “I just saw security dragging some suit out like yesterday’s trash. Who the hell was that?”I didn’t look up from the invoice I was initialing. “Julian’s father. Nothing important.”She raised an eyebrow. “Looked important enough to get tossed.”“He laid hands on me. I laid down the law. End of story.” I set the pen down and met her eyes. “Did you set up the meeting with the interior firm like I asked?”Francesca smiled, sharp and efficient. “Done. They’re expecting us in forty minutes. CEO himself is sitting in.”“Good. Let’s go.”We drove across town in my car. Francesca flipped through her tablet in the passenger seat, rattling off bullet points. “They specialize in high-end hospitality. Tight timelines, flexible on custom work. Their last three projects all came in under budget.”“Perfect. We need that for phase one.” I kept my eyes on the road. “Any pushback when you called?”“None.