The Billionaire’s Fight For Redemption (Noah and Sierra) novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134

SIERRA

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The first thing I feel is weight. My body feels heavy, like I’ve been buried under layers of fog. My throat is dry, my lips cracked, and the faint beeping somewhere nearby is the only sound cutting through the haze.

I try to open my eyes, but it’s like they’re glued shut. The light is sharp when I finally manage it, and the world swims into focus. My chest also aches when I try to breathe deeper.

I blink, trying to move my fingers, but even that feels foreign. My body doesn’t respond the way I want it to.

And then, like a dam bursting, it all hits me at once. My heart lurches, and suddenly I can’t breathe. My chest tightens; the monitor beside me beeps faster and I can’t see straight; everything is spinning.

Someone grabs my hand “Sierra, sweetheart, hey, look at me,” a voice says, soft but urgent. “You’re okay? You hear me? You’re alright.”

That voice… I know that voice.

My eyes flick toward it, blurry tears distorting the image until it clears enough to see her. Aunt Harper. Her curls are messy, her eyes tired but so full of relief that it breaks something inside me.

“Breathe with me, honey,” Aunt Harper says softly, her voice steady but trembling at the edges. One hand rests over my arm, warm and grounding. “In and out, that’s it… just like that.”

I try to follow her rhythm. In… out… in… out. It’s shaky at first and every breath feels like dragging air through splintered glass, but slowly, the panic begins to ease. The erratic beeping of the monitor steadies and my lungs stop burning.

Tears blur my vision, spilling down my cheeks as the memories continue crashing into me, relentlessly. I thought I was done for. I thought that was it. The moment she pushed that liquid into my IV, I truly believed I’d never open my eyes again.

The fact that I have, that I’m still here… is a blessing. A miracle I survived three attempts on my life.

“It’s okay, Si,” Aunt Harper whispers, squeezing my trembling hands tighter. “You’re safe, baby girl. I’ve got you.”

Her words anchor me more than the oxygen in my lungs. I close my eyes and let myself breathe even as her words crack something in me. I start crying harder, the kind of silent sob that hurts to hold in. Aunt Harper brushes my hair back, whispering soft reassurances the way she used to when I’d get hurt during many of my biology adventures.

She’s been a constant growing up. Between Mom and Lilly’s family, I practically grew up in both homes. I love all my aunts, but Aunt Harper and Aunt Ava? They know me like mom does. They get me in ways the others don’t. 1

It takes a while, but eventually I manage to calm down. My chest still feels sore, but at least it doesn’t feel like there’s a rope tightening around my throat anymore.

I blink through the blur of tears, taking in everything around me, now that I wasn’t having a literal panic attack.

“Mom?” My voice comes out rough, barely above a whisper.

“She and Lilly stepped out to grab something to eat,” Aunt Harper says, handing me a tissue with a small, tired smile. “They didn’t want to leave you alone, so I stayed.”

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Chapter 134

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I nod faintly, still trying to process it all. Just knowing they are not too far from me is enough to case the tension that was weighing me down.

“Can I…” My throat feels raw, the words scraping out. “Can I have some water?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Her voice is so gentle, the kind of tone meant to hold you together when you’re falling

apart.

She reaches for the pitcher on the bedside table and pours carefully, then she holds the cup to my lips; the first sip burns going down, but it feels like life itself flooding back into me.

“Better?” she asks softly, searching my face.

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