All Chapters of They Tried to Kill Me Quietly, Now I’m Coming Back Loud: Chapter 1
- Chapter 6
6 chapters
The Breaking Point
Chapter 1: The fluorescent lights of Edinberton Hospital buzzed overhead, casting a sickly pallor over the crowded waiting room. Esteban Rodriguez leaned heavily against the grimy wall, his vision swimming as another wave of dizziness crashed over him. The line stretched endlessly before him—at least thirty people deep, maybe more. He couldn't focus long enough to count.His hands trembled violently as he fumbled for his phone, nearly dropping it twice before managing to open his messages. The screen blurred, doubled, then merged back into focus. Cold sweat trickled down his spine, soaking through his already damp shirt.Still at the hospital. Packed today. Might be late. Already washed and cut the vegetables for you to cook. Love you.He hit send and slumped further against the wall, closing his eyes against the relentless spinning of the room. Twenty-five years old, and his body was destroying itself from the inside out. No diagnosis. No cure. Just an endless parade of tests, sympa
Betrayal
Chapter 2Esteban's heart seized in his chest as he followed the sound of that laugh down the hallway. Room 816. The numbers swam before his eyes, mocking him. His trembling hand reached for the door handle just as it swung open from the inside.There she was.Miranda stood in the doorway, her hair disheveled and falling loose from what had clearly been a neat bun. Her face was flushed a deep crimson, a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead and upper lip. Her blouse was hastily buttoned, one side tucked in, the other hanging loose. She froze when she saw him, her eyes widening in shock.For a moment, they simply stared at each other.Then the tears came—hot, angry, devastating tears that poured down Esteban's gaunt cheeks like rivers of pure anguish. His chest heaved with the effort of breathing through the sobs that threatened to tear him apart from the inside."Why?" The word ripped from his throat, raw and broken. "Why is God still torturing me like this? I'm already dying! Isn
An Unexpected Gift
Chapter 3Consciousness returned slowly, dragging Esteban up from the depths of oblivion like a reluctant swimmer breaking the surface of dark water. His eyelids felt heavy, weighted down with lead, but he forced them open.The first thing he saw was a face.Not just any face—the most breathtakingly beautiful face he'd ever seen. Delicate features framed by cascading waves of dark hair, porcelain skin that seemed to glow in the soft light, and eyes so clear and bright they reminded him of polished amber. For a moment, his pain-addled brain wondered if he'd died and this was some kind of angel.Then reality crashed back in, and with it came the realization that made his chest tighten: Miranda, his wife who he'd once thought was beautiful, now seemed utterly ordinary in comparison to this vision before him."Where... where am I?" Esteban's voice came out as barely more than a croak. He tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it as pain lanced through his ribs."Easy." The young woman
The Gamble
Chapter 4Esteban took a deep breath, his mind racing through the vast repository of medical knowledge that had been mysteriously implanted in his consciousness. There were several methods to save Clyde McCauley, but none of them came with guarantees. The old man's condition was too far gone, his organs too damaged. Still, doing something was better than watching him die on the floor.He had no choice. He had to try.Kneeling beside Clyde's crumpled form, Esteban carefully lifted the old man—surprised at how light he was, like picking up a bundle of dried twigs—and positioned him back in the chair. Clyde's head lolled to one side, his breathing so shallow it was barely visible.Esteban closed his eyes and focused. Immediately, the technique materialized in his mind with crystalline clarity: the Ancient Nine Points Life Seal, a method of striking specific acupoints to trap what little vital energy remained in the body, preventing it from dissipating completely. The knowledge was there,
Power and Protection
Chapter 5The herbal medicine shop sat nestled in a crowded street corner of Edinberton's old district, its weathered sign proclaiming "Harmony Herbs" in faded gold letters. The scent of dried roots and medicinal plants drifted through the air as Josefina's sleek black Mercedes pulled up to the curb.Before they could even exit the vehicle, two figures stepped out from the shadows beside the shop's entrance. The larger of the two—a hulking man with a shaved head and a scar running down his left cheek—blocked their path with crossed arms. His companion was leaner, with greasy hair and a face that seemed permanently fixed in a sneer."Well, well," the lean one—José—drawled, his eyes immediately locking onto Josefina as she stepped out of the car. "What do we have here?"Esteban felt his stomach drop as recognition hit him. These were the same thugs who'd been harassing the shop owner when he'd passed by earlier, demanding protection money. The larger man was Tomás, a local enforcer know
Poison and Betrayal
Chapter 6The small house Esteban shared with his mother sat at the end of a narrow alley in one of Edinberton's older neighborhoods. The paint was peeling, the roof leaked when it rained, but it was home—the only home he and his mother Hilda had after his father's death fifteen years ago.As Esteban approached the front door, he heard it—a wet, hacking cough that sent ice through his veins. Not just any cough. The sound was wrong, labored, with a gurgling quality that spoke of fluid in the lungs.He burst through the door to find his mother bent double in the kitchen, one hand braced against the counter, the other pressed to her mouth. When she pulled it away, her palm was stained with blood."Mom!" Esteban rushed forward, catching her as her legs buckled. "What happened? How long has this been going on?""Esteban?" Hilda looked up at him with watery eyes, her face pale and drawn. "You're home. I'm fine, sweetheart. Just a cough. Old age, you know." She tried to smile, but another co