Chapter 0191
I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to say could either reveal something that I didn’t want to know or just piss him off even further. “I saw you and Zoe talking after the pageant,” I finally muttered. “You seemed… intimate. And you lied about being with her that day. You said you were mingling, but you weren’t.”
The color drained from Noah’s face. He took a step back, his eyes darting away from mine. “It… it was nothing. You misunderstood.”
“Did I?” I pressed, feeling a mixture of anger and hurt bubbling up inside of me. “Because it sure didn’t look like nothing. What were you really talking about, Noah?”
For a long moment, Noah was silent. I could almost see his whirling thoughts playing out on his face. The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
“It’s not what you think,” he said, lowering his voice as though not wanting to be overheard, even though we were home alone. “Zoe is in a difficult situation. Her parents… they won’t return Adam to her unless she gets a job.”
I blinked, confusion replacing my anger. “What? Why?”
Noah ran a hand through his hair, a telltale gesture I had seen him do countless times before when he was stressed. “They think she’s not responsible enough to care for Adam on her own. That’s why she’s been looking so hard for work lately. And that’s why…” he trailed off, shaking his head.
When he finally regained his voice, his eyes met mine. “And that’s why she’s in so much pain after what you two did–why she came to me to tell me what happened. She thought she might finally have a lead on a job, a chance to get her son back. And it was a trick.”
The weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. I sank back into the chair, my head spinning. “I… I had no idea,” I whispered, suddenly feeling like the biggest, most royal asshole to have ever walked the planet.
Noah nodded, his expression softening slightly–but only slightly. “I know you didn’t, because you never think to ask about stuff like this,” he said with a sigh. “And now, because you did this, Zoe is hurt and humiliated.”
I buried my face in my hands. To think that Zoe had her son taken from her, and I had twisted the knife in the proverbial wound… “Goddess, I’m such a jerk,” I muttered into my palms. “I never meant to cause her more pain. I just thought that if she and Drake could go on one date, then…”
My voice trailed off painfully; I couldn’t bear to utter the truth.
That if she and Drake went on a date and reconciled, then maybe, just maybe, Noah wouldn’t leave me for her like I knew he would.
Noah was silent for a moment, then said, “You should go apologize to her. In person.”
I looked up at him, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. He was right, of course. I had royally screwed up,
and Zoe deserved a face–to–face apology. Despite everything, she was in a tough situation–and I had only made matters worse.
“You’re right,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”
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Chapter 0191
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Noah nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Good. She deserves that much.”
With that, Noah turned on his heel and left. I didn’t move a muscle until I heard the front door open and shut followed by the rumble of his car pulling out of the driveway, and even then, I only sank even further down into my chair.
He was right; I had to apologize to Zoe.
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