SWNOVELS Sweet Ruin: Chapter 20
I woke the next morning to the sound of my phone buzzing with an incoming call, and I groaned as I patted my hand around my bed and tried to find the device. I’d been up half the night, tossing and turning as I chewed over the night’s events. I’d only properly drifted off to sleep a little before sunrise, so it felt like I’d only just shut my eyes. My eyelids were heavy, my mouth felt parched, and my hair was probably a mess since I hadn’t bothered to dry it before I went to bed.
When my fingers finally wrapped around my phone, I took one glance at the caller ID before I answered. “Cress?” My voice was croaky and deep with sleep.
“Finally,” Cress replied. “I’ve been texting you all night. You guys disappeared after Noah’s announcement, and I haven’t been able to get hold of you since. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” I carefully and slowly pushed myself up in bed. “I’m tired and a little confused but okay.”
“It was pretty shocking,” Cress said. “Did you know what Noah and your dad were up to?”
“I had no idea.” I rubbed a hand across my face. I was still waking up, so I wasn’t quite ready to relive the evening again. “Do you think we can talk about it on the trip back to school though? I’m half asleep, and I’m going to need about three cups of coffee before I can even consider revisiting it all.”
“About that…” Cress started. “The other reason I called so early is because I can’t drive you back. I mean I can if you can’t find another way. But my parents are sticking around longer than expected, and they want me to stay for an extra couple of days.”
“Oh, well, you haven’t seen them in months,” I replied. “You should stay, obviously.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll talk to Matthew. I’m sure he can help me organize a way to get back to Weybridge.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely. You should spend time with your parents. I know you’ve missed them.”
“Thanks, Isobel. I’m so sorry for bailing on you last minute. If you get stuck, call me and I’ll drive you.”
“Like I said, I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
“Okay, well, remember I’m always here if you want to talk once you’ve had your coffee.”
“Thanks, Cress.”
I pursed my lips as I ended the call. I hadn’t thought twice about telling Cress to stay. She deserved to spend time with her parents. But I hoped I was right about Matthew being able to help. I was not in for a fun day if I had to catch a bus back to school.
I considered trying to go back to sleep, but my stomach rumbled with hunger, so I got up and made my way downstairs instead. I entered the dining room with my eyes focused on my phone as I read a text from Cress. She’d simply sent a stream of heart emojis, so I sent some back in reply.
“Good morning.”
I froze and my eyes whipped upward as Noah stood from the dining table. There was a bowl of cereal in front of him and a cup of coffee in his hand. I’d clearly interrupted his breakfast, but I had no idea why he was here. It took me a moment to notice my mom was seated at the table across from him.
I closed my mouth when I realized it had dropped open. If any part of me had hoped last night was just a bad dream, Noah being here was proof it was all very real. He was still dressed in his formal wear from last night. Well, partially. He’d lost the tie and jacket, and his white shirt was loose around the collar with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong forearms.
“Have you been here all night?” I asked.
“Matthew and I had some final details to sort out. It took longer than anticipated,” he replied.
“Are you going to join us, Iz?” my mom asked.
I wanted to, but I suddenly remembered my sorry appearance. I hadn’t done my hair or brushed my teeth before coming downstairs. And I was still dressed in the pajamas I’d thrown on last night. At least I could be grateful they weren’t the ratty Winnie the Pooh pajamas I normally wore. Still, I felt the urge to turn and run right back up to my room so I could shower at the very least before I reappeared.
I didn’t want Noah to think he’d chased me off though, so I reluctantly nodded and went to sit in the empty chair next to my mom. As I did, Noah lowered himself into his seat and took a sip of coffee.
I helped myself to a piece of toast and nibbled on the end of it. I’d lost my appetite the moment I’d laid eyes on Noah, and my mind was still whirring as I tried to accept he was sitting across from me. Thankfully, he didn’t try to talk, but he was constantly glancing up at me from his breakfast and would give me a nervous smile when I caught his gaze. I wanted to ignore him, but how could I pretend he wasn’t there when I could constantly feel him watching me?
“When are you heading back home?” I tried to fill the awkward silence in the room by speaking to my mom.
“After breakfast.” She sounded tired, and given the bags under her eyes, I suspected she’d struggled to sleep last night too.
“So soon?”
She took a long sip of her coffee as she nodded. “But it’s just a few weeks until Christmas now. It won’t be long until we see each other again.”
“Yeah, I know.” It would still feel like forever.
I focused on my toast again as we fell silent. There was an awkward air in the room, and I assumed we were all still thinking about last night.
My mom was doing her best to pretend everything was normal, and she began conversing pleasantly with Noah, asking him about school and talking about the café. Their light chatter might have filled the silence, but it did little to lessen the uncomfortable tension.
I had no idea how my mom was able to talk with him so easily. He and Matthew might have explained their actions, but I couldn’t just forget the way Noah had acted recently. It didn’t matter that he had been secretly working with my dad; he never should have punched him, and it didn’t excuse the way he’d treated me at school. He’d spent weeks positioning himself as my enemy. But now he was eating breakfast with us like he was a lifelong friend. He’d broken up with me, lied to me, and turned people against me. I wasn’t certain I’d ever get past that.
Matthew joined us just as we were finishing up. He didn’t look like he’d slept much last night either, but unlike Noah, he’d changed out of his formal suit since the party.
“My apologies for missing breakfast,” he said. “I’ve been checking over the paperwork with my lawyers. Everything looks in order.”
I felt sorry for his lawyers being hauled into work first thing on a Sunday morning. But William had probably done the same. The look on his face last night had told me he was going to stop at nothing to prevent this deal from happening.
“How are you feeling this morning, Isobel?” Matthew asked.
“Just a little tired.” It was a huge oversimplification of what I was actually feeling.
“Well, there’s no rush today,” he said. “You can stay here as long as you like until you’re ready to go back to school.”
“Uhh…” While a part of me wanted to go back to Weybridge as soon as possible, I was still without a ride. “I actually have to talk to you about that. Cress is staying in the city to spend a couple of extra days with her parents. I was wondering if you could help organize a ride back to school for me.”
“I can take you,” Noah said.
I’d barely finished my sentence before he butted in, and I stiffened in response. “Uh, no, that’s okay.”
“It’s not a problem. I was planning to head back this morning anyway.”
“I’m sure Matthew has someone who can take me.” I looked at my father, hoping he could see the desperation in my eyes. I did not want to get in a car with Noah.
“Really, it’s no trouble,” Noah said. “We’re both going to the same place.”
Matthew seemed hesitant as he glanced between the two of us, but then his gaze settled on me. “It might be good for you to go back together,” he said. “I’m sure you have plenty to talk about.”
I officially wanted to kill my father. It didn’t help that my mom wasn’t coming to my rescue either. Instead, she was nodding like she thought it was a good idea too. And while Noah and I probably did have a lot to talk about, I didn’t think I was ready to dive any deeper into that minefield.
I considered protesting further, but my parents looked exhausted. Last night had been draining for all of us, and I didn’t want to make it any more stressful on them. At this point, I just wanted to get back to school and pretend this weekend hadn’t happened. If going with Noah would get me there sooner, perhaps it was a necessary evil.
“Okay,” I said, turning to Noah. “Thanks.” I felt like I was speaking through gritted teeth, but Noah smiled in return. The look struck me somewhere deep in my chest. He seemed genuinely happy I’d agreed, and I couldn’t remember the last time he’d given me such a carefree smile.
“When do you want to go?” I asked him.
He turned to my father. “Do you need me for anything else?”
Matthew shook his head. “I’ll call you if something comes up.”
Because apparently, they called each other now too.
“I’m ready when you are then,” Noah said, returning his focus to me.
“After breakfast?”
“Sure.”
I finished my toast and went upstairs to shower and pack. I was just putting the final items in my duffel bag when there was a knock at my door.
“Can I come in?” My mom’s soft voice floated through the slightly open door.
“Of course.”
She came to sit on the bed and watched as I zipped up my bag. Her eyes were studying me closely, probably trying to work out how I was feeling about all this.
“I’m so proud of you, Iz,” she finally said. “I know this must be hard, but you’re taking it all in your stride.”
“I’m trying my best,” I said. “I just…
“What?” she asked when I let my sentence drift into silence.
“Well, I’m sure Matthew and Noah did what they felt was necessary. I just wish I didn’t have to get so battered in the process.”
She stood and pulled me close, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. “I know,” she said. “I wish that too.”
“It’s hard because I know how much they both lost,” I mumbled into her shoulder. “And I hate bringing up my own pain because it doesn’t compare. But they don’t seem to realize how much this has hurt me.”
She pulled back slightly so she could look me in the eyes.
“They do,” she said. “After you left last night, I spoke to them a little more. It really sounds like they didn’t have a choice, and they both feel terrible about it.”
I shrugged.
“You have every right to be upset,” she continued. “But maybe the drive back with Noah will help. If you still feel upset when you get back to Weybridge, I’m always just a phone call away.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Thanks, Mom.”
When we got downstairs, Noah and Matthew were waiting in the lobby near the elevator. Noah had finally changed out of his suit from last night, and it looked like he’d showered too. His hair was still damp, and he was wearing a pair of jeans and his red Weybridge sweatshirt. He looked remarkably good considering he’d probably had no sleep.
My father turned when he saw us and took a step toward me. “I know this weekend probably didn’t end the way you imagined it,” he said. “But I’m glad you were here. And I enjoyed our time together very much.”
To say the weekend hadn’t turned out as I expected was an understatement of epic proportions, but I couldn’t deny I’d enjoyed most of the visit as well.
“I did too,” I said. “The ice cream was good, at least.”
He chuckled under his breath and nodded. “It was. We’ll have to have some more over Christmas.”
“We will?”
He nodded. “I want to visit Rapid Bay at some point over the holidays to spend some more time with you and your mom.”
“I guess I’ll see you then.”
He smiled down at me, and it felt like, despite the bombshells he’d dropped last night, we’d somehow become closer this weekend. We stood opposite each other, and there was an awkward silence. I was surprised I wanted to hug Matthew goodbye, but I wasn’t sure how he’d react.
I decided to risk it, and I closed the distance between us to wrap my arms around him. It took him a second to respond, but then he lowered his hands to my back, and ever so cautiously, he tightened the hug in return. My chest felt warm, and a hint of a smile pulled at my lips. This was the first time I’d hugged my father, and even though we were both completely awkward, it felt perfect.
When I pulled back from him, Matthew had a faint smile on his lips too. He looked like he was trying to contain whatever emotions had been brought to the surface. I’d clearly taken him by surprise, but I felt like he’d enjoyed the hug as much as I had.
“I’ll let you say goodbye to your mother,” he said before he turned to Noah.
“Have a safe trip back, Iz,” my mom said as she gathered me up in her arms. “And be careful on that ski trip. I don’t want you showing up for Christmas with a broken leg.”
“I’ll try my best, Mom.” I laughed.
When I looked back, Matthew was shaking Noah’s hand, and the two of them were smiling broadly at one another. There was a look of pride in Matthew’s eyes, and it struck me that Noah probably didn’t have many people in his life who looked at him that way—if there was anyone at all.
Clearly, his grandfather didn’t feel true human emotions. And he never saw his mother. His father had died years ago, so it must have been such a long time since Noah had someone he could truly look up to. From the way he was looking at Matthew, it seemed like perhaps he’d found one. The interaction only lasted a moment, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
I quickly gave my mom one last hug before I followed Noah to the elevator, and we went down to the garage where his car was parked. I had no idea how it had gotten here, seeing as he was in the limo with us last night. It was a mystery I was quite happy to leave unsolved though—the less Noah and I spoke today, the better.
“Are you getting in?” Noah was waiting for me by the car, holding the passenger door open. I didn’t respond as I tossed my bag in the back and then slid past him into the seat.
When Noah got into the driver’s seat and started the car, I let out a sigh and glanced out the window. This was going to be a very long trip back to school and not nearly as pleasant as the drive here with Cress.
Noah didn’t say anything as he pulled the car out of the parking garage and onto the city streets. He seemed tense though. I wondered whether it was simply because of the awkwardness between us or whether he was thinking about last night. The move he’d made against his grandfather had been bold, and he had to still be reeling from its success. It couldn’t be easy to steal your grandfather’s company—no matter how much you might hate him.
There was a lot of traffic in the city, and Noah seemed especially anxious whenever we came to a stop. Just when he looked like he might say something, the light turned green, and we set off again. It wasn’t until we were free from the gridlock of cars and onto a long bridge over the water that Noah finally said anything.
“You’re going on a ski trip?” he asked.
My head was resting against the window as I watched the New York skyline shrink behind us through the side-view mirror, but I slowly glanced at him. Noah’s eyes were on the road, and he was gripping the steering wheel tightly. The ski trip was the last thing I’d expected him to talk about, given everything that was still unsaid between us. How did he even know about it? He must have overheard me talking with my mom at the apartment. I considered ignoring him, but the silence that filled the car was starting to drive me crazy.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m going to Aspen with my friends.”
“Wes going to be there?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but, yeah, he is. We’re staying at his family’s place.”
Noah grunted. I didn’t know what to make of the reaction, but I could tell he wasn’t thrilled by the idea.
“You don’t get to be pissed off that I’m going away with my boyfriend,” I said.
“I can feel whatever I want.”
“I think I preferred it when you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“I certainly didn’t. Do you know how hard it was for me to act like that?”
This time, I grunted. “I’m sure it wasn’t that hard. You certainly looked happy enough with Veronica.”
“That was all for show,” he replied.
I sat up straighter in my seat, my full focus now on Noah. “What do you mean?”
“Veronica needed the arrangement just as much as I did,’ he continued. “But it was never real.”
I frowned at him, trying to process what he was saying. Veronica had hinted there was something strange going on with her and Noah, but I hadn’t been sure exactly what it was. I had never imagined the entire relationship was fake all along.
“Well, it was very convincing.”
A hint of a smile curved the corner of his lips. “Jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?” I said, turning back to look out the window. “I have Wes.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw his half smile drop, and I knew I’d gotten to him. It didn’t make me feel better though. If anything, I felt like I was being unnecessarily harsh.
We had just reached the end of the bridge when Noah suddenly switched on the turn signal, swerved across two lanes of traffic, and took the first exit.
“What are you doing?” I said, gripping the edge of my seat with both hands.
He didn’t answer.
“Noah?” I prompted. We pulled off the bridge and into an area close to the water that was still very built up but not nearly as vertical as Manhattan. I didn’t know where we were going, but I knew it wasn’t the way back to school, and it seemed Noah had made a sudden decision to take us this route. He continued to ignore me, but it wasn’t long before he stopped the car alongside a small park.
As he turned off the ignition, he released a heavy breath.
“Noah?” I asked, my voice soft. “What’s going on?”
He heaved out another breath before he responded. “There’s something I want to show you.”
I glanced around trying to figure out what he was talking about. There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, but when I looked back at Noah and saw the gravity in his eyes, I knew, whatever it was, it must be serious.
“I don’t know if I can handle any more surprises,” I said.
“I understand this is a lot to ask right now, but can you trust me?”
It was a difficult question to answer given everything that had happened recently. But I found myself nodding. “I guess.”
Noah swallowed and then nodded before he opened the door and got out of the car. He walked around the front of the car to the passenger side and opened my door for me.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“This way.” Noah held out his hand, and as I took it, he gently helped me from the car. He kept hold of my hand and led me to the green park.
On the sidewalk next to the stone archway that marked the entrance to the park, there was a man selling flowers out of a small wooden cart. Noah walked up to him, selected a colorful bouquet, and gave the florist some cash. He caught the look of confusion on my face and chuckled softly.
“This isn’t what I had to show you,” he said. “I know I’ll need a lot more than flowers before you can forgive me for all this.”
We left the florist and walked along the gravel path that led under the arch and into the park. It wasn’t a huge area, but it was lush and green with pretty manicured gardens and a duck pond in the center. The trees that bordered the area were bare of leaves, but it would have been beautiful in the spring. On the far side of the park, beyond the trees, I caught a glimpse of the water and, beyond that, the sunlight glinting off the glass and metal skyscrapers that made up the New York skyline.
When we reached a bench that overlooked the pond, Noah stopped. He walked past the bench to the edge of the water. He was approaching a square stone block that was sticking out of the ground about waist height. When he reached it, he bent down and laid the bouquet of flowers on the grass in front of it. I slowly edged closer to Noah, and it was only when I came to stand next to him that I noticed the small rectangular plaque attached to the stone. Etched into the golden plaque was his father’s name.
“Noah,” I whispered. “What is this?” His eyes were fixed on the plaque, and they glistened with unshed tears.
He sighed and blinked the moisture from his eyes. “This is where they died,” he murmured before looking up at me. “My father and your aunt.”
The pain in his eyes caused my chest to tighten, but as I glanced around a look of confusion formed on my face.
“This was the site of Hastings Laboratories’ main research center,” Noah explained. “Of course, it looked very different back then. After the fire, my grandfather had the building torn down and converted into a park in my father’s memory.”
“Oh,” I murmured. “It’s beautiful.”
He nodded and looked out over the pond. ‘I try and come here every time I visit the city.” He sighed again before he stepped back and lowered himself onto the bench. He gestured for me to sit with him. It was cold today, and the pond showed hints of icing over, but the sun was out, and its glow warmed my skin despite the cool breeze. I nodded at Noah and sat beside him.
“I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I needed you to see this place,” Noah said, waving a hand at the park, the pond, and the plaque. “This is all that remains of my father. This is why I stopped at nothing to bring my grandfather down. And I’m so sorry I had to hurt you in the process. That I didn’t treat you the way you deserved. That I made my friends avoid you, and I pretended to date someone else so my grandfather couldn’t see how much I cared for you.”
He leaned forward on his knees and bent his head low. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to forgive Noah, but I was beginning to understand the enormity of what he’d been through. Being in this park. Seeing the one thing that was left of his dad. It really hit me.
It didn’t matter what had happened between us over the last few hours, days, and weeks. I could see he was in pain, and I needed to reach out to him. When my hand found his, he let our fingers intertwine, and he gripped my hand tightly.
“I wish you hadn’t had to go through all of this,” I said.
“I wish you didn’t either.”
I shook my head because the pain Noah had caused me paled in comparison to what he’d experienced. How he’d spent years pretending to love such a vile man simply so he could find justice for his dad.
“How did you find out William was behind this?” I asked.
“I’ve been piecing things together for years,” he said, looking up to meet my eyes. “In the aftermath of the fire, I knew my grandfather was covering things up. He wanted to make sure my father’s reputation remained intact, so he did everything he could to make sure no one found out your aunt had been there too. He didn’t want anyone to know they were having an affair.”
“You know that’s not true, right?” I said. “About your dad and my aunt.”
“I didn’t, but I know now,” he said. “I’d always struggled to believe my dad would cheat on my mom, and I can’t tell you the relief I felt when Matthew told me what really happened. How he, my dad, and Georgina had been trying to fix the rift between our families. I think that’s what I liked most about teaming up with Matthew. It’s what my dad would have wanted.”
He smiled, and I found myself smiling too. He didn’t talk much about his dad, but it clearly meant so much to Noah that he made his father proud.
He released a sigh, and his expression became heavier as he continued. “But, at that time, I believed what my grandfather told me about the affair, so I didn’t question his decision to hide it from the public eye. It wasn’t until later that I started to suspect that wasn’t the only thing he was covering up.”
“What happened?”
“Shortly after my father died, William wanted me to start learning more about the company. I started to spend my summers working there, attending business meetings with him, and doing paperwork. Over the years, I started to notice things.
“One evening when I was at the office, someone from the fire department came to visit my grandfather. I overheard the two of them talking, and it sounded like the man was trying to blackmail my grandfather. Apparently, this guy had overseen the inspection of the fire at the lab, and William had paid him to alter the report so it listed the cause of the fire as an electrical fault rather than an accelerant. He wanted more money to stay quiet.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean your grandfather was the one who started the fire.”
“No, not necessarily” Noah agreed. “But my grandfather gave the man the extra money he wanted. After that, I started to do some digging. I stayed close to my grandfather, worked hard at the company, and gradually he trusted me with more responsibility and more access.
“The longer I worked at the company, the more I realized how much it was struggling, especially since Matthew undercut the price of our bestselling drug. The finances made for grim reading. But after the fire destroyed the lab and a ton of priceless research went with it… Well, the massive insurance payout my grandfather received was the only reason the company survived. I discovered documents that showed William had conveniently increased the policy by millions of dollars only weeks before the fire.
“It was clear that he’d started the fire to get the money, and as I reflected more and more on that horrible night, I cursed myself for missing it at the time. The way my grandfather had so desperately tried to keep the whole thing quiet. Even the speed with which he tore down the lab, destroying all evidence, so he could create this park…”
Noah let out a heavy breath and stared down at the flowers he’d laid by the memorial to his father. “I don’t know if William intended to kill my father, and I think I’m always going to hope that was an accident. But, either way, William is to blame for my dad’s death. It was time for him to finally pay.”
Noah glanced up, and there were so many emotions flickering across his eyes it was hard to tell what he was truly feeling. There was relief and anger, sadness and pain. If Noah had been hurting over this for years and planning his grandfather’s downfall all this time, I couldn’t begin to fathom how he must feel now he’d succeeded.
“So, you sold his company.”
“I did.”
“And you plan to run it for Matthew?” I asked. “I thought you didn’t want that.”
“No, I just didn’t want to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. I wanted to follow in my father’s and use the work of Hastings Labs to help people. By working with Matthew, I finally can.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
“I’ve hated lying to you so much,” he said. “And I can’t begin to tell you how hard it’s been to pretend you mean nothing to me.’
“Noah, we don’t have to talk about this.”
“Please just hear me out.”
I didn’t know if diving into the act Noah had put on for his grandfather would help either of us. But given the depth of the emotions Noah had just laid on the table, I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to deny him. I nodded for him to continue.
“I’ve done a lot of things I’ve hated to gain my grandfather’s approval and maintain his trust. But the night he asked me to break up with you was the first time I considered telling him no. Everything I’d worked for would have been gone, but at least I would have had you.”
I was already regretting agreeing to let Noah say his piece. I needed to be reaffirming the wall between us, not letting him slowly take it down.
“I stupidly thought that maybe I could do both,” he said. “That I could be with you in secret and still try to take William down. But it was never fair of me to ask that of you. And even though you rejected me, even though you were moving on, William still suspected my feelings for you.”
I wrapped my arms around my body as the chill in the air began to seep beneath my skin. The sun had gone behind a cloud and taken its warm glow with it. Even the slight breeze that had swirled around the park when we arrived had halted as Noah spoke. It was as if the world around us was holding its breath and listening to what he had to say.
“I knew I just needed to make it to my eighteenth birthday,” Noah said. “When my trust finally opened and I got my shares in Hastings Laboratories. Then I could instigate the sale of the company to Matthew. Once it was all agreed, I wouldn’t need to pretend anymore. But I couldn’t let my grandfather suspect I wasn’t committed to our family, that I wasn’t still on his side—not when I was so close.
“It didn’t help that he was so fixated on you. He seemed so angry at the idea that another LaFleur had entered our lives. He genuinely believed my dad was having an affair with your aunt. He blamed her for his death, and he was projecting that onto you.’
A shudder ran through me, not from the cold but from the reminder of William’s pure hatred for me as a LaFleur. One that he thought was going to corrupt and endanger his grandson.
“I had to do everything I could to protect you,” Noah continued. “But I knew ignoring you wasn’t enough. So, I told my friends to stop talking to you and convinced Veronica to fake a relationship with me. I know how our school works and that word would get back to my grandfather. It was the only way I could ensure that this all went down the way we planned and you stayed safe.”
It was much harder than I expected to hear Noah’s explanation, and I stood from the bench and paced away from him. “Why didn’t you just tell me? Why did you let me think the worst of you? Why did you let me move on?” My voice broke over my last question, and my heart clenched in pain. “I would have kept my distance. I could have pretended…”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” he said, standing to meet me. “There were no guarantees in any of this. And if this plan didn’t succeed, I would have moved to Plan B and then Plan C. I couldn’t ask you to wait for me, not when I had no idea if or when this would work.”
‘You should have given me the choice. I could have handled this.”
“You weren’t the problem. I was. No matter how well I acted, it seemed I could never completely convince William I didn’t have feelings for you. That you weren’t a threat to him. Even when I acted like I was with someone else, he suspected. But he was right. I never stopped caring for you. Not for one day. Not for one minute.”
I swallowed and finally looked him in the eyes. “Noah…”
“I know,” he murmured. “I know you’re with someone else now. I know it’s not fair that I say these things to you.”
“It’s not even close to fair.”
“Like I said, I know. But it doesn’t stop me feeling this way. I love you, Isobel, and I would do anything for you.”
His words slammed into me with the power of a tidal wave. They rolled over me and pushed down on me, leaving me disorientated and struggling for breath. I rubbed a stray tear from my cheek as I looked out at the frozen pond. My heart couldn’t take this. It was all too much. Noah’s confession was going to break me all over again.
As the surge of emotion washed over me, I somehow managed to stand my ground, take a breath and respond.
“It’s too late,” I said. “I understand why you did what you did, but it doesn’t change anything. I’ve moved on, and you should too.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but I cut him off before he got a chance. “I want you to take me back to school,” I said, looking out at the lake once more. “And then I want you to forget about me. Forget about us.”
“I’ll take you back to school if that’s what you want.”
“Thank you.” I released a breath, relieved he wasn’t going to argue with me. I went to walk back to the car, but Noah continued before I could take a step.
“But forget about you?” he said. “That’s impossible.”