Chapter 43: Behind Closed Doors
Diane’s POV
As Noah’s footsteps faded down the hallway, I closed my bedroom door and leaned against it, exhaling deeply. The soft click of the lock felt...ending one Chapter, and beginning another.
My fingers trembled slightly as I reached beneath my oversized sweater, unfastening the concealed band that had been pressing against my growing belly all day.
I held the supportive garment in my hands, staring at it. How much longer could I keep this secret? The pregnancy band had become my constant companion, my shield against prying eyes and questions I wasn’t ready to answer. At nearly five months along, I was still able to hide my condition, but time was running out.
I tossed the band onto the bedside table and ran my hands over the small but distinct swell of my stomach. The twins. My babies. Our little secret.
Sliding into bed, I propped myself up with a pillow tucked behind my back for support. Sleep wouldn’t come—my mind was racing, replaying the evening with Noah, the kisses we’d shared, the way his eyes had softened when he looked at me. Genuine care, genuine affection.
And I was using it.
The thought pierced through me like a knife, and before I could stop them, tears welled up in my eyes. I was tired. So tired of the lies, the schemes, the constant vigilance. Five months of my life had become a twisted game of chess, with Liam as my opponent and everyone else...even Noah...as my pawn.
I wiped at my tears, frustrated at my own weakness. "Get it together, Diane," I whispered to myself in the darkness. But the tears kept coming, the weight of everything pressing down on me—the betrayal, the divorce, the pregnancy, the revenge.
I cried until my eyes burned and my throat ached, muffling my sobs in the pillow so Noah wouldn’t hear. Eventually, exhaustion won out, and I drifted into a fitful sleep.
The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, rousing me from my sleep.