Chapter 265: Newfound revelation...
Selene POV
Noah winced, the sting of her words hitting harder than any physical blow. He knew he deserved it—knew that nothing he could say would undo the damage. But he had to try, had to make me understand how powerless he’d felt in that moment. "Selene, it wasn’t like that," he began, his voice breaking with emotion. "I was... I was tricked. Everything felt so real, every touch, every—"
"Stop," I interrupted, my voice shaking. I didn’t want to hear the details; it hurt enough just knowing. I turned away again, focusing on the window as I blinked back the tears threatening to spill over. I didn’t want to cry, not now, not in front of him. "I just don’t understand how you could be so blind, Noah."
Noah ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling inside him. "I wish I could take it back," he said desperately. "I wish I could go back and stop it from happening, but I can’t. I hate myself for this, Selene. More than you could ever hate me."
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to stay composed. I didn’t hate him, not really. But I couldn’t deny the anger burning inside me, the feeling of betrayal that I couldn’t shake. I had fought so many battles and endured so much, and this—this felt like a wound I hadn’t been prepared to face. "I know you’re sorry," I finally said, my voice quieter, tinged with exhaustion. "But sorry doesn’t change what happened."
Noah stood up, crossing the room to stand beside me. He reached out, his hand hovering over my shoulder as if afraid to touch me. "I don’t expect you to forgive me right away," he said softly. "I just want you to know that I love you. That hasn’t changed."
I glanced at him, my eyes searching his face for answers I wasn’t sure he could give. There was pain there, mirrored in his expression, but there was also something deeper—an unspoken promise that he was still the man I had chosen, flaws and all. "I need time," I said finally, my voice steady but distant. "To process this. To figure out where we go from here."
Noah nodded; his heart heavy but grateful for even the smallest sliver of hope. "Take all the time you need," he said. "I’ll be here. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right."
I didn’t respond. I turned back to the window, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn’t yet untangle. I knew that this was far from over—that the wounds would take time to heal. But for now, I just needed space—to breathe, to think, and to find my way back to myself.
The memory of the night I spent with Kragen, teased into my memory... since we were confessing to each other, surely he would understand that I too was overcome with emotions and had allowed Kragen to touch me the way he wanted.