Maria.
I gathered my thoughts slowly, forcing my racing mind to settle as I pushed myself off his bed. My legs felt slightly weak beneath , but I steadied myself and walked out of the room, heading straight back to mine. Each step felt heavier than the last, as though I was carrying more than just my body, my thoughts, my emotions, my confusion all weighed down.
As soon as the door closed behind , I bit down on my lower lip, a habit I’d picked up whenever my mind refused to stay quiet. Noah’s face crept back into my thoughts uninvited. The way he had looked at . The way his voice had softened when he apologized. Had I been too harsh on him? The question echoed in my head, refusing to leave.
He had apologized for kissing without my consent. That alone set him apart. He hadn’t dismissed my feelings or acted entitled to . He had stopped. He had pulled away. He had cared. And when I thought about it more, I realized sothing that unsettled deeply, he had been gentle with . Truly gentle.
Unlike the Quadruplets.
Noah treated differently. Better. There was no cruelty in his touch, no malice in his words. He didn’t look at like I was sothing to be owned or broken. The realization made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t fully understand.
I heaved a deep sigh and let my body fall back onto the bed. My eyes drifted to the ceiling as if the answer I sought was written there.
"Moon Goddess," I whispered softly, my voice barely audible in the quiet room, "should I go with him?"
The words lingered in the air, unanswered.
Staying with Noah... the thought alone made my heart stir. It would make my life easier. Safer. Better. I could already imagine a life without constant fear, without walking on eggshells, without pain lurking around every corner. My mind betrayed then, replaying the mory of his lips against mine, the warmth of that mont, the sincerity behind it.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I blushed instantly.
My heart began to beat faster, harder, as if it wanted to escape my chest. I pressed my palm over it, hoping to calm it down, but it only seed to grow more frantic.
What exactly was wrong with ?
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, frustrated with myself, with my thoughts, with my heart. Grabbing my pillow, I buried my face into it and let out a muffled scream, pouring all my confusion into the fabric. I rolled from one side of the bed to the other, restless, unable to find peace. No matter how much I moved, my mind stayed fixed on what had happened earlier, replaying it over and over like a cruel loop.
Eventually, I stopped moving.
I sat up slowly, the decision forming before I could talk myself out of it. My body seed to act on its own, as if my heart had taken control. I stood up, my feet touching the floor, and without another thought, my legs carried out of the room.
Straight to Noah’s room.
"Alright, Vernia," I whispered under my breath as I moved down the corridor, my footsteps quick but careful, "we’re only going to see him to tell him we’ll go with him. That’s all. Not because we want a kiss."
I paused for half a second, trying to convince myself that I ant every word. The truth, however, felt far more tangled than I wanted to admit. It felt less like I was speaking to my wolf and more like I was desperately trying to rein in my own heart.
"Yes," Vernia replied within , her voice light and teasing, "just to tell him. No kiss."
Even as she said it, I felt her stir excitedly, practically bouncing inside . Her enthusiasm made my cheeks warm, and I shook my head slightly, as if that alone could silence her. I picked up my pace, my resolve wavering with every step I took closer to his door.
Within minutes, I stood before it.
I didn’t knock.
A small, reckless part of wanted to catch him off guard. Another, far more embarrassing part of hoped, foolishly, to see him bare-chested again, to confirm that what I felt earlier hadn’t been imagined. My fingers curled around the door handle, and before I could overthink it, I pushed the door open.
And froze.
It was Noah.
But he wasn’t alone.
Ti seed to shatter in that instant, each second stretching painfully as the scene before carved itself into my chest. Noah was entangled with Anabel, her body pressed close to his, her hands roaming his barely exposed chest. His lips were on hers, devouring her hungrily, just as they had devoured mine earlier. The sa urgency. The sa intensity. The sa hunger.
My breath hitched sharply.
It felt as though a million needles pierced straight through my heart at once, sharp and unforgiving. The ache was instant, overwhelming, stealing the strength from my limbs. My vision blurred as tears rushed to my eyes, moisture gathering faster than I could stop it. I hadn’t realized how fragile I was until that very mont.
"Noah," I called out, my voice trembling despite my effort to keep it steady.
He jerked away imdiately, pushing Anabel aside as if he’d been burned. His eyes snapped to mine, wide and startled, and he stared at as though I were sothing unreal, like I might disappear if he blinked. For a brief second, neither of us moved. Neither of us breathed.
That second was enough to break .
Reality ca crashing down all at once, and with it, humiliation, pain, and a deep, unbearable sense of foolishness. What had I expected? That he would be waiting for ? That the kiss we shared ant more than it clearly did?
I gathered what little strength I had left, turned sharply on my heel, and fled the room. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. If I did, I was certain I would fall apart right there, in front of him, in front of her.
Behind , I heard hurried footsteps.
"Maria, please wait!" Noah called out, his voice strained and desperate as he chased after .
But I didn’t stop.
Tears spilled freely now, streaking down my cheeks as I ran, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. Every step felt like I was running away from more than just him, I was running from hope, from trust, from the foolish belief that I could ever be chosen.
And no matter how loudly he called my na, I kept going.
What was I even thinking?
The question echoed rcilessly in my head as I ran, each step heavier than the last. How could I have been so careless, so stupid, to forget what I already knew? I had heard it clearly. I hadn’t imagined it. Noah was engaged to Anabel. Engaged. Bound by promises that had nothing to do with .
If he were ever forced to choose—if it ever ca down to that—he would choose her.
Of course he would.
"I am so foolish," I scread silently within my mind, the words sharp and unforgiving, tearing into as tears stread freely down my cheeks. My vision blurred, the corridor ahead of lting into streaks of light and shadow, but I didn’t slow down. I couldn’t. Slowing down ant thinking, and thinking ant breaking.
My chest burned with every breath I took, my lungs aching as though they were filled with fire instead of air. My heart thudded violently against my ribs, not just from the running, but from the pain, raw, humiliating, and deep. I wiped at my eyes angrily, but it was useless. The tears kept coming, betraying just as my heart had.
I kept running.
I didn’t want to face him. I didn’t want to hear his explanations, didn’t want to see that look in his eyes, the one that would be filled with pity or guilt. Worse still, I didn’t want him to see like this: weak, shattered, and foolishly hopeful over sothing that was never mine to begin with.
Footsteps echoed behind , growing louder.
"Maria, please wait!" I heard him call out again, his voice clearer now, closer than before.
The sound of my na from his lips only made the ache worse.
I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting salt and sothing tallic, and pushed myself to move faster. My legs scread in protest, my body begging to stop, but I refused to listen. I gathered every ounce of strength I had left and increased my pace, desperation fueling more than reason ever could.
I wouldn’t stop.
Not for him.
Not for the man who could kiss with such intensity only to turn around and entangle himself with another. Not for the man who belonged to soone else.
The distance between us stretched and shrank all at once, but I focused only on the path ahead, on putting as much space as possible between my heart and the source of its pain. Even as he called out again, even as his presence lingered just behind , I ran, because stopping would an facing the truth, and right now, that truth hurt too much to bear.
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