Chapter 192

Noah

The only thing holding me together the rest of that night was the presence of my family.

Emily’s glowing admiration after watching me win the game, and my mom’s tearful pride as she told everyone how proud she was. God, she looked so happy, so obliviously content, that stealing that joy from her felt like a cruelty I couldn’t bear.

The mansion he’d rented looked like something out of a magazine—a staircase so dramatic it practically begged for a ball gown, and a garden lit up with fancy golden lights like we’d stepped into a fucking Disney movie—just, you know, the version where the villain is still alive and thriving.

Who the hell was he trying to impress?

The hired staff had everything prepared before we even dropped our bags, and half an hour later we were all dressed up and sitting down to a full gourmet dinner. Champagne popping, wines that probably cost more than everything I owned, course after perfect course laid out like we were royalty instead of a poor family from a West Virginia slum.

And yeah… I didn’t hold back. Especially on the wine.

I drank like the end of the world had already happened—because for me, it kind of had.

The numbness was the only thing left that William hadn’t stolen yet.

We sat around the fireplace afterward, everyone relaxed and laughing. They talked about a bunch of shit and I just nodded and smiled at the right moments, but didn't give a crap. When the family finally retired for the night and Lexie invited me to soak in the jacuzzi with her, I gave her a soft, tired smile and told her I was kinda drunk, and exhausted from the game, the adrenaline, the press, the travel—everything. She understood.

But the moment I stepped into my room and closed the door behind me, I cracked.

The first thing I thought of was calling Aiden. I needed to hear his voice, but an unsettling thought crawled up my spine: what if my phone was compromised? William had known too much. He always knew too much. Was he monitoring me? Was he listening? Would a call to Aiden put him in danger? Or me? Or both?

I stood in the bathroom doorway, ready to shower the pain out of my skin, wrestling with whether to risk it, when a soft knock startled me.

You gotta be shitting me… Please, don't be Lexie.

I wiped my face quickly and opened the door with the excuse ready on my tongue—only to see Emily standing there, smiling gently.

I let her in, of course.

The second the door closed, she wrapped her arms around me. My chest burned, and for a moment, I almost broke. I could fool my mother, my friends, Lexie… but never Emily. She was the only person on earth who knew me better than I knew myself.

She stepped back, studying me with those sharp, perceptive eyes she inherited from our mother. “What happened today?” she asked quietly.

“Em, nothing—”

Her fingers rose and brushed the bruise on my cheek. I winced despite myself.

“I got hit pretty bad on the field…”

“Noah,” she murmured, “don’t lie to me. I know what a punch to the face looks like.”

God, she did. No one understood the signs of fear, of trembling, of being cornered, better than my sister.

“This… couldn’t be Dad,” she whispered. “This is something else. Someone else. And something much worse.”

The room blurred for a second, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the edge of the bed, telling her everything—at least everything I could without exposing William’s threats. I told her about Aiden, how we were caught, how he’d claimed responsibility, how my life felt like it had been ripped apart at the seams. I told her how terrified I was for him, how much I loved him, how badly I needed to hear his voice. And how I couldn’t. Because if someone was monitoring the calls, it could destroy whatever fragile safety we had left.

Emily listened without interrupting, her brows tight, her expression soft but fierce. When I finished, she didn’t hesitate.

She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and pressed it into my hand.

“Call him from my phone,” she said. “Call him now.”

Then she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, giving me the privacy she knew I needed more than anything.

The moment Emily slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her, I dialed the number with shaking hands. My heartbeat was so loud it drowned out everything—logic, fear, common sense. All I had was need.

Aiden answered on the third or fourth ring.

“Aiden Mercer.”

His voice was steady, controlled… but I heard the tremor beneath it, the strain of holding himself together. My throat closed.

“Aiden… It's me…”

There was a pause—sharp, broken—and then his breath hitched with pure relief.

“Baby… oh God…” His voice finally cracked. “I was afraid to call you. I didn’t know if they had you, if William was with you, if—how are you? Are you safe? Talk to me.”

I closed my eyes. His voice was the only solid thing in my world.

“I’m okay, Aiden. I swear. I was afraid to call you too… but this is Emily’s phone.” My voice wavered, blasting all my concerns at once. “I needed to hear you. I need you so much. What happened? What did they do to you?”

He exhaled shakily, like the sound of him breathing out was him collapsing.

“They fired me,” he admitted softly. “But I’m okay. They’re not making it public. They want it buried for the school’s sake. That means I can still find work elsewhere… like we planned. Exactly like we planned, baby.”

My chest tightened. For a second, I almost let myself believe we were safe. Then William’s voice echoed in my skull again.

I told him what happened with William. I told him everything he said—his threats, his plan, all of it. I didn’t tell him he touched me. He didn’t need to know that.

Silence hit the line.

Then Aiden inhaled sharply like he’d just been stabbed.

“Oh, baby boy…” His voice dropped, low and trembling. “We need to be careful. You did the right thing. You did exactly what you had to. Listen to me—right now, you stay safe. Agree to whatever he wants. I’ll take care of the rest. I will see what I can do privately.”

His mind was already running—fast, ruthless, brilliant.

“Maybe I can get the Oregon scout to meet with you alone. If we can get him to sign you before William catches wind, you’ll secure that bonus before the wedding date. I don’t know yet exactly how, but—” His breath stuttered. “—we will figure out a way, baby. I promise.”

My voice broke. “Aiden… What if they don’t? What if I can’t get anything signed behind his back? He said he’ll ruin us both if I try. I know he will. I know he will.”

His tone softened into something raw and desperate.

“Hey… love… breathe for me.”

I did. Barely.

“I’ll talk to every lawyer I know. I’ll get a second, a third, a tenth opinion on how to break that contract with him. There has to be a way. There always is. And if there’s not—then I’ll make one.”

“And about my mom and Emily? His threat to drop them too? A quiet, helpless sound escaped me.

“I’ll hire protection for your family myself,” he continued, resolute. “I’ll sell my home if I have to. I’ll start over in another job, another state—hell, another country if that’s what it takes. Baby, I don’t care about any of it. We will fix this.”

“Aiden…” My voice was a whisper of broken glass. “I miss you. I can’t breathe without you. I feel like I’m dying here.”

“I know,” he murmured, voice thick with tears. “Me too. But listen—none of this is the end. Not for us. I will wait for you. A month, a year, ten years. I don’t give a damn. You hear me? You’re mine, and I’m yours. Nothing changes that.”

“I’ll wait for you too,” I whispered. “No matter how long. No matter what.”

“We’ll find a way,” he swore.

“We will,” I echoed.

There was no kiss, no touch, no breath shared in the same air, but it was the most intimate moment we ever lived.

Two broken voices in the dark, hanging onto each other by a thread.

Hanging on because there was nothing else left.