Chapter 84

POV NOAH

For two months.

Two entire months.

That’s how long I spent trying to find the courage to tell Isabela the truth.

Two months of living with a constant weight on my chest.

With a guilt that wouldn’t leave me alone.

And even so…

I never managed to do it.

Not because I didn’t want to.

But because every time I imagined that conversation, my body reacted before I could even finish thinking.

My chest tightened.

My breathing faltered.

And a suffocating fear took over me.

I rehearsed.

Alone.

In the car, parked, staring into nothing.

In the shower, letting the water fall while repeating sentences in my head.

Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark.

“Isa, I need to tell you something.”

“Isa, something happened that I don’t know how to explain.”

“Isa… I messed up.”

But no sentence seemed enough.

None seemed fair.

None seemed capable of preparing her for what was coming.

And all of them… absolutely all of them… ended the same way in my head.

With her leaving.

With her looking at me with disappointment.

With that light in her eyes—the one I loved so much—being replaced by pain.

With her walking away from me.

And me alone.

I knew it would hurt.

I knew it would be painful.

But at no point did I imagine she would find out like that.

I never imagined she would hear it from Luana.

I never imagined it would happen like that.

Raw.

Direct.

Without preparation.

Without a chance to explain.

Much less…

With a pregnancy involved.

It didn’t feel real.

It felt like a nightmare.

One of those nightmares where you try to wake up… but you can’t.

“Isa… please…” I asked, my voice slightly breaking, still holding her arm.

I could feel her body tense under my touch.

She looked at me.

And what was there…

Destroyed me.

Pain.

Disappointment.

Hurt.

It was like every emotion she felt was a blade cutting through my chest.

“Listen to me…” I insisted, more quietly. “Just listen to me.”

She took a deep breath.

Slow.

As if gathering strength not to fall apart.

“What do you want to explain, Noah?” she said, her voice tired… exhausted.

That hurt.

Because it wasn’t just anger.

It was emotional exhaustion.

“Everything…” I murmured. “I need to tell you everything.”

She shook her head, in denial.

“There’s nothing to explain…” she said, with a sad, almost lifeless smile. “You slept with her… and she’s pregnant.”

My stomach twisted.

“Isa—”

“You know how much I suffered with Daniel.”

His name hit like a punch.

Direct.

Hard.

I knew.

I knew everything.

Every detail she told me on nights when her voice trembled.

Every silent tear.

Every piece of her he broke.

“You know everything I went through,” she continued, her eyes shining. “Everything I had to rebuild inside myself.”

My chest tightened even more.

“And even so…” her voice faltered, “you did the same thing.”

“No!” I replied too quickly. “Don’t compare me to that bastard.”

My voice came out louder than it should have.

Heavy.

She looked at me, surprised.

“Don’t compare me to him…” I repeated, more quietly, almost pleading. “I’m not like him.”

“Aren’t you?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Then explain it to me… because to me… this is the same thing.”

I was left breathless for a second.

“I didn’t plan this…” I murmured.

She let out a weak laugh.

Bitter.

“No one plans to cheat, Noah.”

The word hung in the air.

Heavy.

Cutting.

And it hurt.

Because deep down…

I knew that, to her, that’s exactly what it was.

Cheating.

“Isa… please…” I insisted. “Listen to me.”

She closed her eyes.

Took a deep breath.

Long.

Slow.

And after a few seconds that felt like minutes…

She nodded.

“Go on.”

My heart raced.

It was my chance.

“That day…” I began, running a hand over my face, feeling the weight of the words. “I had just found out my father has a mistress.”

She frowned, surprised.

“I saw them together…” I continued, my voice lower. “Him with another woman.”

Her expression changed.

There was something there.

Understanding… maybe.

“That made me really angry…” I went on. “I was… out of control. I couldn’t think straight.”

My throat was dry.

“So I went to Liam’s bar… just to try to cool off.”

She didn’t say anything.

Just watched me.

“I started drinking…” I continued. “And I didn’t stop.”

I took a deep breath.

“One drink turned into two… then three… and then I wasn’t even counting anymore.”

I ran a hand over my face.

“Luana was there.”

Isabela looked away for a moment.

“She was working…” I continued. “And I… just kept drinking… more… and more…”

My voice faltered.

“Until…”

I swallowed hard.

“I blacked out.”

She frowned.

“Blacked out?”

I nodded.

“I don’t remember anything after that.”

Silence.

“Nothing?” she asked carefully.

“Nothing,” I repeated. “I don’t remember leaving… I don’t remember coming home… I don’t remember anything.”

My chest tightened just remembering that emptiness.

“When I woke up…” I continued, “I was in my bed.”

My throat tightened.

“And Luana was with me.”

The silence grew heavy.

Dense.

Almost tangible.

“Both of us… naked.”

Isabela closed her eyes.

And that destroyed me more than any words.

“She said we spent the night together…” I murmured.

My voice came out low.

Heavy with shame.

“But I don’t remember.”

Isabela slowly opened her eyes.

“You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

She shook her head slightly, confused, trying to understand.

“So… since that day…” I continued, “I’ve been feeling awful… guilty… not knowing how to tell you.”

I took a deep breath.

“I couldn’t look at you… because I felt like trash.”

My voice faltered.

“I wanted to tell you… But I was afraid of losing you.”

Silence returned.

Heavy.

She looked at me.

But now there was something different.

It wasn’t just pain.

It was a conflict.

“Noah…” she said slowly. “Are you telling me you don’t remember… but you believe it happened?”

My chest tightened.

“I… don’t know.”

She frowned.

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t remember… but she said… and when I woke up… she was there…”

I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated.

“I don’t know what really happened.”

Isabela took a deep breath.

Slow.

“For me… that doesn’t change anything.”

My heart dropped.

“Isa—”

“You slept with her… or you think you did…” she said, “and now she’s pregnant.”

Each word felt like a sentence.

“This is cheating, Noah.”

“I didn’t do it consciously—”

“But it happened.”

Silence fell once again.

And I knew.

I knew that, for her…

There was no difference.

She stepped back.

Slowly.

As if each step required effort.

“I can’t…” she murmured.

My heart raced.

“Isa…”

“I can’t process this right now.”

She grabbed her bag with slightly trembling hands.

My chest tightened again.

Harder.

“Please… don’t go…”

She shook her head.

“I need to.”

My hand dropped to my side.

Useless.

“Isa… please…”

She looked at me.

And that was worse.

Because I saw it.

The tears.

Shining in her eyes.

“I trusted you, Noah.”

My heart broke.

For real.

“And this… hurts too much.”

She turned.

And left.

The door closed with a dry sound.

Too loud.

Too final.

And in that instant…

Silence took over everything.

The apartment.

My mind.

Me.

I ran a hand over my face.

Took a deep breath.

But it didn’t help.

Nothing helped.

Because in that moment…

I felt it.

With cruel clarity.

That everything was falling apart.

And that maybe…

I had just lost the only person who truly mattered.