Chapter 89
POV NOAH
Since the day I walked into my father’s office…
Nothing has been the same.
Nothing.
That image wouldn’t leave my head.
It was like a film stuck on repeat.
My father.
With another woman.
It wasn’t a conversation.
It wasn’t casual closeness.
It was intimate.
Far too intimate.
His hand on her waist.
The way he leaned in.
The kiss on her neck.
Betrayal.
Pure.
Raw.
Unquestionable.
From that moment on…
Something inside me broke.
Irreversibly.
I couldn’t look at him anymore.
I couldn’t hear his voice without feeling a mix of anger, disgust, and disappointment.
But the worst part…
It was my mother.
She didn’t know.
She was still the same.
Smiling.
Taking care of the house.
Speaking with affection.
Looking at him with love.
As if she were living in a perfect marriage.
And that…
That destroyed me inside.
Because I felt trapped.
Trapped between two truths.
I didn’t want to be the one responsible for destroying her world.
But I also didn’t want to watch her live a lie.
So I pulled away.
It was the only thing I could do.
I started ignoring everything.
The calls.
The messages.
The invitations.
From everyone.
My mother.
My sister.
My father.
Because I knew…
If I saw them…
If I looked at them…
I wouldn’t be able to control myself.
And I would end up telling everything.
Blowing everything apart.
But today…
My mother called.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten times.
The phone vibrated on the table.
Nonstop.
Insistent.
And with every vibration…
My chest tightened more.
Something was wrong.
She never did that.
Never.
A strange pressure took over me.
Anxiety.
Fear.
Worry.
I picked up the phone.
He hesitated for a second.
But answered.
“Hello?”
“Son?”
Her voice came out heavy.
Relief… mixed with concern.
That hit me directly.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
I closed my eyes.
Ran a hand over my face.
“I’m not avoiding you, Mom…”
“Yes, you are…” Her voice faltered. “You don’t answer my messages… You don’t take my calls… I’m worried.”
My heart tightened hard.
“Are you okay?”
“I am…” I lied. “I’m just focused on the game.”
There was silence.
Heavy.
“The game is already on Saturday…”
“Yeah.”
“I wanted to make lunch here at home… before the game… so you can feel the family’s support…”
My whole body tensed.
My breathing stalled for a second.
“Mom… I think it’s better not…”
“Please, my son…”
Her voice broke.
Fragile.
“I miss you…”
That was enough.
Damn it.
I couldn’t say no.
Not to her.
Never.
I exhaled slowly.
“Alright… I’ll come.”
(…)
A few hours later…
I parked the car in front of my parents’ house.
I stayed there for a few seconds.
Still.
Looking at the house.
Taking a deep breath.
My chest felt heavy.
Loaded.
I got out of the car.
Walked to the door.
Rang the bell.
The door opened.
My father.
He looked at me, surprised.
“You came.”
I didn’t answer.
I walked past him.
But he grabbed my arm.
Hard.
My whole body tensed.
An automatic reaction.
I pulled my arm away forcefully.
“Don’t touch me.”
My voice came out cold.
Sharp.
He frowned.
“You’re still angry?”
I let out a bitter laugh.
Humorless.
“How do you have the nerve to talk to me?”
“Noah…”
“Do me a favor,” I cut him off. “Forget I’m your son.”
His expression changed.
Hardened.
“Watch what you say.”
“No…” I took a step closer. “You watch yourself.”
He stepped closer too.
The tension between us was almost tangible.
“Don’t forget…” he said, in a low voice, “that you can’t open your mouth about what you saw.”
My blood boiled.
But I didn’t respond.
Not there.
Not yet.
I walked past him.
Went inside.
My mother and my sister were at the table.
As soon as they saw me, they smiled.
Genuine smiles.
That made my chest tighten even more.
“Son!” My mother stood up and hugged me.
Her hug was warm.
Familiar.
And it hurt.
“How are you?”
“Good…” I answered.
But she noticed.
She always did.
“You seem off…”
“Just tired.”
We sat down.
Lunch began.
But the atmosphere…
Was wrong.
Heavy.
Loaded with something no one had yet put into words.
My mother noticed.
My sister too.
The looks.
The pauses.
The uncomfortable silence.
And then…
My father held my mother’s hand.
Caressed it.
Smiled.
As if nothing was happening.
As if he were the perfect husband.
And that…
That was enough.
Something inside me snapped.
“You should stop that.”
My voice came out hard.
Cutting through the air.
Everyone looked at me.
“Stop what?” my mother asked, confused.
I didn’t look at her.
I looked straight at him.
“This act.”
My mother frowned.
“Noah… I don’t understand.”
I took a deep breath.
But there was no going back.
“I saw him.”
Silence.
Immediate.
Heavy.
“I saw him in the office… with another woman.”
My mother went pale.
Literally.
“What?”
My father stood up quickly.
“Noah.”
“No.”
I stood up too.
“Enough.”
My mother looked at me, completely lost.
“Son… what are you talking about?”
“He was with another woman.”
“That’s a lie!” my father said loudly.
“It’s not.”
“You don’t know what you saw.”
“I know exactly what I saw.”
My mother brought a hand to her mouth.
Her eyes were already filling with tears.
“No… that’s not true…”
“I wish it wasn’t, Mom…”
My father slammed his hand on the table.
“You’re exaggerating!”
“Exaggerating?” My voice rose. “I saw you holding her… I saw you kissing her neck!”
My mother broke down.
“No…”
My sister looked from one to the other, in shock.
“Dad… is this true?”
“No!” he answered too quickly. “Your brother is confused.”
“Confused?” I laughed without humor. “Do you really want to stick to that?”
He looked at me angrily.
“You have no right to talk to me like that.”
“And you had no right to cheat on my mother!”
“Enough!” he shouted.
“No!” I shouted back. “Enough with the lies!”
My mother was crying.
Desperate.
“Please… stop…”
But no one stopped.
“You don’t know anything,” my father said coldly.
“I know enough.”
“You’re destroying this family.”
“No…” I took a step forward. “You destroyed it.”
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Dense.
Suffocating.
My father looked at me with a coldness I had never seen before.
“You’re going to regret this.”
My jaw tightened.
“Get ready…”
He took a step closer.
Closer.
More threatening.
“Because the secret you’re hiding…”
My heart pounded.
Hard.
“…is going to come out.”
My blood ran cold.
“Don’t threaten me.”
He tilted his head slightly.
And then…
He smiled.
Cold.
Calculated.
“It’s not a threat…”
A pause.
Heavy.
“It’s a warning.”