CHAPTER 107

CHAPTER 107
POV NOAH

As soon as I grabbed my keys and turned the handle, opening the apartment door, my whole body froze.

They were there.

My mother.

My father.

And my sister.

Standing right in front of me, as if they had been waiting for hours.

As if this moment had been inevitable.

I let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over my face, already feeling a throbbing pressure build in my temple.

“Not now…” I said flatly, walking past them without giving any space. “I’m on my way out.”

But of course, it wasn’t going to be that simple.

It never was.

“Noah…” my mother called immediately, her voice filled with concern. “Where are you going?”

I kept walking down the hallway without looking back.

“Out.”

“We came here three times since the game…” she insisted, her hurried footsteps following me. “And you’re never home.”

I closed my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath, trying not to explode.

“I was out.”

My father let out an impatient sound.

“You’re going to see her, aren’t you?”

That made me stop.

Slowly.

As if every muscle in my body were being pulled by some invisible tension.

I turned my head.

My eyes met his.

Cold.

Sharp.

“Stay out of my life, fuck.”

Silence fell heavily over the room.

My mother stepped forward, clearly nervous.

“Noah… we need to talk to you… please.”

There was something in her eyes.

Fear.

Real concern.

And that made me hesitate.

I didn’t want to.

Didn’t want to waste time.

Didn’t want to talk about this.

I wanted to go back to the hospital.

I wanted to go back to Isabela.

But still…

I let the air out slowly.

“Fine…”

I stepped back, opening the door again.

“Come in.”

They walked past me.

The air inside the apartment felt different now.

Heavier.

More suffocating.

I closed the door behind us.

My father went straight to the couch, as if he owned the place.

My mother stayed standing, restless.

My sister remained farther away, leaning against the wall, silent, watching everything.

“What is it?” I asked, directly, with no patience.

My mother took a deep breath before speaking.

“I wanted to understand better… this thing between you and Isabela…”

I felt the irritation rise immediately.

“Mom…”

“She’s much older than you…” she continued, as if she hadn’t heard me. “You should think about that… there are so many girls your age… Luana, for example…”

I let out a dry, humorless laugh.

“Are you serious?”

She hesitated.

“I’m just worried…”

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing back and forth.

“You came here for this?”

I looked at both of them.

“To talk about my love life?”

My voice came out sharper.

“I’m an adult. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

My father stood up suddenly.

“You’re ruining your life!”

I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, here we go…”

“Did you see what you did after the game?” he continued, his voice rising. “You abandoned the team! You didn’t give interviews! You threw everything away because of a woman!”

That was enough.

My blood boiled.

“Love, calm down…” my mother tried to intervene.

My gaze snapped to her.

“Love?”

She froze.

And I felt something inside me finally break.

“So you forgave him?”

Silence.

Heavy.

Dense.

“He was fucking another woman in his office!” My voice came out louder, filled with outrage. “Inside your company!”

My breathing was heavy.

Uneven.

“And you forgave that?”

My mother looked away for a second.

“Noah… you don’t understand…”

“Of course, I don’t understand!” I shot back. “I saw it with my own eyes!”

She took a deep breath.

“I decided to give it another chance… for our family.”

I laughed.

But there was no humor in it.

“Family?”

I shook my head, incredulous.

“How many times has he done this?”

Silence.

No one answered.

But I didn’t need them to.

The answer was right there.

On their faces.

“It’s not the first time… is it?”

My father looked away.

My mother stayed silent.

My sister lowered her head.

And that…

That said everything.

I exhaled slowly.

“Got it…”

My mother tried to regain control.

“Noah… this is my decision…”

I nodded.

Slowly.

Cold.

“Fine.”

I took a step back.

“If you want to live like this… being cheated on… I’m not going to do anything.”

“Watch your tone!” my father shouted.

I ignored him completely.

“I did my part… I told you the truth.”

Silence returned.

But it didn’t last.

Of course it didn’t.

“And this woman…” my father went on. “You can’t be together.”

I closed my eyes for a second.

Tired.

“Here we go…”

“She’s older… she has a fifteen-year-old daughter…” he continued. “That’s a problem.”

“She’s married,” my mother added.

“She’s not married anymore,” I cut in immediately. “The divorce has been signed for a while.”

They exchanged a look.

Suspicious.

Calculating.

“Even so…” my father insisted. “You’re on the rise… There are clubs abroad interested…”

My chest tightened.

But not from doubt.

From irritation.

“You’re going to throw everything away because of her?” he continued. “Because she’s not going to leave her daughter to go with you.”

I ran a hand over my face.

Exhausted.

“I’ll figure it out.”

“It’s not that simple,” my mother said.

“I’m not leaving Isabela.”

My voice came out firm.

Without hesitation.

Without a doubt.

“I’m not abandoning her.”

The atmosphere grew heavy again.

“You’re being impulsive,” my father said.

“No.”

“Yes, you are.”

I sighed.

Out of patience.

Out of energy.

Out of will.

“You know what? I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

I grabbed my keys.

“My life is mine to deal with.”

I opened the door.

The hallway air felt lighter.

“Good night.”

And I left.

Without looking back.

Without waiting for a response.

Without caring.

The door closed behind me with a sharp sound.

Final.

I stood still for a second in the hallway.

Breathing deeply.

Trying to organize everything in my head.

But it was impossible.

Anger.

Exhaustion.

Frustration.

And above all…

Worry.

Isabela.

I closed my eyes.

The image of her in that hospital bed came back hard.

Fragile.

Hurt.

Broken.

My chest tightened.

I opened my eyes.

And went straight to the elevator.

Pressed the button.

The seconds felt too long.

When the doors finally opened, I stepped in without thinking.

Went down.

Left the building.

Got into my car.

And started it.

The streets were emptier now.

But my mind was far from there.

Very far.

Her.

Always her.

Because at that moment…

Nothing else mattered.

Not my father.

Not my career.

Not anyone’s opinion.

Nothing.

The only thing that mattered…

Was going back to her.

Because in the middle of all that chaos…

It was by Isabela’s side…

That I knew exactly who I was.

And where I wanted to go.