Chapter 67 Sixty seven

Chapter 67 Sixty seven

Nora.

I watched Howard disappear into the darkness, my heart filled with an emotion I couldn’t name.

I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. Only then did the exhaustion truly hit me. My body felt heavy. My throat hurt. My muscles ached. But beneath all of it was something I hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever.

Peace.

I was going home.

As the car moved farther away from Void territory, I looked down at my stomach. My hand instinctively settled over it. “Are you okay, little one?” I whispered.

A strange warmth spread through my chest. My baby was still there, safe. 

I had spent so much time worrying that the stress and fear would somehow hurt my child that I hadn’t allowed myself to think beyond survival.

Now, I’ve finally allowed myself to imagine the future. A future where my baby was born into a home filled with love and Howard held our child without hesitation. A future where I didn’t have to wonder every morning whether my husband wanted me. But even as hope bloomed inside me, another voice whispered in the back of my mind.

What if he changes again?

I opened my eyes. I hated that I was thinking about it already. But I couldn’t pretend the past hadn’t happened.

Howard had apologized.

He had come for me, risked his life for me, his tears had been real, his fear had been real and his love had finally been undeniable. But trust wasn’t rebuilt in one night.

Neither was a heart. I could forgive Howard one day. Maybe sooner than I expected. But forgiveness didn’t mean forgetting. It didn’t mean pretending his rejection hadn’t wounded me. It didn’t mean ignoring the nights I had cried myself to sleep wondering why I wasn’t enough for my own husband.

I needed him to understand that. If we were going to rebuild our marriage, I wanted something different.

I wanted consistency.

I wanted honesty.

I wanted a husband who didn’t make me question where I stood in his life.

I wanted to be chosen.

Not when he was afraid of losing me.

I looked through the window at the dark road ahead. Maybe this was our second beginning. Not because everything had suddenly become perfect. But because, for the first time, Howard seemed willing to do the work required to make us better.

I could live with that.

I could give him a chance.

But this time, he would have to earn my trust. 

The car finally crossed into Direwood territory. The moment we arrived, I noticed the gathering crowd.

People were waiting and the moment the car stopped, Marie rushed toward me.

“Nora!”

She wrapped her arms around me so tightly that I nearly lost my balance.

“Oh, my God. You’re safe.”

Tears filled my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I left without telling anyone.”

“You scared us to death.”

Lizzie appeared behind Marie and hugged me next. Paara joined us, and suddenly I was surrounded by familiar faces. Since my abduction, I didn’t feel like I had to be afraid.

I was home.

Then I remembered something.

“Selene.”

Marie pulled away.

“What about her?”

I looked at her.

“She was involved.”

The smile disappeared from her face.

“Selene?”

I nodded.

“My maid?”

“Yes.”

Marie stared at me in disbelief.

“I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I.”

I thought about all the strange things I had noticed before.

The copied outfits.

The suspicious behavior.

The moments when Karen somehow seemed to know things she shouldn’t have known.

I had ignored too many signs.

Perhaps because I never wanted to believe that someone I trusted could betray me.

Marie shook her head.

“I can’t believe she did that.”

Neither could I.

But I didn’t have the strength to think about Selene anymore.

“Come,” Marie said gently. “You need to rest.”

I allowed her to lead me toward the house.

Our house.

Howard’s and mine.

I stepped inside and immediately felt the weight of memories.

Some beautiful.

Some painful.

There were places where we had laughed.

Places where we had argued.

Places where I had cried.

But standing there now, I realized something.

The house hadn’t changed.

I had.

I placed my hand over my belly.

Maybe Howard and I could create new memories here.

Maybe the three of us could.

The thought brought a small smile to my face.

Later, Paara and Lizzie took me to the dining hall.

The moment I saw the food waiting for me, tears filled my eyes.

Lizzie stared at me.

“Are you crying?”

I nodded, laughing through my tears.

“I had baked beans for lunch.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Don’t laugh!”

Lizzie laughed harder.

“You’re crying over food?”

“I was kidnapped, Lizzie!”

“And now you’re crying because there’s rice.”

I wiped my tears and started eating.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I ate until I was full.

Afterward, I went upstairs.

I wanted a shower.

I wanted to wash away the smell of that filthy cell, the sweat, the fear and every memory I could.

The warm water cascaded over my skin, and I stood beneath it for a long time.

I closed my eyes.

Howard’s face appeared in my mind.

His tears.

His bruises.

The way he had looked at me.

The way he had said he loved me without actually needing to say the words.

I touched my lips.

Maybe he really had changed.

But I couldn’t allow myself to believe too quickly.

I needed time.

I needed him to prove it.

After my shower, I dressed in comfortable clothes and stepped out of the bathroom.

The room was empty.

My heart immediately began racing.

A sudden memory flashed through my mind.

Hands grabbing me.

A door closing.

Darkness.

I froze.

Then I heard the front door downstairs. My heart slammed against my ribs. Someone was here. I hurried downstairs and there he was. The moment his eyes found mine, his entire expression changed.

He crossed the room and cupped my face. “Are you okay?”

I touched his bruised cheek. “You’re hurt.”

He shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“You’re covered in bruises,” I said with total concern

“I left Gray blind,” he said proudly, with a smile.

Despite everything, a tiny laugh escaped me.

His smile widened, then his expression became serious. “There’s something you need to know.”

I stared at him.

“My father is badly hurt.”

My smile disappeared. “What?”

“He keeps asking for you.”

My heart dropped. “Is he going to be okay?”

Howard looked away briefly. “I don’t know.”

I immediately reached for his hand. “Then let’s go.”

He nodded.

And together, we left for the hospital, neither of us knowing that the truth waiting for me there would change everything I thought I knew about my past. 



The hospital was unusually noiseless when we arrived. The moment I stepped through the entrance, the smell of antiseptic filled my lungs, and for a brief second, the memory of Void disappeared beneath the sterile brightness of the corridor. Howard walked beside me, his hand securely wrapped around mine, but I could feel the tension in his body.

Neither of us spoke as we followed the nurse toward Claude’s room.

I could hear the faint beeping of machines before we reached the door.

Howard stopped.

I looked at him. “What is it?”

He stared at the closed door for a moment before answering. “I don’t know what we’re going to find in there.”

I squeezed his hand. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

His eyes met mine, and something softened in his expression.

“Together,” he repeated quietly.

We entered the room.

Marie was already there. She stood beside Claude’s bed with tears in her eyes, one hand pressed against her mouth. Claude looked nothing like the powerful Alpha I had known. His face was swollen, there was a bandage wrapped around his torso, and several bruises darkened his skin.

But when his eyes found mine, he smiled.

“Nora,” Claude said weakly.

I moved closer to his bed. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.”

Howard stood behind me, his hand settling gently on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch reassured me, but I could feel something different in the room. There was an uncomfortable heaviness hanging over us, as though everyone knew something I didn’t.

Claude noticed my confusion.

“Give us a moment, Marie,” he said.

Marie looked at him, then at Howard, before reluctantly leaving the room.

When the door closed, Claude gestured toward the chair beside his bed.

“Come closer, both of you.”

I sat down.

Howard remained behind me, his hands resting lightly on my shoulders.

Claude took a slow breath, but the movement seemed to cause him pain. He winced before continuing.

“I’ve always wanted Howard to find happiness,” he said. “Since his mother died, I’ve carried guilt for the role I played in destroying my son’s peace. I know I failed him in ways that I cannot undo.”

Howard remained silent. I could feel his fingers tighten slightly around my shoulders.

Claude looked at me.

“And then you came into his life.”

I lowered my gaze.

“You brought something into this house that I hadn’t seen in years. Peace. Happiness. Even when Howard fought against it, I could see the difference you made in him.”

Howard’s expression softened.

Claude smiled faintly.

“I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” I said gently.

Claude shook his head. “You don’t understand.” His voice changed. The warmth disappeared. In its place was fear. “I have carried a secret for a very long time.”

My heart began beating faster. I glanced at Howard. He was already looking at his father.

“What secret?” Howard asked.

Claude looked away.

For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he coughed. The cough was deep and painful, and his entire body shook with it. I instinctively stood and reached for the glass of water beside his bed.

“Please, rest,” I told him.

He accepted the glass from me and took a small sip.

“I have to tell you,” Claude said.

“Tell us what?” Howard asked.

Claude’s eyes moved between us.

“The truth about your mother, Nora.”

My entire body went still. Even after all these years, those two words could still make my chest ache.

“What about my mother?” I asked.

Claude closed his eyes. “I should have told you a long time ago.”

Howard stepped closer.

“Father, what are you talking about?”

Claude opened his eyes again.

“Herman.”

The name alone made my stomach tighten.

“What does Herman have to do with my mother?”

Claude looked at me.

“Herman killed her.”

The room stopped. I stared at him. For a minute, I didn’t understand what he had said. The words entered my mind, but they refused to make sense.

“What?”

My voice barely came out.

Claude’s eyes filled with tears.

“Herman was responsible for your mother’s death.”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“Nora—”

“No.”

I stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.

“You’re lying.”

Claude flinched.

“I wish I were.”

“No.” I shook my head harder. “Herman didn’t kill my mother.”

My memories came rushing back. The woods. The blood. My mother’s body. Her lifeless eyes. The horror I had felt when I found her. I had spent so long believing her death was a terrible tragedy, something that had happened to her because she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now Claude was telling me that it hadn’t been an accident.

Someone had deliberately taken her life and that someone was Herman.

“My mother trusted him,” I whispered.

Claude looked down.

“I know.”

“She loved him… and he killed her?” My voice broke.

Claude swallowed. “I saw him.”

Howard suddenly stiffened. “You saw him?”

Claude nodded. “I saw Herman slit your mother’s throat.”

The words shattered whatever remained of my composure. I stumbled backward. Howard immediately caught me.

“Nora.”

I couldn’t breathe. I pushed against his chest, but my legs felt weak.

“No.”

“Nora, look at me.”

“My mother…”

My voice broke completely.

“My mother was murdered.”

Howard pulled me against him.

I buried my face in his chest and began to sob.

The pain was different from the first time I had discovered her body.

Back then, I had been a child standing over the woman who had given me life, confused and terrified.

Now I was an adult and I had just learned that the man I had called my stepfather had deliberately taken her life.

For more than a year, I had lived under the same roof as her murderer. I had eaten at his table. I had listened to him speak about my mother. I had allowed myself to believe that, whatever else Herman was, he had once loved her. My entire understanding of my childhood had just collapsed.

“How could you know this and say nothing?” I cried.

Claude looked devastated.

“I was afraid.”

I pulled away from Howard.

“Afraid of what?”

“Herman.”

I stared at him.

“He threatened everyone who knew the truth. He made it clear that anyone who exposed him would pay for it.”

“You should have told me!”

“I know.”

“You should have told me!” I screamed again.

Claude’s eyes filled with tears.

“I know, Nora.”

“You watched my mother die!”

“I didn’t kill her.”

“But you watched!”

My voice echoed through the room.

Howard reached for my hand.

I pulled it away.

“Don’t.”

He froze.

I wasn’t angry with him.

Not really.

But I couldn’t bear to be touched.

Not now.

Not when my entire body felt like it was coming apart.

Claude lowered his head.

“I have regretted my silence every day.”

“Your regret doesn’t bring her back.”

“I know.”

“Your fear doesn’t bring her back.”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

Claude looked at me.

“Because I was a coward.”

The honesty in his voice silenced me.

He continued, his voice trembling.

“I convinced myself that keeping quiet would protect my family. I convinced myself that Herman would eventually be exposed by someone else. I told myself that you were safer not knowing.”

He paused.

“But I was wrong.”

I stared at him through my tears.

“You didn’t protect me.”

“No.”

“You protected yourself.”

Claude closed his eyes.

“Yes.”

That answer hurt more than an excuse would have. Because he wasn’t trying to defend himself. He knew what he had done and suddenly I understood that there were two betrayals sitting in that room.

Herman’s betrayal had taken my mother’s life. Claude’s silence had allowed the truth to remain buried.

I turned toward Howard. He looked as devastated as I felt. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were fixed on his father with an expression I couldn’t read.

“Howard…”

He looked at me.

“I don’t know what to say.”

I shook my head. “Neither do I.”

He moved closer, but this time he stopped before touching me. That small gesture mattered. He was giving me the choice. I looked down at my hands and they were trembling.

“I need to go.”

Howard nodded immediately.

“Okay.”

Claude reached for me weakly.

“Nora.”

I stopped at the door.

He looked at me with tears running down his face.

“I am sorry.”

I stared at him for a long moment.

“I believe that you’re sorry.”

His expression softened.

“But I don’t forgive you yet.”

He nodded.

“I understand.”

I walked out of the room with Howard beside me.

Neither of us spoke.

We reached the end of the corridor before I finally stopped.

Howard turned toward me.

“What do you need?”

I looked at him.

For once, he wasn’t telling me what to do.

He wasn’t trying to fix everything or demanding forgiveness. He was simply asking.

I wiped my tears.

“I need to find out everything.”

Howard nodded.

“Then we’ll find out everything.”

“I want the truth about my mother.”

“You’ll have it.”

“And Herman…”

My voice hardened.

“Herman is going to answer for what he did.”

Howard’s eyes darkened.

“Yes.”

He held out his hand but didn’t touch me.

I stared at it. Then, slowly, I placed mine in his. His fingers closed around mine.

The drive back from the hospital was silent.

Not the comfortable kind of silence Howard and I had slowly begun to share, where neither of us needed to fill every second with words. This silence was different. It was heavy, suffocating, filled with thoughts neither of us knew how to express.

I sat with my forehead against the window, watching the trees blur past as the car carried us deeper into Direwood territory. My reflection stared back at me from the dark glass, but I barely recognized the woman looking back.

My mother’s face kept appearing in my mind. Not the memory of her lying in the woods or the blood or even the terror of that day.

Instead, I remembered her alive.

Her smile.

Her voice.

The way she used to run her fingers through my hair whenever I was upset. The way she would pull me against her chest and tell me that everything would eventually be okay, even when I knew she didn’t have the answers herself.

For years, I had believed that losing her was the greatest pain I would ever experience. I had been wrong. Learning that someone had deliberately taken her life was an entirely different kind of grief. Death had always felt like something that happened.

Now I knew that my mother’s death had been a choice.

Herman had chosen to kill her and then he had chosen to live with me. He had watched me grow up while carrying the knowledge that he had murdered the woman who gave birth to me.

My stomach twisted. I pressed my hand against it instinctively.

Howard noticed.

“Are you in pain?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

He watched me for a moment before looking back at the road. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly. I appreciated that he didn’t ask anything else. He seemed to understand that I needed to sit with what I had just learned.

After several minutes, I finally spoke. “Howard?”

“Yes?”

“Did you know?”

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “No.”

I turned toward him. “You’re telling me the truth?”

His eyes remained on the road. “I swear.”

I studied his profile. There was no hesitation in his answer.

“I didn’t know my father was involved in your mother’s death. If I had known, Nora, I would have told you.”

I looked away again. “I believe you.”

The words seemed to surprise him. He glanced at me briefly.

“You do?”

“Yes,” I said simply.

I swallowed.

“But I don’t understand how so many people could know things about my life that I didn’t.”

Howard didn’t answer immediately.

“That is something we need to find out,” he finally said. “And we will.”

I nodded.

“I want everything.”

“You’ll have everything.”

“No secrets.”

His gaze shifted toward me again.

“No secrets.”

I took a shaky breath.

“I want to know what happened to my mother. I want to know why Herman killed her. I want to know why Claude kept quiet. I want to know what happened between them before she died. I want to know if there was something I never knew about my mother’s life.”

Howard nodded.

“We’ll find the answers.”

“And when we do…”

I stopped.

He waited.

“What are you going to do about Herman?”

His expression hardened.

“He will face the law.”

I looked at him.

“You’re not going to kill him?”

Howard was quiet for a moment.

“If I acted only on what I feel right now, I probably would.”

I wasn’t surprised.

“But I won’t.”

“Why?”

“Because this isn’t about my anger.”

His voice was calm.

“This is about you.”

I stared at him.

“You deserve justice, Nora. Not another murder committed in your name.”

Tears gathered in my eyes. For once, Howard wasn’t deciding what was best for me. He was thinking about what I wanted. I reached for his hand and he immediately loosened one hand from the steering wheel and allowed me to take it.

“I don’t want you to become like him,” I whispered.

His jaw tightened. “I won’t.”

“I mean it.”

“I know,” he said firmly

“You’ve always been afraid of becoming your father.”

He looked at me.

“And I don’t want what Herman did to turn you into someone else either.”

Howard squeezed my hand.

“I won’t let him.”

We drove the rest of the way in silence. When we arrived home, I expected to be exhausted. Instead, I felt restless. There were too many thoughts in my head.

I stepped out of the car, but before I could take more than a few steps, Howard caught up with me.

“Nora.”

I turned. He stood in front of me, his bruised face making the sight of him almost painful to look at.

“Yes?”

“You don’t have to pretend you’re okay or pretend to be strong tonight.”

I looked down. “I don’t know how to be anything else.”

His expression softened. “You can be broken with me.”

My eyes filled with tears. I looked away quickly.

Howard stepped closer but stopped before touching me. “Can I hug you?”

That question nearly broke me because it was such a small thing. Yet I remembered a time when Howard would have simply taken what he wanted, convinced that being my husband gave him that right.

Now he was asking.

I nodded.

“Yes.”

He wrapped his arms around me.

I rested my head against his chest and allowed myself to cry.

Not the quiet tears I had shed in the hospital.

Not the tears I had hidden from everyone else.

I cried properly.

My shoulders shook.

My fingers tightened around his shirt.

Howard didn’t tell me to stop.

He didn’t tell me to be strong.

He simply held me.

After a while, I whispered, “I miss her.”

“I know.”

“I wish she were here.”

“I know.”

“I wish I could ask her why.”

Howard’s hand moved slowly over my hair.

“Maybe we’ll never have every answer.”

I pulled away slightly.

“That isn’t comforting.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“I know.”

Despite myself, I laughed through my tears.

He smiled too.

Then his expression became serious again.

“But whatever we find out, I’ll stay beside you.”

I looked into his eyes.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

I believed him.

At least, I wanted to.

We went inside together.

The house was quiet now. Everyone had gone to their rooms, leaving the corridors dim and peaceful. I should have gone to bed, but the thought of closing my eyes terrified me.

Every time I did, I saw my mother’s body.

So I walked toward the living room instead.

Howard followed.

I sat on the couch and curled my legs beneath me.

He sat opposite me.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke.

Then I asked, “Do you remember when you told me you didn’t want our baby?”

His expression changed.

“Yes.”

“I still think about it.”

Howard lowered his head.

“I know.”

“I don’t think you understand how much it hurt.”

“I do now.”

“No,” I said softly. “I don’t think you ever will.”

He looked at me.

“You’re probably right.”

I appreciated that he didn’t argue.

“I thought you hated me,” I continued. “I thought you regretted marrying me. Then I thought you regretted the baby. I started wondering if there was something wrong with me.”

“There was never anything wrong with you.”

“You made me feel like there was.”

His eyes filled with regret.

“I know.”

I wiped a tear from my cheek.

“When you came for me tonight, something changed. I saw how afraid you were.”

“I was terrified.”

“I know.”

“I thought I had lost you.”

“You almost did.”

The words hung between us.

Howard nodded slowly.

“I know.”

I looked at him.

“I forgive you for coming late.”

His brows furrowed.

“But?”

I took a breath.

“But I don’t know if I can forget everything yet.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

“And if we’re going to do this again…”

“Again?”

“Our marriage.”

His eyes softened.

“If you still want it.”

“I do.”

The answer came quietly, but I meant it.

“I still love you.”

Howard’s breath caught.

I looked down at my hands.

“But love isn’t enough by itself.”

“I know.”

“I need trust.”

“You’ll have it.”

“I need consistency.”

“You’ll have that too.”

“And I need you to stop deciding what I can handle.”

He nodded.

“I will.”

I looked at him.

“You’re agreeing very quickly.”

He gave a faint smile.

“Because I finally understand what I almost lost.”

My heart ached.

He moved closer but stopped a few feet away.

“I spent so much time thinking love would make me weak,” he said. “I thought if I cared about you, I’d eventually lose myself. I thought keeping you at a distance would protect me.”

“And did it?”

He shook his head. “No.”

His voice cracked slightly.

“It only hurt you.”

I didn’t answer.

He looked at me.

“I can’t undo the things I’ve done. I can’t erase every night you cried because of me. I can’t take back the words I said about our child. But if you give me the chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you that I can be different.”

Tears filled my eyes again.

“I don’t need you to be perfect, Howard, I just need you to be honest.”

“I will.”

“And when you’re afraid, talk to me.”

He nodded.

“Okay.”

I finally smiled. He reached for my hand. This time, I gave it to him without hesitation.  He lifted it to his lips and kissed my knuckles.

“I love you,” he whispered.

My heart fluttered. He pulled me gently into his arms. For the first time since learning the truth about my mother, I allowed myself to rest. But deep inside, I knew our peace would not last.