Chapter 199 NO MORE MASKS TO HIDE IN
Chapter 199 NO MORE MASKS TO HIDE IN
NOAH’S POV
The lights are too bright, that’s my first thought.
They burn against my eyes as I stand on stage with a polite smile fixed on my face while applause ripples through the hall.
The screens tower behind me flashing projections of growth and innovation in the future–everything I'm supposed to represent.
My fingers tighten slightly around the microphone, why did the stage smell… funky?
“…and as we continue to push boundaries,” I hear myself saying, “we redefine not just technology–but the way humanity connects with it.”
More applause as I see they're all eating it up.
Because this is what they came for, the perfect love story between the two male lovers that defied all odds.
My gaze flickers briefly across the crowd to the hundreds of faces, investors, executives smiling widely and journalists writing furiously.
And somewhere in that sea of happy faces, I feel it.
A sharp presence watching me intently.
My eyes shift slightly and I see her.
Sophia Hernandez
She’s standing near the edge of the crowd looking composed as ever with a smile on her face.
Like she’s waiting for something.
My jaw tightens as I ignore her.
“…the future isn’t something we wait for,” I continued steadily, despite the faint tremor beginning in my fingers. “It’s something we build...”
My heartbeat stutters as it feels so wrong and I immediately notice what's going on.
No. No!
Not here.
My chest tightens as a familiar sensation starts creeping in my chest.
My vision flickers as the lights start to blur and the microphone in my hand starts shaking.
“…Mr. West?”
A concerned voice from somewhere below as everything starts looking and becoming distant in my ears.
“Not now,” I whisper under my breath in the microphone before I can stop it.
My knees weaken as I look at a smug Sophia and then–
I fell.
Gasps erupt instantly as chaos ensues in the venue but I don't hit the ground as someone catches me.
“Noah!”
Shawn's voice cuts through everything sounding terrified and all of my panic disappears.
I don't feel so affected when I remember Shawn's with me regardless of anything.
He’s on his knees, pulling me into him as his voice and body trembles.
“Stay with me!” He says urgently with his voice shaking.
“Noah–look at me!”
I try.
Oh heavens, I try to buy my body isn't listening as I hear Shawn shouting at someone.
“Sir, we need to move him–”
“Don’t touch him!”
Shawn’s voice is sharp and protective.
“He’s fine! He’s with me, just give him space!”
Cameras flash blindingly as the whole world watches it all unfold.
My perfect life is shattering in pieces and for the first time–
I don’t try to hold it together as the darkness reels me in but I'm okay as I feel Shawn with me.
Holding me even tighter.
—-----
When I wake up, everything is much quieter and cooler as I look around the hospital room.
But my attention is immediately drawn to my husband and the only thing that's grounding me and not making me feel so afraid of the world's opinions.
He's watching me intently and I also smile in response to assure him.
“You’re awake,” he says softly. From the suit he's still wearing, he probably hasn't slept or moved from my side.
“Yeah.”
Silence settles between us and for a moment, I enjoy the silent solitude we're sharing together.
Then the door opens as reality comes crashing in.
“We need to address this immediately.”
My father’s voice cuts through even before I see him.
“The media is spiraling. We’ll issue a statement of either fatigue or dehydration–something simple.”
He's already speaking on the phone.
I stare at him blankly like he's talking to himself.
“You’ll confirm it,” he continues, finally looking at me. “Keep it clean. No complications.”
My chest tightens again but it's not with anger or from my illness, it's from something finally breaking loose.
I glance at Shawn who's simply staring and he nods.
He's not interfering but he's still here with me.
I’m tired and mostly, I'm tired of pretending.
“No.”
The word slips out quietly but causes Adam to pause.
“What?”
“I’m not doing that,” I say a bit stronger now.
His expression hardens.
“Noah–”
“I’m done lying.”
The room shifts with tension.
“You don’t understand the consequences–” he starts.
“Oh I do,” I cut in.
For the first time, I actually do.
I look at Shawn again as my unease settles.
“I’m not hiding anymore.”
Adam’s jaw tightens.
“This isn’t just about you–!”
“No,” I interrupted again. “It is.”
For the first time in my life, it is.
And from his expression and how he's staring at me, he knows I'm not backing down.
“Handle the press however you want,” I say finally. “But I’m telling the truth.”
And with that, I turn my gaze back to Shawn who's smiling in encouragement.
———
The video goes live the next day with no lights or stage work, no scripts and just a quiet living room with both of us sitting on the couch
I take a breath and begin.
“My name is Noah West,” I say with my voice steady. “And everything you’ve been told about me… isn’t the full truth.”
No going back now so I tell them everything.
From my childhood to the maltreatment from Adam, my episodes and my condition.
I tell them about the expectations that built a cage around me and the image I was forced to maintain.
And then, I talk about Shawn.
“I didn’t expect to fall in love,” I admit quietly.
Beside me, Shawn shifts slightly but he doesn't pull away.
My voice softens.
“He wasn’t supposed to matter to me.”
A pause.
“But he became everything to me.”
Then Shawn finally speaks.
“I didn’t mean to fall for him either,” he says. “I mean it just… happened.”
He glances at me briefly with a smile.
“And I couldn’t stop it.”
Something in my chest tightens and I smile back.
But it’s not painful, it’s… freeing.
The video ends simply with no grand conclusion or polished ending, just the unfiltered truth.
And the world around us?
It reacts wildly. Some people understand and are happy for us but some of them are still drowning in conspiracy theories we don't care to react to.
I'm living for Shawn now, and that's all that matters.