Crossing lines (Noah and Aiden) novel Chapter 225

Chapter 225

“The engagement itself is real. Everything else? That’s just smoke and mirrors.”

He muttered under his breath, “You could’ve fooled half the country with this charade.”

I sighed, the weight of my confession pressing down on me. “It was the price I had to pay,” I admitted. “To keep William quiet. To stop him from leaking that video.”

Aiden froze, the drink halfway to his lips. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

I lowered my voice, almost whispering. “This is the damage control I mentioned before.”

He slammed the glass onto the table, the clatter echoing in the room. “You need to start explaining, Noah.”

I ran a hand over my face, searching for words that wouldn’t make me sound completely insane. “I was desperate. I couldn’t just buy him off—he already has enough money. So I gave him what he wanted instead. Access. Reputation. His daughter married to the next NFL golden boy.”

Aiden looked at me like I was a stranger. “So you actually agreed to go through with it?”

I nodded slowly, resting my elbows on my knees. “After the championship game. We get married before the season kicks off. She gets to use my name for a year, the sponsorship cash, the public image boost. Then, when the contract resets, we quietly part ways.”

His voice dropped, heavy with disbelief. “Jesus, Noah.”

“I never cared about the money,” I said softly. “It was the only way I could think to fix the mess I’d made. To keep you safe. To keep everything under wraps. I thought I could play the part—smile for the cameras, say the right things—and make her hate me enough to walk away before the year was up.”

Back then, it had seemed manageable. Simple, even. I still clung to the hope that somehow, I’d keep him—if only by hiding in the shadows.

He downed the last of his whiskey, his voice calm but firm. “That’s why you need to cut ties with William now. Walk away clean before he drags you under. Take your bonus, save it, invest it, start building a life that’s yours—not his. Because the moment you’re no longer useful, they’ll throw you away like you never existed.”

Something inside me softened for him. For the first time, I saw the full man beneath the control, the armor, the distance.

“What else is the dean pushing you into?” I asked.

***

Aiden let out a low, weary laugh. “Doesn’t matter. It never stops. That’s why I’m done, Noah.” His eyes locked onto mine, steady and resolute. “This is my last season. One way or another, I’m walking away for good.”

Aiden was leaving… and just like that, the ground beneath me seemed to crumble. My world shattered in silence.