Crossing lines (Noah and Aiden) novel Chapter 249

Noah

I didn’t remember how I got home. I didn’t remember the ride, or stumbling through the door, or collapsing into bed. All I remembered was the sound in my head that small, broken sound that had torn out of me when I saw them. When I saw him. When everything I had been holding like a lifeline snapped.

–

I didn’t know how I fell asleep, and I didn’t know why I woke up. I didn’t want to. The morning felt wrong, unreal, like waking up after the world had already ended and being forced to continue anyway. My chest was heavy, tight, as if something had settled inside my ribs

and refused to move.

It took effort just to breathe.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time, waiting for something to change, for something to make sense. Nothing did. The room was the

same. The world outside was the same. But I wasn’t.

My eyes were raw, burning, swollen from crying. My throat ached like I had screamed for hours. Maybe I had. My hands shook when I

pushed myself upright. I didn’t feel my body. I felt like I was drifting somewhere just outside of it watching myself from a distance.

There was no point in staying in bed. There was no point in anything at all. My life was already over

–

yesterday had seen to that.

So I got dressed like it didn’t matter. Jeans. A shirt. The first jacket I reached. No thought. No energy to care how I looked. My reflection in the mirror didn’t look like me anyway. Eyes empty. Face drained. I looked like someone who had survived something they weren’t supposed to survive.

Maybe I hadn’t.

I was supposed to meet William this morning. We were going to arrange a date. A public announcement tonight. A smile on my face for the cameras. For the school. For the world. The engagement contract would finalize. My father would show up eventually and ruin what

was left of my life. But at least at least Aiden wouldn’t go down with me.

–

He could hate me. That was fine.

He could move on. That was fine.

He could be happy. Even that was fine.

I still loved him.

I would always love him.

And loving him meant letting him go before I dragged him under with me.

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Chapter 249

If I made it through the day, if I made it through the announcement, maybe I’d fall asleep tonight and just wouldn’t wake up. Maybe that would be easier. Quieter. Softer than all this hurting.

I walked to the door, numb, my keys heavy in my hand. The city looked washed out, gray, like it was mourning with me. I drove to the country club on autopilot, the road passing in vague shadows and muted light. I didn’t remember the turns. My hands moved. My body breathed. The world kept going.

William was waiting at a corner table outside, dressed in expensive casual clothes that made him look polished and effortless in a way that had always made me uneasy. He stood when he saw me, smiling as though everything was normal.

“Noah,” he said warmly. “Right on time. Sit.”

I did.

He studied me for a moment, his smile dimming. “You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” I muttered. My voice barely held together.

“You don’t look fine.” His tone stayed light, but the edge was there–hidden steel. “We have a long day ahead. The press release about the

football championship goes out this afternoon. The final announcement follows tonight. You’ll smile. You’ll stand beside Lexie. You’ll

thank everyone. You’ll say all the right things.”

The rest was a blur. He began saying something about schedules, arrangements, which reporters would be present tonight, which

photographs would circulate first, how the public narrative would frame me as a future star, seeing our collaboration and engagement as

the most powerful union of the year. His voice was calm, steady, confident. Like everything was already won.

I answered in monosyllables.

“Fine.”

“Sure.”

“Whatever you want.”

At first, he didn’t react. He was used to obedience.

But after several minutes, he paused mid–sentence. His eyes narrowed just barely–not with concern, but calculation.

“What’s going on, Noah?” he asked, Not gently. Not kindly. Simply assessing. “Something is wrong.”

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