Page 130 of Undone

Noah stirred, a small sound escaping her lips as she rubbed her eyes, still caught in the haze of sleep. She blinked a few times, then turned toward me, her movements slow and disoriented. The moment our eyes met, she let out a a sharp inhale, as if she momentarily forgot I was still here and was just now starting to process it all over again.

I let out a shaky breath. “Hey,” I murmured.

Her lips parted, and for a second, she stared at me, as if checking to make sure I was real. She shook her head slowly, blinking hard, like she was trying to keep it together, still on the edge of disbelief.

"I thought you were gone," she whispered. "I thought we lost you." She stepped to the edge of the bed.

“You didn’t. I’m here.” I tried to reach for her, my hand trembling as I moved it closer, but she was already squeezing my fingers, like she was trying to ground herself in the moment.

"But we almost did.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she swallowed and continued.

“I know, peach. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean any of that. Anything I said to him was all a ploy to get you and Gracie out of danger,” I said.

“I know. I trust you.”

She leaned down, moving a section of hair away from my brow. My eyes fluttered shut at her touch.

"For so long, it felt like John had taken everything from me—my safety, my choices, my peace. He stole the way I looked at the world, made me second-guess every good thing, every good person. And then, when I finally found someone who gave all of that back to me, he tried to take you too."

I let her words hang in the air for a moment, my heart tightening at the raw pain in her voice.

She exhaled, her gaze locking onto mine. "You told me you’d find me in every universe, even if it meant standing back and watching. But I wouldn’t. I’d spend every lifetime searching for you, in every world, in every moment, but I would never stand by and watch. We were never meant to stand at the edges of each other’s lives, Dorian. We were always meant to find each other.”

Her voice quivered as she spoke, and her gaze, so intense and unwavering, burned into mine. She looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

“And I refuse to accept a single universe where I don’t get to spend every possible moment with you and Gracie. So you don’t have to find me, Dorian. You already have.”

She sat on the edge of the bed, placing her hand on my chest.

“I’ve spent so much time running from everything, from what I feel, from what we are,” I began, my voice rough. “I told myself I could do it alone, that I could protect everyone, protect myself, by keeping my distance. But I was wrong. You’ve always been a part of me, even when I didn’t know how to accept it.” I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I looked into her eyes. “But I know now. You were never a choice. I was scared, afraid of what would happen if I let myself believe this—believe in us. But I can’t keep pretending I don’t need you.”

I squeezed her hand that sat over my chest, trying to convey every ounce of emotion I was feeling, all the years of pain, fear, and longing.

“I need you in every way, in every part of my soul. I love you, Noah. I love you in a way I never thought I could. You’re not just a part of my life—you’re the one I was meant to find, the one I was meant to hold onto. There’s no world, no universe, where Idon’tchoose you.”

Her eyes softened, and the words slipped out, almost like a release. “I love you.”

I didn’t think I could feel more vulnerable than I already did, but hearing those words from her—finally—was like a balm to all the raw places inside me. I held her gaze, my heart racing, and without thinking, I whispered back, “I think I’ve always loved you.”

The moment hung between us, like we had both just stepped into a new reality where nothing could tear us apart. She leaned down then, brushing her lips softly against mine—a fleeting, gentle kiss that left a lingering warmth on my skin.

She pulled away. “There’s still something we need to talk about,” she said, her voice quieter now, guarded.

I sat up slightly, my brow furrowing. “Yeah… I know. Can you tell me what happened?”

Her eyes flickered to the side, as if she was carefully choosing her next words, weighing how much to reveal.

“Please,” I added, my voice low but insistent. “I need to know.”

She hesitated, her fingers grazing the edge of my hand. “John’s in custody,” she finally said, her words like stones sinking into still water. “He wanted to get caught.”

The ground felt like it moved beneath me. “Why? Why would he do that?”

Noah stood, her posture tense, like she was trying to make sense of it all herself. She turned toward the window, her back to me. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I just—I don’t know. He’s playing some kind of game, Dorian. I need to figure out why.”

She was searching for answers, the same way I was. But there was something else. She needed closure, needed to understand the part she played in all of it.

“You want to go visit him?” I asked before I could stop myself.

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