Hal thought he'd be screwed once Noah found out that he told Eli.
It was his friend's deepest secret, after all. He always let pride take over him whenever his step mother was the topic. He acted ruthless and unforgiving, but in reality, he kept wishing for a second chance even when that thread of hope was as good as untouchable at that point. The only thing that made this whole premise reasonable was the fact that Noah did get to spend time with Venus before she turned a complete one hundred eighty. He got to see that other side of the coin which remained obscure when she's still the sitting Empress and eventually ended up forgotten after she died.
"People often conceal their truest desires since they usually turn out to be impossible in the eyes of many," Hal mused out loud while Eli only stayed deep in thought.
"If not that, then it could be that the person just wanted to protect another desire - one that can't happen without abandoning the other."
