Noah's gaze grew distant, as if the weight of his words was enough to pull him into a deep, forgotten place. His shoulders slumped, and for a brief moment, Ava saw the person beneath the carefully constructed walls he had built around himself. This wasn't the confident, charming Noah she had known. This was someone broken, someone carrying the burden of an unbearable past.
"Ava," he began, his voice soft, as if testing the waters. "I never meant for you to get involved in any of this. But you've been tangled up in it from the start, and now there's no way to shield you from it any longer."
Ava couldn't help but feel a chill creep up her spine. She wanted to shout, to demand more answers, but the hurt in his eyes held her back. The love they had shared was being shattered piece by piece, and with each revelation, she felt herself drifting farther away from him.
"What do you mean? What has gotten so out of control that I can't even know the truth?" Ava's voice trembled, a mixture of frustration and fear.
Noah took a deep breath before speaking again, his words carefully measured. "The family I come from is not what you think. We're not just wealthy or influential. We're tied to something far darker,something that has been part of my bloodline for generations. I didn't choose it, Ava. I didn't want this life."
Ava stared at him, her mind racing as the pieces of the puzzle slowly started to fit together, but not in any way she had imagined. The man she had loved was standing in front of her, a stranger with a secret life, a life she never asked for but was now part of.
"The family you come from?" Ava whispered, her voice shaky. "What does that mean, Noah?"
His gaze met hers, and for a brief second, she saw something there that made her stomach turn a mix of regret, fear, and resignation. "I'm not just a businessman, Ava. I'm part of a powerful criminal organization. My father, my uncles, they run it. It's been going on for years, and I've tried to distance myself from it. But… I was born into it. It's in my blood."
Ava's heart slammed against her chest as the weight of his words crushed her. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift, and the world she had known for so long began to feel foreign and dangerous.
"You're saying you're involved in crime?" she asked, barely able to comprehend what he was saying.
Noah nodded, the pain in his eyes deepening. "Yes. It's not just a business. It's a legacy, one I've been fighting against my entire life. But it's hard to escape from something like this. No matter how far I run, it always pulls me back in."
Ava felt a wave of nausea rise in her chest. She had always believed Noah was the man who would protect her from the ugliness of the world. And now, it seemed he was part of the very darkness she had feared. The man she loved had been hiding something this monumental from her. It felt like a betrayal.
"What about Liam?" Ava asked, the name tasting bitter on her tongue. "Why is he involved in all of this? What does he have to do with you, with your family?"
Noah's face hardened at the mention of Liam's name. "Liam is not just an ex of yours, Ava. He's tied to this world in ways you can't begin to understand. He's a pawn, a piece of a much larger game. And now that he's back in your life, he's dragging you into the chaos."
Ava's heart clenched as the reality of Noah's words hit her. She had thought that Liam was just a part of her past, something she could forget, something that no longer had a hold on her. But Noah was telling her that the very thing she had tried to escape her past was now the very thing threatening everything she had built with Noah.
"What are you saying, Noah?" Ava asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you saying that Liam and your family are connected? That everything between us, everything with Liam, is part of some twisted game?"
Noah's eyes flickered with a mixture of pain and anger. "Yes, Ava. Everything that's been happening,the fights, the lies, the betrayals it's all part of a larger plan. Your past with Liam was never just about love. It was always about control, manipulation, and power. He's been playing you, just as much as he's been playing me."
Ava felt her chest tighten, a wave of dizziness threatening to overtake her. She couldn't breathe. The world had been spinning around her, but now, it felt like it was spinning out of control. She had trusted Noah. She had believed in him. And now he was telling her that everything was a lie. Everything they had been through together ,every moment, every smile, every confession was part of something far darker than she had ever imagined.
"Noah, I don't understand," she whispered, her voice cracking. "What do you want me to do with all of this? How can I even trust you anymore? You've kept me in the dark for so long."
Noah's expression faltered, and he reached out to touch her arm, but Ava pulled away, the distance between them growing wider with every passing second.
"Ava, please," Noah pleaded, his voice full of raw emotion. "I never wanted you to be part of this. But now that you are, we have to face it together. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, but you need to understand the danger we're in. I can't shield you from it anymore. You need to see the truth."
Ava looked at him, her heart torn between the love she had once felt for him and the betrayal that now coursed through her veins. She had always thought that Noah was the one person who could save her from the darkness of her past. But now, she wasn't so sure.
"I don't know if I can be with you, Noah," Ava whispered, her voice heavy with uncertainty. "I don't know if I can trust you anymore."
Noah's face crumpled with grief, but he didn't move closer. He simply stood there, watching her with a mixture of pain and regret.
"I'll do whatever it takes to make this right," Noah said, his voice breaking. "I swear, Ava. I'll prove that I love you. That I would do anything to keep you safe. But you need to understand, the world we're in now there's no going back."
Ava stood frozen, the weight of his words suffocating her. She had never imagined that love could be this complicated, this dark, this dangerous. And now, she had to decide whether to stay in the storm with Noah or walk away before it consumed her completely.
The choice was hers. But which path would she choose?