The night air felt colder now, though Ava wasn't sure if it was the wind or the realization sinking into her bones.
Noah didn't deny it.
That was what scared her the most.
"You're not saying anything," Ava whispered, searching his face for something—anything—that would make this make sense.
Noah's hands curled into fists at his sides. "Because I don't know what to say."
Ava let out a shaky breath, her heart hammering in her chest. "Then say it, Noah. Say that Liam is lying. Say that none of this is real."
But he didn't.
His silence was deafening.
Ava felt something inside her crack. The trust she had held onto so tightly, the belief that Noah was the one thing in her life that wouldn't betray her—it all started to slip away.
Noah stepped forward, reaching for her, but she took a step back.
That hesitation? It cut deeper than any betrayal.
Noah's expression darkened. "You don't understand, Ava."
"Then make me understand," she said, her voice breaking. "Because right now, I don't know who I'm supposed to believe."
A sharp breath. A moment of hesitation. And then—
"You should have never talked to Liam."
The way he said it made Ava's stomach twist.
Because it wasn't a plea.
It was a warning.