Ava stood frozen, the cold night air biting at her skin, but it wasn't the chill that made her shiver. It was the weight of what she had just seen.
Noah's fingers tightened around her wrist, his grip firm but careful. "Ava," he said softly, searching her eyes, "don't let him get into your head."
She wanted to believe him.
But the photograph burned in her mind.
It wasn't just a picture. It was proof—proof of something she had never questioned before. And that terrified her more than anything.
Jasper broke the silence, his voice edged with frustration. "We can't just ignore this." He turned to Noah. "Tell me you have an explanation."
Noah's jaw clenched. His silence stretched between them like a chasm, deep and unspoken.
Ava's stomach twisted. "Noah…?"
He exhaled, his gaze flickering away for the briefest moment. "It's not what it looks like."
Liam's voice echoed in her mind: You deserve to know who you're really standing beside.
"Then tell me what it is," she whispered.
Noah ran a hand through his hair, tension rippling through him. "Ava, I swear, I was going to tell you. I just—" He stopped, his throat bobbing as he struggled for words. "I didn't want you to see me that way."
Jasper narrowed his eyes. "So it's true."
Ava took a shaky step back. "Noah, what did you do?"
His gaze snapped back to hers, something raw and desperate in his eyes. "I didn't kill him, Ava."
Her breath hitched.
She hadn't asked if he had.
The world tilted beneath her feet.
Jasper stiffened beside her, his protective instincts flaring. "Who?"
Noah swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter."
Liam's words whispered through her thoughts like poison. The truth is what matters.
Ava shook her head, her pulse hammering. "No, Noah. It does matter."
Noah's expression hardened, a storm brewing behind his eyes. "Then are you ready to hear it?"
Silence stretched between them, heavy and unyielding.
Ava wasn't sure.
But she had no choice.
Because the past had finally caught up with them.