StarNovelChapter 0316
As the words left my mouth, | was surprised to feel a pang of... disappointment.
Why did | feel this way when all | had wanted lately was to escape? My heart seemed to betray me, caught
between the freedom | had sought and a longing for something I thought was lost.
Noah nodded solemnly, rising to his feet. “I don’t want you to spend your life feeling like a prisoner, Hannah. |
won't force you to stay and work on our marriage. So if you really want to stay here, then stay.”
He paused, as though weighing his next words carefully. “But | do have one request. Would you consider staying
withfor the duration of the pregnancy? Just so | can take care of you and ensure your health and safety. For
you and for the child.”
| remained silent, although not by choice; my mouth worked uselessly, opening and closing like a fish out
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of water.
of custody or
Noah continued, “We also need to discuss custody. I'm willing to let you have the majority our child, but I'd still
like to have spart in their life. And I'd like to leave Nightcrest to them someday.”
My mind felt like it was on fire, each conflicting thought adding fuel to the flames. This was everything | had
wanted, wasn't it? Freedom, fair custody, a chance to start over without making a big deal about it.
So why did it feel so... hollow? Like a dream that was slipping through my fingers?
Noah dusted off his pants, gathering the damp washcloth and half-eaten crackers. “You don’t have to decide
now,” he said. “Just.. consider it, okay?”
| watched him go, a strange pang aching somewhere deep in my chest for reasons | couldn't fully understand.
Later that night, after a long, hot bath, | emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed but emotionally. drained.
To my surprise, | found Noah already asleep on the sofa in my room. A book lay open on his chest, his brow
furrowed even in sleep.
| approached quietly, picking up a blanket from the foot of my bed. As | draped it over him, | paused for a
moment to study his face. In sleep, he looked younger, more like the boy | had fallen in love with all those years
ago. The lines of worry seemed softer, the harsh edges of his usual demeanor smoothed by the calm of sleep.
Sighing, | stared down at him, clutching the blanket in my hands as his chest rose and fell steadily. More than
anything. | wished | knew what had happened between us, why things had gotten so... complicated.
Where had that boy gone-the one who watched the stars with me, the one whose palm was clammy against
mine as we snuck into his mother’s hospital room, the one who wroteall those letters?
Why, when | had been so elated to discover that we were getting married, had he... treatedlike a stranger?
As | draped the blanket over him and made my way back to bed, | thought back to his words earlier. He was
willing to letgo, to givethe freedom | had been craving.
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Chapter 0316
But now that it was within my grasp, | found myself hesitating The Noah | had cto know over the past few
years-cold, distant, controlling-didn’t align with the man | had seen today.
This Noah was caring, considerate, and seemingly genuine in his desire to do right byand our child.
| didn’t want to believe all the nice things he had said earlier. It would be easier to assthe worst, that that
gentle boy had died all those years ago and that this was just a ploy to get what he wanted
But | couldn't help but wonder if | was mistaken.
Chapter 0317
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Chapter 0317
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