The beautiful lie
1165 Words
Chapter 5
Gwen’s Pov
Every time Noah looked at me, I felt like he was checking my pulse, measuring the honesty in my breath. I couldn't breathe in that house anymore.
I told him I was going to the library in the next town over to clear my head. He didn't say no, but he watched me pull out of the driveway from the workshop window.
I didn't go to the library. I drove to a gravel pull-off behind an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district. A man was waiting in the shadows of a delivery bay. He was a Volkov "cleaner”.
The kind of man who didn't exist on any payroll, but whose presence meant someone was about to disappear.
"You're late, Gwen," he said.
"I had to make sure Noah didn't follow me!" I said, my heart beating fast.
“There's a problem. A guy named Raph showed up at the house. He’s scary, and he knows Noah’s real name. You need to get rid of him before he ruins everything”
Boris looked confused. Then he looked angry. "Who is Raph? I didn't send anyone named Raph. My boss has guards everywhere. No one gets near that house without my knowledge.
I froze. "But... he was there! He's a psychopath”
Boris grabbed my arm tightly. "Listen. If there's a ghost out there, he's not one of ours. Your job is to keep Noah 'happy.' Make him stay in love with you, and make sure you deal with the ghost. If you start asking questions or try to leave, your family is in big trouble. Do you understand?”
"Yes," I whispered.
The drive back from the factory area was a scary blur. I was so terrified that my knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel.
I couldn't stop thinking about what the "Cleaner" told me.
He told me that if Noah finds out I'm lying, I will die. And if I don't keep Noah happy, the Mafia will kill my family.
I pulled into our driveway and sat in the car for a long time. I looked at the warm yellow light in the kitchen window. It looked so peaceful and safe.
I rubbed my face and checked the mirror to make sure I didn't look like I had been crying. I practiced smiling so Noah wouldn't see that I was hiding something.
When I finally went inside, the house didn't smell like wood or stress anymore. It smelled like home.
Noah was waiting for me. The table was set perfectly, and the food looked amazing. He didn't look like the scary man from earlier. He looked like the man I loved.
He had prepared my favourite food. Just then way in like it.
We sat down and began to eat. The salmon was perfectly cooked, and the wine was cool and sweet.
We talked about small things, the weather, a bird he had seen in the woods, and the new chair he was designing. It felt like a normal, happy night.
After the meal, Noah pushed his plate aside. The soft music on the radio was the only sound in the room.
He reached across the table and took my hand. His skin was warm, and his grip was steady.
"Gwen, I need to say something," he began, looking right at me.
"I am sorry for what happened. My outbursts... the way I acted when Raph showed up... I shouldn't have let my temper get like that. I know I scared you, and that’s the last thing I ever want to do.”
I felt a sharp pain in my chest. He was being so honest, but I was living a lie.
"It’s okay, Noah," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I was just worried about who he was.”
"You don't have to worry anymore," Noah said. He stood up and walked around the table to stand behind me.
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
"I am going to protect you. I’ve built this life for us, and I won't let anyone, not Raph, not anyone, take it away. You are my home, Gwen. I will make sure you are always safe.”
He leaned down and kissed me, and suddenly, the dinner didn't matter.
The lies didn't matter. I wanted to disappear into him. Right there, on the dining table he had built for our "SafeSpace," he showed me how much he loved me.
Noah didn't just kiss me, he took over my senses. He lifted me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist, and set me down on the smooth, cool surface of the dining table.
His hands were his most powerful tool. They were rough from years of handling timber and steel, but as they slid under my shirt, they moved with a slow, deliberate precision.
He traced the line of my spine and the curve of my hips as if he were memorizing a blueprint.
Every touch felt like he was "fixing" me, trying to smooth out the fear he saw in my eyes earlier.
His hands were his most powerful tool. They were rough from years of handling timber and steel, but as they slid under my shirt, they moved with a slow, deliberate precision.
He traced the line of my spine and the curve of my hips as if he were memorizing a blueprint. Every touch felt like he was "fixing" me, trying to smooth out the fear he saw in my eyes earlier.
When he moved inside me, it wasn't rushed or messy. It was deep and rhythmic, perfectly timed, just like everything else he built.
He leaned down, his weight anchoring me to the table, and whispered into the crook of my neck. His breath was hot, and his voice was thick with a heavy, raw need.
"You're the only thing that's real, Gwen," he murmured against my skin. "Everything else is just noise.”
I gripped his shoulders, my fingernails digging into his soft flannel shirt.
I closed my eyes tight, trying to forget the dark alley and the Cleaner’s threats. For those minutes, the world outside didn't exist.
There was only the sound of the wood creaking under us and the feeling of being completely surrounded by him.
He held me like he was afraid I would shatter, his movements becoming more desperate as he tried to hold onto the peace I represented.
When it was over, he didn't pull away. He stayed there, his forehead pressed against mine, his breathing heavy and ragged.
He looked at me with so much devotion it made me want to scream.
"I've got you," he whispered, kissing my temple.
This is a man I have learnt to love over the time, how can I betray and do this to him. The guilt of the lies and betrayal is killing me.
- Writer
