Chapter 6
767 Words
I woke up to voices.
Not the soft kind of voices, but sharp ones–raised, urgent, and angry.My head hurt as I moved under the sheets. The smell of Adrian was still in my bedroom. It was, like something that could break easily. I was not ready to think about it.
Then I heard Noah.
“What the hell do you think you're doing in her room?!” he said furiously.
My breath caught
I sat up immediately, the room spinning. The events of last came crashing back all at once. Confessions whispered in the dark, hands trembling and the unspoken agreement neither of us labeled. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t careless.
It was real.
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself as the door slightly opened, enough for me to hear the voices clearly
“She’s an adult,” Adrian said. His voice calm, but strained. “Lower your voice.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Noah snapped. “You think money gives you permission to cross every boundary?”
I quickly got up from the bed, my heart pounding.
Servants footsteps hurried down the hall.One of them knocked softly on my door.
“Miss Natalie? Are you awake?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, my voice weak. “Just give me a moment.”
Outside, the argument escalated.
Before I could get to the door, my father’s voice pierced through the chaos –low, authoritative.
"That’s Enough.”
The hallway became quiet.
I opened the door right as two servants hurried by me, looking at my face with worry. One brushed my arm softly. “Are you okay, miss?”
“I am,” I said quickly. “I promise.”
“You stayed the night,” Noah said bitterly. “You knew exactly what you were doing.”
“Yes,” Adrian replied evenly. “I did.”
That honesty seemed to enrage Noah
Behind them, I saw Adrian.
His shirt was creased, hanging over one shoulder and even though he looked worked out, he wasn't embarrassed. Noah looked at him his hands making fists, eyes blazing with rage.
My father stepped between them.
“Adrian,” my father said firmly, “we’ll speak outside.”
“I’m not done,” Noah burst out. “He took advantage of–”
“Enough,” my father repeated, firmly this time. “Natalie is fine. That’s all that matters.”
I met Adrian’s eyes then.
A quiet look of promise and concern we exchanged.
My father placed a firm hand on Adrian’s shoulder and escorted him down the corridor. Noah followed, still fuming, his words spilling like poison
“You planned this right?? you think sleeping with her gives you leverage–?”
Adrian stopped walking.
“Don’t,” he said quietly. “Not another word.”
That was when my father turned fully toward him.
“Out,” My dad said. “Now.”
Adrian turned to me and nodded once.
He didn’t argue, He didn’t defend himself. He let my father lead him away, his footsteps echoing until the front door closed with a final, hollow sound.
The silence afterward was worse.
Noah turned to me, his anger melting into something wounded and frantic. “Natalie, are you okay? Did he–”
“I chose this,” I said.
The words surprised even me.
Noah froze. “What?”
“I chose him,” I repeated, steadier now.
“Last night wasn’t something that happened to me.”
His expression changed, relief never quite making it there. Something dark passed over his face instead–sharp, unsettled.
“You don’t know what he wants,” Noah said quietly. “You don’t know men like him.”
“And you don’t get to decide that for me Noah.I replied sharply.”You don't know anything.”
Just then,my father returned, his expression unreadable. He studied me for a long moment before nodding once.
“Get some rest,” he said gently. “We’ll talk later.”
When they left, I layed on my bed.
My room felt different now–like something had shifted permanently. Outside, the house returned to its quiet form but inside me,I knew I wasn't settled. My heart dropped drastically.
Adrian was gone.
Noah was watching me closely now,afraid and angry that I no longer belonged to only him.
I realized, with a twist of fear and longing, that what I had with Adrian last night had changed everything.
There was no pretending anymore because deep down,I knew my story had just begun.
- Writer
