Secret
1676 Words
Chapter 16: The Secret She Never Knew
Emma couldn't stop thinking about Noah's words.
I'm choosing you.
They had followed her everywhere that day.
While she showered.
While she ate breakfast.
While she stood by the window watching the city move beneath the afternoon sun.
Even while Noah was in the next room taking a phone call, she found herself smiling for no reason.
It was ridiculous.
Three years ago, she had promised herself she would never forgive him.
And now one smile from him was enough to make her heart forget every promise she'd made.
But something still bothered her.
Noah had said there was one more secret.
Something about her.
Something she didn't know.
And she couldn't stop wondering what it was.
When Noah finally returned to the room, Emma was sitting on the couch with her arms folded.
He stopped.
“What's that look?”
“What look?”
“The one that says I'm in trouble.”
Emma raised an eyebrow.
“You're hiding something.”
Noah smiled.
“That's not new.”
“I'm serious.”
“So am I.”
She stood.
“You said yesterday that there was something else I needed to know.”
His smile disappeared.
“I shouldn't have said that.”
“But you did.”
“Emma—”
“What is it?”
Noah looked away.
“It's complicated.”
“Everything with you is complicated.”
He sighed.
“I know.”
“Then explain it.”
Before Noah could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
This time, his expression changed completely.
“Who is it?” Emma asked.
Noah didn't answer.
The phone stopped ringing.
Then immediately rang again.
Noah finally answered.
“Hello?”
A woman's voice came through the phone.
Emma couldn't hear everything.
But she heard one sentence clearly.
“You need to tell her before I do.”
Noah's face went pale.
He ended the call.
Emma stared at him.
“Who was that?”
Noah slowly lowered the phone.
“My sister.”
Emma blinked.
“You have a sister?”
“Yes.”
“You never told me.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“Because she disappeared.”
Emma frowned.
“What do you mean she disappeared?”
Noah sat down.
“My sister's name is Sophia.”
He rubbed his hands together.
“She left home when we were younger. She knew everything about my father's business. When everything started falling apart, she vanished.”
“And you never found her?”
“I tried.”
Emma sat beside him.
“Until now?”
Noah nodded.
“She contacted me three months ago.”
Emma stared at him.
“Three months?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn't tell me?”
“I didn't know if I could trust her.”
“Why?”
“Because she was the person who gave my father information about you.”
Emma froze.
“What?”
Noah looked at her.
“She was the reason they found out about us.”
Emma's stomach dropped.
“Your sister?”
“I don't know if she did it willingly.”
“But you think she did.”
“I don't know what to think.”
Silence filled the room.
Then Emma whispered,
“What does she have to do with me?”
Noah hesitated.
“Everything.”
Emma's heart began pounding.
“What does that mean?”
Before Noah could answer, there was a knock at the door.
Both of them looked toward it.
Noah immediately stood.
“Stay here.”
Emma followed him.
“No.”
“Emma.”
“You're not leaving me behind again.”
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Finally, Noah nodded.
They walked toward the door together.
Noah opened it.
A woman stood outside.
She was elegant, tall, and dressed in a black coat.
Her eyes immediately went to Emma.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she whispered,
“So you're Emma.”
Emma's heart skipped.
The woman looked at Noah.
“You really brought her back into your life.”
Noah's jaw tightened.
“Sophia.”
Emma stared.
This was Noah's sister.
Sophia stepped inside.
“I need to talk to Emma.”
“No.”
“She deserves to know.”
“I said no.”
Sophia's eyes narrowed.
“You've spent three years deciding what she deserves to know.”
She turned to Emma.
“It's time she decides for herself.”
Emma looked at Noah.
“What is she talking about?”
Noah remained silent.
Sophia reached into her handbag.
She pulled out a small envelope.
Then she handed it to Emma.
“This belonged to your mother.”
Emma froze.
“My mother?”
Sophia nodded.
“You've been lied to too, Emma.”
Emma's fingers trembled as she took the envelope.
“What is this?”
“Read it.”
Noah stepped forward.
“Sophia, don't.”
She looked at him.
“You've protected her long enough.”
Emma opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
Her mother's handwriting.
Emma knew it instantly.
Her eyes moved across the first few lines.
Then she stopped breathing.
My dearest Emma,
If you're reading this, then I'm no longer able to tell you the truth myself.
Emma's hands began shaking.
Noah watched helplessly.
She continued.
There is something about your father that I never told you.
Emma looked up.
“My father?”
Sophia nodded.
“Keep reading.”
Emma swallowed.
Her eyes returned to the letter.
Your father wasn't the man you believed he was.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Noah moved closer.
“Emma...”
She pulled away.
“No.”
She kept reading.
And there is something else you must know.
The Bennett family did not destroy ours.
Emma's eyes widened.
She looked at Noah.
He looked devastated.
Your father did.
The letter slipped from her fingers.
“No.”
Sophia closed her eyes.
“I tried to tell Noah years ago.”
Emma shook her head.
“This isn't true.”
Noah stepped toward her.
“Emma.”
“You knew?”
“I knew part of it.”
“You knew?”
“I found out after I left.”
“And you never told me?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
Emma's voice broke.
“Everyone keeps saying they're protecting me!”
She wiped her tears angrily.
“But nobody ever thinks I deserve the truth!”
Noah stood silently.
For once, he had no answer.
Emma looked down at the letter.
There was one final line.
She picked it up.
Her mother's handwriting continued.
And if Noah Bennett ever comes back into your life, don't run from him.
Emma's heart stopped.
She read the final sentence.
He is the only person who knows what really happened to your father.
Emma looked at Noah.
“You knew?”
Noah's eyes filled with tears.
“I knew enough.”
“What happened to my father?”
Noah looked at Sophia.
Sophia nodded slowly.
Noah turned back to Emma.
“Your father didn't die the way you were told.”
Emma stopped breathing.
“What?”
“He disappeared.”
Her eyes widened.
“No.”
“He's alive.”
The world seemed to stop.
Emma stared at Noah.
“My father is alive?”
Noah nodded.
“And I've been trying to find him.”
Emma's knees weakened.
She grabbed the back of the chair.
“Why?”
“Because he knows who tried to destroy both our families.”
Emma looked at Sophia.
Then back at Noah.
“Where is he?”
Noah hesitated.
“I don't know.”
“But you're looking for him.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Noah stepped closer.
“Because I believe finding him will finally give us the truth.”
Emma shook her head.
“I don't understand.”
“You don't have to understand tonight.”
“No.”
She wiped her tears.
“I've spent my whole life believing one story.”
She looked at Noah.
“And now you're telling me everything I believed was a lie.”
“I know.”
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then she whispered,
“Don't leave.”
Noah's expression softened.
“I won't.”
“Promise me.”
He reached for her hand.
“I promise.”
Emma leaned into him.
Noah wrapped his arms around her.
Neither of them noticed Sophia quietly leaving the room.
But just before she closed the door, she looked back at them.
There was sadness in her eyes.
Because she knew something Noah didn't.
She knew where Emma's father was.
And she knew why he had stayed hidden for all these years.
Later that night, Noah stood alone on the balcony.
Emma was asleep inside.
He reached into his pocket.
The small black box was still there.
He opened it.
The ring caught the moonlight.
He smiled.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow he would ask her.
He had waited three years.
He couldn't wait anymore.
But just as he closed the box, his phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
If you propose to Emma tomorrow, you'll never see her again.
Noah's smile disappeared.
Another message arrived.
You were warned three years ago.
Then a final message.
Leave her before it's too late.
Noah stared at the screen.
Inside the room, Emma stirred in her sleep.
He looked at her.
Then at the ring.
His expression hardened.
“No.”
He put the phone away.
“They took three years from me.”
He closed the ring box.
“They won't take another day.”
And for the first time, Noah understood something.
Whoever was behind the threats wasn't trying to stop him from finding Emma.
They were trying to stop him from marrying her.
And Noah Bennett had already made his decision.
He was going to propose.
No matter what it cost him.
To be continued... 💕
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