Chapter 18
558 Words
Cracks in the Mirror
The slap echoed louder than the kiss. It sliced through the air like lightning, cutting the moment in half.
Anna’s palm stung, but not as much as her heart.
Noah’s head had turned slightly from the force, his lips still parted in disbelief. “Anna…” he whispered, breathless.
“How dare you,” she hissed, voice trembling. “You don't get to do that—not after everything. Not when you have no idea what I’ve been through because of you.”
She turned abruptly, only to freeze as she spotted Daniel standing just beyond the doorway of the hallway. He had seen it. All of it.
His hands were clenched by his sides, expression unreadable. But the betrayal in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Daniel,” Anna breathed, guilt crashing into her chest.
Daniel raised his hand as if to stop her from speaking. “Don’t,” he said. “Just don’t.”
Noah stepped forward, confused, eyes flicking between the two. “Who is he?”
Daniel turned to him slowly. “I’m the man who picked up the pieces you left behind.”
Noah blinked. “You’re her boyfriend.”
Daniel gave a humorless laugh. “Of course you don’t remember. Of course you’d just do what you want, like always.”
Anna stepped between them. “Daniel, please. It wasn’t what it looked like.”
Daniel looked at her for a long moment. “Was it really not? Because from where I stood, it looked like you let him in the moment he started looking at you like he used to.”
Noah’s gaze darkened. “She didn’t let me do anything. I kissed her. I—”
“You kissed my girlfriend,” Daniel snapped. “You kissed the woman you cheated on and broke. You kissed the woman who finally learned to live without you.”
Anna’s breath hitched. “Daniel, I—”
But he shook his head, his voice softer this time. “You still love him, don’t you?”
Silence.
That silence was louder than any answer.
Daniel nodded, took a step back, and forced a tight smile. “I’ll give you time. But I’m not going to fight for someone who doesn’t know where her heart belongs.”
He walked away before either of them could stop him.
Anna turned away from Noah, suddenly too overwhelmed to speak. She grabbed her coat and stormed out of the house, ignoring Noah’s voice calling after her.
Noah stood there, still, haunted.
He touched his lips, the place where her rejection burned, and whispered, “Why does she still feel like home?”
Upstairs, Juliet watched from the shadows of the stairwell, lips pursed. Behind her, Isabella emerged from the guest room with a sly smile.
“Well,” Isabella said smoothly, “that didn’t take long.”
Juliet sighed, rubbing her temple. “We need to remind Noah who he really belongs to.”
But Noah, still standing in the hallway, began to feel something stir—an ache, a memory too faint to grasp.
A woman's laughter.
The sound of waves crashing.
Her eyes shining with tears as she whispered yes under a string of fairy lights.
He leaned against the wall, gripping his head.
“What is happening to me?” he muttered.
- Writer
