18. Mending the Rift

The days that followed after Luke’s explosive confrontation felt like a slow, agonizing descent into limbo. Belle could feel the tension gnawing at her from every corner of Noah's apartment. The apartment that had once felt like a safe haven now seemed oppressive, the walls closing in on her. The bruises on Noah’s face were fading, but the weight of what had happened between them and Luke still hung heavily in the air.

Noah was quieter than usual, distant, lost in thought most of the time. He had told her things would work out, that they would find a way through this, but Belle couldn't shake the dread in her chest. Luke’s betrayal wasn’t something either of them had fully come to terms with.

The days blurred together in a haze of silence and uncertainty, until one evening, Noah came into the living room where Belle was curled up on the couch, staring blankly at a book she hadn’t even tried to read.

“We can’t leave things l