26. Uneasy Discoveries

The air between them had felt almost perfect, as if the world outside their intimate moments didn't exist. But that morning, as Belle sat alone in the quiet of their shared apartment, her mind started to wander back to something that had been lingering on the edges of her consciousness. There had always been a distance to Noah, a part of him he kept hidden.

She didn’t like secrets, but she also didn’t want to pry. After all, wasn’t everyone entitled to some part of themselves, a small piece they kept to themselves? But lately, Belle couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever Noah was hiding was big. Bigger than she had originally thought.

The unease grew in her chest as she recalled fleeting moments, Noah’s hesitation when she’d asked about his past, the way his phone would sometimes buzz with a message that left his face tight with tension.

Today, that tension was palpable even when he wasn’t in the room. She could feel i