Chapter 2

"Noah? What's wrong?"

His body was rigid. In the dark, his hands frantically traced my face. Once he realized I wasn't crying, he snapped.

"Claire! It's a massive thunderstorm! You weren't answering your damn phone. I thought something happened to you!"

Only then did the sound of the torrential rain smashing against the broken glass register in my brain.

A delayed wave of panic seized my chest. I grabbed his hand, my voice hoarse.

"I didn't hear it."

Ethan had died on a rainy night exactly like this one.

Ever since then, thunderstorms triggered severe panic attacks for me. I couldn't sleep.

Noah was the same. For five years, we had survived these terrifying nights by holding onto each other, huddling together for comfort.

He used to whisper to me over and over again, telling me not to be afraid.

But right now, Noah looked furious.

He stared at me for a long beat before ordering, "You're coming to my place."

I pushed him away and shook my head.

"You have a girlfriend now. I shouldn't be there."

For a split second, his concern had warmed my ice-cold heart. But the moment my eyes caught the faint lipstick smudge on his shirt collar, that warmth vanished.

Noah's face darkened.

"Claire, I left Mia at the restaurant because I knew you'd be terrified. And now you're fighting me? What, are you gonna wait until I drive all the way back just to call me crying, begging me to turn around?"

He scoffed, his voice dripping with impatience.

"Just come with me now so I don't have to make a second trip."

I pressed my lips into a thin line, refusing to answer.

I used to call him because we both knew we were each other's only lifeline.

But now he had a girlfriend. No matter how complicated my feelings were, I was not going to be the other woman.

I turned and walked toward my bedroom.

"I'm not going. Go back to your girlfriend. I'll be fine."

Before I could take another step, Noah's hand clamped down on my wrist. He yanked me toward the door.

His grip was bruising. I fought back, struggling violently.

"Noah, what are you doing?! I said I'm not going!"

My resistance only snapped the last thread of his patience. He scooped me up into his arms, trapping me against his chest.

As he carried me to the door, he grabbed an umbrella from the entryway and popped it open over my head.

We stepped out into the storm. I remained perfectly dry, but the rain soaked right through Noah's shoulders.

A pang of worry hit me.

What if he catches a cold?

Defeated by my own soft heart, I stopped struggling and curled quietly against his chest.

But we only made it a few steps before Noah abruptly stopped.

His entire body went rigid.

I turned my head. Mia was standing a few yards away.

Her umbrella lay discarded on the ground. She was drenched to the bone, tears mixing with the rain streaming down her pale face.

She swayed on her feet, looking fragile and broken.

"What... what is going on here?"

Noah's arms released me instantly.

Without his support, I plummeted, crashing hard onto the freezing, wet pavement.

He didn't even look back. He was already sprinting toward Mia, shielding her with the umbrella.

I pushed myself up on my scraped hands, watching him speak to her in a low, soothing voice as he guided her away.

Right before they left, he threw a glance over his shoulder.

"Claire, get a hotel. I need to take Mia home."

Then he turned his back on me and walked away.

But I couldn't even process the abandonment. A sharp, agonizing cramp ripped through my lower abdomen.

I looked down. Bright crimson blood was pooling in the rainwater beneath me.