Chapter 245

Hannah

The pain in my battered body was immense.

Drake and Viona helped me onto a seat in the back room of the church, away from prying eyes, having to support my weight the entire time. The wedding had turned into chaos as guards went running after Zoe. Scott, too, had disappeared along with her, slipping out a back door.

“Catch him!” Noah cried out. “I want that bastard in handcuffs!”

My legs felt like jelly, weak and unsteady from the adrenaline crash and the pain radiating from my side. Each breath sent a sharp stab through my chest—I was certain I had at least one broken rib.

“Easy does it,” Drake murmured as they lowered me onto the plush chair. “Just take it slow, Hannah.”

I winced as I settled into the seat, trying to find a position that didn’t send waves of agony through my body. “Thank you,” I managed to whisper, my voice hoarse.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door burst open. Noah rushed in, his tuxedo disheveled and his hair wild. His eyes locked onto mine, and in an instant, he was on his knees in front of me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace.

“Hannah,” he breathed into my air. “Oh, Hannah…”

The sudden pressure on my injured ribs made me choke and sputter. “Ow…” Noah immediately pulled back, his eyes wide.

“Shit. Fuck. I’m so sorry,” he said quickly, his hands hovering over me uncertainly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay?”

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. “I’m fine,” I gasped. “Just... broken rib, I think.”

Viona scoffed. “‘Just a broken rib,’ she says. The ambulance should be here soon.”

Noah’s face twisted with anguish. “Oh, Hannah. I’m so sorry. For everything.”

He turned to Drake and Viona. “Thank you both. If you hadn’t come when you did…” He shook his head, his face darkening. “I would have married Zoe. She would have used me to make Adam the heir to Nightcrest. And after that…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I think she might have even killed me. With Scott’s help.”

A chill ran down my spine at his words. “Noah,” I said softly, reaching out to take his hand. “What happened?”

He took a deep breath, his thumb absently tracing circles on the back of my hand. “After I left you at Darkmoon, I went home to start working on getting you released. I hadn’t told Zoe that I remembered everything yet—I wanted to have her quietly removed from the house first, to avoid causing trouble or frightening Adam.”

Noah’s eyes clouded with anger. “But when I got home, I found her burning the pictures and letters I had discovered. She knew I had gone to see you because Scott had betrayed me. He had been watching where I went and told Zoe everything.”

“He’s been working with Zoe all these years,” Noah continued. “He was there when she initially cut our mate bond, Hannah. He was one of the people holding me down.”

I felt hot fury burn through me at that. No wonder Scott had seemed so incompetent lately… He wasn’t trying to help me or Noah. He was working with Zoe. Worming his way through our lives, tripping us up wherever he could.

And to think that I had once confided in him. Asked him to help me with WhiteRabbit.

I wondered if Zoe was the one who had paid WhiteRabbit to sell me those contraceptives, because she wanted to ensure that Noah and I didn’t produce an heir. I’d have to look into that later.

“When I found Zoe burning everything, I tried to stop her,” Noah went on. “But she was furious. She had Scott hold me down again, and she poured this special jasmine tea down my throat. It... it fogs memories, makes them easier to alter.”

I felt sick at the thought of what Zoe had done to him. “That’s why you didn’t come back for me.”

Noah nodded. “She made me believe I never saw you, never went to Darkmoon, never found the pictures or letters. But she didn’t know about the seashell I’d given you. That was the link to remembering everything.”

His eyes met mine, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Seeing you and that seashell again, combined with Zoe’s actions at the wedding... it stirred those memories. I remembered, Hannah. And I swear, I will never let Zoe or anyone else mess with my memories ever again.”

Relief washed over me, so intense it made me dizzy. Or maybe that was just the pain from my ribs. Either way, I slumped back in the chair, the tension finally leaving my body. “I’m so glad we stopped the wedding before something awful happened,” I murmured.

Drake cleared his throat. “We should probably give you two some space,” he said, wrapping his arm around Viona and tugging her away. “We’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

As they left the room, closing the door softly behind them, Noah moved closer to me. His arms wrapped around me again, gentler this time, mindful of my injuries. I couldn’t help but lean into him, burying my face in his chest as sobs wracked my body.

“I’ve missed you,” I choked out between tears. “I’ve missed you so much, and I hate what happened. I hate what she did to us.” My fists clenched, and I found myself weakly hitting his chest, all my frustration and pain pouring out.

Noah didn’t try to stop me. He just held me tighter, one hand stroking my hair soothingly. “I know,” he murmured. “I know, Hannah. I’m so sorry. I’m here now. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

As my sobs subsided, I felt Noah press something into my hand. I pulled back slightly to look—it was the seashell, still on its leather cord.

“Could you…?” He turned, indicating for me to tie it around his neck.

Still choked with tears, even more so now, I shakily tied the cord around his neck. My fingers brushed his skin, and when he turned back to face me, I traced the ridges of the shell.

“I didn’t know you wore it as a necklace,” I whispered.

“Of course I did,” Noah said softly, his green eyes flicking up to meet mine. “The blue is just like your eyes. And for those two years when we wrote to each other, I never took this necklace off, not even once, so that I could always have you with me. Zoe cut it off of me. But I’ll never take it off again.”

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks, but this time they were tears of relief, of joy. Noah gently wiped them away with his thumb.

“I love you, Hannah,” he whispered. “I’ve always loved you. Even when I couldn’t remember, even when Zoe tried to erase you from my mind... some part of me always loved you.”

Noah’s arms tightened around me, and I felt him press a soft kiss to the top of my head. The movement jostled my ribs, sending a fresh wave of pain through me. I couldn’t quite stifle my gasp.

He stood, keeping one arm around me for support, and guided me toward a nearby sofa. As we moved, the events of the past few days—no, months—seemed to catch up with me all at once. My legs gave out, and I stumbled.

“I’ve got you,” Noah murmured, scooping me up in his arms. “I’ve got you. Always.”

We fell to the sofa together, Noah cradling me against his chest.