Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The drive back from the coast was a blur of headlights and static. Noah's hands clutched the wheel so hard the leather groaned beneath his grip. Every breath scraped through his throat like sandpaper. Sienna's face, the wind tangling her hair, Landon's hand on her waist. Those images looped behind his eyes, sharp and merciless.

By the time he reached the mansion, his knuckles were raw from pounding the steering wheel. He killed the engine, sat in the dark for a beat, then stepped out into the cold. The gravel crunched beneath his shoes, each sound too loud in the midnight quiet.

Inside, the house waited in silence. A thousand shadows filled the hall, long and unmoving. The only sound came from the old grandfather clock near the stairs, its tick steady and cruel. Noah stood there, chest heaving, the smell of salt still clinging to his skin. He could almost taste the betrayal on the back of his tongue.

His fists curled so tight his nails dug into his palms. He didn't feel the