All Chapters of The Girl He Never Knew : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

NOAH’S POV The interior of my car usually felt like a sanctuary but as the door slammed shut and Elena Voss scrambled into the passenger seat, the air didn't just change, it vanished. She looked like a disaster. Her blonde hair was a matted, dark gold mess, plastered to her forehead and neck. Her trench coat was a sodden weight, and she was clutching a laptop bag to her chest like it was the last life vest on the Titanic and she was dripping. Everywhere. "Geez," I muttered, the word tasting like ash. "You’re getting water everywhere. Do you have any idea how much this interior costs?" It was a deflection. If I complained about the leather, I didn't have to acknowledge the way my heart had just performed a violent rebellion against my ribs. I hadn't been this close to her in three years. Three years of silence, three years of fueled-up resentment, and three years of convincing myself that I’d forgotten the exact shade of her eyes. I was a liar. "Nice to see you too, Noah," she sna

NOAH’S POV The penthouse apartment I shared off-campus smelled like a locker a suffocating cocktail of stale sweat, cold takeout, and the undeniable, pungent scent of Jax’s gym socks. I wrinkled my nose as I crossed the threshold. Most times, my teammates were absolute pigs, and tonight, the mess felt personal. I tossed my keys onto the granite counter without looking, the metal clatter echoing off the high ceilings. The TV was blaring—some late-night sports recap screaming about a buzzer-beater in the Midwest that I couldn't care less about. Jax was sprawled across the velvet sofa like he actually paid the rent which he didn’t his long legs draped over the armrest. Marcus sat at the dining table, the blue light of his phone illuminating a face so blank it was clear he’d checked out of reality an hour ago. Ethan was in the kitchen. He was still in his practice shorts digging through the fridge. He finally hauled out a bottle of beer and looked up as the door clicked shut behind me.

NOAH'S POV Practice was usually the only thing that could kill the noise in my head. The basketball court was a kingdom of logic: if you put in the work, you got the result. If you hit the apex of your jump, the shot was yours. The ball slapped against my palm as I drove past Marcus. I pivoted, my sneakers screaming against the hardwood, and sank the jumper without a second thought. The echo of the ball hitting the floor rippled through the rafters, filling me with a hollow satisfaction. Behind me, Coach was barking defensive rotations and Jax was laughing about some brainless stunt he’d pulled over the weekend. Then the heavy double doors at the far end of the court groaned open and the ball slipped from my fingers before rolling toward the bleachers. I didn't need to turn around, the very air in the gym seemed to thin and I knew the way the atmosphere curdled whenever she was near. Elena Voss stepped onto the court like she owned every square inch of the hardwood and wasn't afrai

NOAH’S POVThe Ridgewood Court felt like a tomb after a loss. The air was heavy with the echo of the crowd’s roar and the tang of sweat that had long since cooled. My knees were screaming, a dull throbbing reminder of the forty minutes I’d spent being hammered in the court but the ache in my joints was nothing compared to the irritation clawing at my chest.I knew exactly where she’d be. Elena Voss was nothing if not predictable in her ambition. I pushed open the door to the media booth. It was a glass-walled cage suspended above the court, and right now, it held the only person on this campus who had the power to make my blood boil and cock twitch by simply existing.She was hunched over a laptop and her fingers flying across the keys. She didn't look up when I entered or even flinch."The press conference ended twenty minutes ago, Voss," I said, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe. My voice was still rough from barking plays on the court. "Your colleagues are already halfway t

NOAH’S POVMy apartment usually felt like a sanctuary but tonight, it felt like a cage. The space was built to house three massive athletes, but with half the starting lineup and Elena Voss currently occupying the corner of my kitchen, the walls were closing in.The air was a suffocating mix of searing steak, expensive bourbon, and the hum of a disaster waiting to strike. Ethan had invited her. He hadn’t asked for permission, he’d simply materialized at the door with his sister in tow, acting as if bringing a lit match into a room full of gasoline was just a casual Tuesday night plan.“Come on, Noah, don’t be a dick,” He had muttered into my ear when they walked in. “It’s a team dinner. She’s covering the team so it makes sense.”Only it didn't make sense, it felt like a death strike. I could see her reflection in the dark glass. She was perched at the edge of the long oak dining table. Her notebook was tucked away for once, but she was still working. Her eyes were moving, cataloguing