Semua Bab He Never Claimed Me: Bab 131 - Bab 140

The note passed from Noah’s hand to Nicholas’. No one reached for it immediately. The words seemed to linger in the room long after Noah had finished reading them. The man who betrayed me never left the family. Julian finally broke the silence. “What family?” “The Volkovs?” “The Order of Ravens?” “Or ours?” Nicholas folded the note carefully. “James chose every word with purpose.” “If he wrote ‘the family’…” “…he meant the Volkov family.” Lydia stood perfectly still. Her face remained composed, but Noah noticed the slight tremor in her fingers. She knew something. Not everything. But something. Noah stepped closer. “Mother.” She looked at him. “Did Father ever suspect someone?” Lydia closed her eyes for a brief moment. “He never gave me a name.” “He only said…” “…that betrayal hurts most when it comes from someone you love.” The room fell silent once more. … Downstairs, Elias prepared tea in the old kitchen. The familiar scent of chamomile drifted through

The metallic click echoed once more. Then… Silence. Noah held the lantern a little higher, its warm glow spilling over the stone steps spiraling into darkness. Julian instinctively moved beside him. “You’re not going down there alone.” Daniel checked the signal on his communication device. “No reception.” Nicholas smiled faintly. “James hated electronics.” “He trusted paper more than computers.” Arthur gave a slow nod. “He said paper couldn’t be hacked.” A small smile crossed Noah’s face. “That definitely sounds like my father.” Without another word, the group descended. … The staircase seemed endless. Cold stone walls surrounded them. Water dripped steadily somewhere in the darkness. The air smelled of earth, cedar, and old iron. Finally, the stairs ended before a thick steel door. Unlike everything else they had discovered, this door looked modern. Its surface bore the engraved image of a raven. Beneath it were two shallow indentations. One circular. One sh

The blinking red light continued its silent rhythm. On. Off. On. Off. Hidden inside a small ventilation grille high above the archive. None of them noticed. Their attention was fixed on the tapes James had left behind. Noah gently closed the wooden box. “I’ll listen to every one of them.” He looked at the label again. For Noah — The Day You Fall in Love. A quiet smile touched his face. “But first…” He slipped the box into his backpack. “I owe Ava the truth.” Gabriel nodded approvingly. “James hoped you’d make that choice.” “He always believed love couldn’t survive hidden behind lies.” Noah thought of every conversation he’d had with Ava. Every time she had looked at him and simply asked him to let her in. He had promised. Now he intended to keep that promise. … Miles away, inside a dark control room, dozens of monitors illuminated the face of a lone observer. One screen showed the underground archive. Another showed the observatory. A third displayed the bli

The rain had stopped. Only droplets clung to the salon windows, reflecting the glow of the streetlights outside. Noah and Ava remained seated, the cassette player still resting on the coffee table between them. James’s voice lingered in the silence long after the tape had ended. Ava reached for Noah’s hand. “You’ve been carrying his burden for years.” He looked down. “I thought I had to.” “You don’t.” Her answer came so simply that it made him smile. “You sound like my father.” She laughed softly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” “It is.” He leaned back against the sofa. “I’ve been afraid.” “Of what?” “That once you knew everything…” “…you’d see me differently.” Ava turned fully toward him. “I do.” His heart sank for a split second. She gently cupped his face. “I see someone who keeps choosing people over power.” “Someone who could have become bitter…” “…but didn’t.” Her thumb brushed away a tear he hadn’t realized had fallen. “I love that man.” Noah close

The laughter inside Hayes Beauty Studio spilled onto the sidewalk. Chloe was still wiping tears from her eyes. “I can’t believe he actually said it!” Leo laughed. “He looked so calm while doing it.” “‘I’m the man who’s in love with your boss.’” Leo imitated Noah’s composed voice so perfectly that Maya burst into another fit of laughter. Tessa shook her head. “Poor Ava.” “She’ll never hear the end of this.” Ava covered her face. “I’m changing salons.” “No, you’re not,” Chloe declared. “We’re planning the wedding.” “There isn’t a wedding!” “Yet.” Even Noah laughed. The warmth of the moment wrapped around him in a way he hadn’t experienced in years. For the first time since Lake Maren, he felt like an ordinary man. Not an heir. Not a target. Just someone deeply in love. … Across the street, inside the dark sedan, the driver lowered his camera. He didn’t smile. He simply pressed a button on a secure phone. “They’re happy.” The voice on the other end remained calm