All Chapters of He Never Claimed Me: Chapter 81 - Chapter 89

Noah didn't want to let her go. For hours, they argued in the cold morning light. He wanted to keep her locked away in a safe house; she wanted the one thing he couldn't give her: a normal life. In the end, he gave in, but he set strict rules. He refused to let her be vulnerable. He assigned three guards to watch her—men who were experts at staying hidden, but who were always nearby. Noah adjusted the strap of her handbag himself, stalling for another few seconds as though delaying her departure could somehow keep her safe. "Don't look at them," Noah warned, his voice low as he helped her into her car. "Just pretend they aren't there." Ava hated it. As she drove to the salon, she could see one of the dark cars trailing two blocks behind, and she knew another was likely circling the block ahead. It felt like living inside a cage. When she walked through the doors of the salon, the bell chimed, sounding too happy compared to the fear in her chest. "Ava!" Tessa was there in a

The estate was quieter than usual, as if the house itself were holding its breath. Noah returned just before dusk, but he didn’t go looking for Ava. He headed straight for the command room beneath the house, where a dozen screens flickered with maps, security feeds, and internal reports. His senior team was already waiting. No one spoke until the heavy steel door clicked shut behind him. Noah walked to the center table and placed Isabella’s photograph down. “I’ve spent weeks waiting for him to make a mistake,” Noah said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “That ends today.” One of his men looked up from a console. “You have a target?” “I have a pattern.” Noah touched the edge of the photograph. “He wants us afraid. He wants us reacting. He wants to see how we try to save ourselves.” Noah’s eyes swept across the room, dark and focused. “We’re going to disappoint him.” A map of the city lit up across the main screen. “Cancel every route we’ve been using,” Noah commanded. “Rotate every

The library felt smaller, the walls inching inward with every second that passed. The silence between them was heavy, filled with the hum of the electronic devices and the distant, growing chaos at the gates. Noah stared at the tablet, his expression unreadable, though his knuckles were white where he gripped the device. He looked at the headline again, as if by sheer force of will he could burn the digital ink right off the screen. "I can kill this story," Noah said. His voice was cold, clipped, and devoid of its usual warmth. "I can have the publishers silent by morning. I can have the Laurents issued a cease and desist that will make them regret ever knowing my name." Ava shook her head slowly. She didn't look at him; she was still focused on the window, watching the dancing lights of the paparazzi. "You can silence them," she said, her voice quiet but clear. "But you can't silence the narrative, Noah. Once it's out, it’s not yours anymore. It belongs to them. It belongs to

Ava didn’t stop walking until she reached the east wing of the house. The hallway was empty, and the early morning light through the windows looked pale and cold. Outside, she could see reporters still waiting at the gates, their cameras flashing like distant lightning. She wrapped her arms around herself. For the first time since she met Noah, she felt completely alone. The door behind her opened. She didn’t need to turn around; she knew it was him. “I’ve been looking for you,” Noah said softly. He sounded tired. Ava let out a sad laugh. “You finally found me.” Noah stood a few feet away, giving her space. “I should have stopped this before the news found out. I should have made it clear to my mother that this engagement wasn’t happening.” “You should have,” Ava said. “I thought I had more time to fix it.” Ava looked out the window. “So did I.” There was a long, heavy silence. Finally, Noah spoke again. “When my father stepped away from the company, my mother took