Chapter 193

OLIVIA The moment his hand closed around my wrist, I felt the force behind it. It was not enough to hurt, but it was enough to stop me from pulling away. I glanced briefly at his grip before lifting my gaze to meet his. Noah stood there, his chest rising and falling unevenly, as if he had rushed over without giving himself time to steady his breathing. The light from inside the house fell across his face, revealing the tension in his expression, the tightness in his jaw, and something deeper beneath it that he was no longer trying to hide. There was a faint sheen of sweat along his temple, and his eyes, usually calm and unreadable, now carried something raw and unguarded that made my chest tighten for a brief, unwanted moment. For a brief second, neither of us spoke, and the silence between us carried the weight of everything that had been building up until now. It felt suffocating, like the air itself had thickened, pressing down on both of us and refusing to let either one step back