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🌙 Chapter 8 – Friends, Secrets, and Lies
It didn't happen all at once.
That's how lies worked—they slipped in quietly, pretending to be harmless truths.
The Watson house buzzed with voices that evening. Eva and Emily sat cross-legged on the floor, Mike and Alic arguing over a card game, Sofia Watson half-listening while scrolling on her phone.
Noah Watson sat among them, smiling when required, laughing when expected.
But something felt off.
Across the room, Alina fit in effortlessly.
Too effortlessly.
"So how long have you all known Luca?" Alina asked casually, dealing cards like she'd always belonged there.
"Not long," Emily replied. "But he's… different."
Alina smiled. "He always is."
Noah looked up. "Always?"
Alina met her gaze. "Luca Fernandes doesn't stay in one place emotionally. He never has."
The room fell just a little quieter.
Adrien Fernandes stiffened. "That's not fair."
Alina tilted her head. "It's honest."
Luca entered the room just then, sensing the shift immediately.
"What's honest?" he asked.
"Nothing important," Alina said lightly.
But Noah had already gone quiet.
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Later that night, Eva pulled Noah aside into the hallway.
"You okay?" Eva asked softly.
Noah hesitated. "Do you ever feel like you don't know the full story about someone… even when you trust them?"
Eva frowned. "Who said something?"
Noah didn't answer.
Across the room, Alina laughed with Mike, her eyes occasionally flicking toward Noah—watching the effect of her words settle in.
Sofia noticed.
She always did.
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On the balcony, Luca leaned against the railing, phone in his hand but unread messages ignored. Adrien joined him moments later.
"She's messing with Noah," Adrien said bluntly.
"I know," Luca replied.
"Then stop it."
Luca clenched his jaw. "It's not that simple."
Adrien turned to him. "When has protecting someone ever been simple?"
Inside, Noah watched them through the glass—Luca and Adrien standing together, serious, distant.
She misunderstood the silence.
She always had.
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That night, a message appeared on Noah's phone.
Unknown Number:
Ask Luca why he left the last time. Ask him who paid the price.
Her heart dropped.
She stared at the screen, fingers trembling.
Down the hall, Alina lay on her bed, phone glowing in the dark, a slow smile spreading across her face.
"Now," she whispered, "let the doubt do the work."
Noah didn't sleep.
Because secrets hurt most when they come wrapped in concern.
And lies?
They sound a lot like warnings—
especially when you're already afraid of falling.
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