NovelFinishhapter 0259
Hannah
| followed Zoe's finger, and there he was: Leonard, standing by the entrance with the most smug look on his face
that | had ever seen. Bastard. He set this up-trying to get under my skin again, wasn’t he? Well, | wasn’t about to
let him. Not again.
“Is there a problem?” Noah, whose presence | had momentarily forgotten, sidestepped around me.
I shook my head and offered him a serene smile, gesturing to the empty seat next to Zoe. “Looks like we'll be
having sadditional company tonight.”
Noah glanced back and forth betweenand Zoe for a moment, clearly trying to discern whether | was being
facetious or not. Finally, when my smile didn’t falter, he nodded and took his seat. | did as well, making a pointed
effort to smile the whole way, just in case Leonard was watching me.
Despite my earlier upset, the opera was simply breathtaking. The music filled the vaulted ceilings of the theater,
the singers’ voices ringing out like angels descending from above.
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Soon, my annoyance had subsided, too enthralled by the beauty of it all to care about anything else. | leaned
forward in my seat, completely enraptured by the rich voices, and even felt a tear cto my eye during the
first kiss scene even though I couldn’t understand the language that they were singing in. During a particularly
emotional scene at the climax of the show, the male and female leads of the opera were being pulled away from
one another by actors dressed in black robes and masks. Their voices grew strained, desperate, and my breath
caught as | pressed my fingers against my lips.
Without thinking, | placed my other hand on the armrest beside me, accidentally brushing against Noah's fingers
as | did.
A jolt of electricity shot throughat the contact, my wolf stirring inside of me. It had been so long since we
had touched like this, even accidentally-far too long.
The warmth of his skin against mine brought back a flood of memories-stolen kisses, tender caresses, moments
of intimacy that seemed like they had happened a lifetago. And for a moment, the opera faded into the
background, and there was nothing left except for the tips of my fingers and the warmth of his hand.
| hesitated, not wanting to pull away. For a moment, | allowed myself to remember what it was like when things
were good between us, when a simple touch could convey so much. My wolf whined softly, urgingto
maintain the connection.
Curious about Noah's reaction, | glanced over at him.
But my heart sank as | realized he hadn't even noticed our hands touching. He was leaning toward Zoe,
whispering something in her ear that made her giggle softly, her delicate gloved hand fluttering to shield hér
lips.
The sight of them, so close and comfortable, made my stomach churn.
Anger and hurt flared viciously Inside of me. | yanked my hand away, clenching it into a fist in my lap. Noah
didn’t notice the sudden absence of my warmth, Hot, stinging tears pricked at the backs of my
Chapter 0259
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eyes, but | refused to let them fall.
Not here, not now. | forced my attention back to the stage, but the beauty of the performance was lost on
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Eventually, the opera cto a tragic end; the female lead perished at her lover's hand. Her lover, believing
that she had slept with another, had becovercwith jealous rage and stabbed her in the back.
She died in his arms, the last strains of her voice gentle and melancholic. The actress held a red scarf in her
hand to signify blood as her fingers cup to cup his face, and only then did the male lead realize his mistake.
But it was too late, and he fell on his knife, joining her in death.
As the final notes of the orchestra faded away, the audience was silent for a moment before suddenly erupting
into applause. | clapped mechanically and rose to my feet to join the standing ovation, although my mind was
admittedly elsewhere.
How fitting, | thought to myself as the curtain closed on the male and female lead, their bodies wound together
in a deadly embrace. Would that, too, be my future with Noah? Perhaps not dead in a literal sense, but in an
even more tragic way? To live, loveless and betrayed?
The reception afterward was a blur of faces and polite small talk. | made my way to the bar, deftly swapping my
champagne for a flute of sparkling juice before anyone could notice.
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Chapter 0260
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