Noah Carter sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall as his sister Chloe’s voice carried through the thin apartment walls. She was crying again—loud, ugly sobs that made his chest tighten. This had been going on for two hours straight. The breakup with Ethan Brooks wasn’t just messy. It was nuclear.
“You don’t understand, Noah!” Chloe had shouted earlier, mascara streaking down her face. “Three years. Three f*****g years and he just… he says he’s not happy anymore. Who says that after everything?”
Noah had nodded along, offering tissues and awkward hugs like the good younger brother he was. But inside, his thoughts were a whirlwind of guilt and something far more dangerous.
He had always admired Ethan. From the first time Chloe brought him home two and a half years ago, Noah—then
