The silence in the hallway stretched for what felt like an eternity. Chloe’s eyes darted from Noah to the apartment building entrance, suspicion hardening into something sharper—betrayal.
“Noah,” she said slowly, voice trembling. “Why were you at Ethan’s building?”
Noah’s mind went blank. The taste of Ethan’s kiss still lingered on his lips, and now his sister stood right there, the one person who could never know. “I… we were just talking,” he stammered, the lie tasting bitter.
Chloe’s face crumpled. “Talking? After everything? You’ve been seeing him behind my back?”
The door to Ethan’s apartment opened. Ethan stepped out, drawn by the raised voices. His expression shifted from confusion to dread when he saw Chloe.
“Chloe,” Ethan said carefully. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
But
