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Chapter 16 - Between the Shadows

The night air was thick with tension, a kind of stillness that felt almost unnatural. Noah leaned against his car, the headlights throwing pale beams across the cracked asphalt. In the distance, the faint hum of city life faded, replaced by the chirping of crickets and the rustle of leaves swaying in the wind.

Nicki approached slowly, her expression unreadable. She'd changed—he could feel it. There was something in the way her eyes avoided his, the way her steps were careful, almost calculated.

"You called me out here," she said finally, her voice low. "Why?"

Noah's gaze didn't waver. "Because I need to know where we stand. After everything… after what happened last night, I can't just pretend we're fine."

Nicki's lips pressed into a thin line. Memories of the heated argument still burned between them. It wasn't just about trust—it was about the truth neither of them wanted to face.

"You think I betrayed you," she said flatly. "And maybe you're right. But you're not innocent either, Noah. You've been hiding things. Things I should've known."

The air between them tightened like a drawn bowstring. Somewhere deep inside, both of them knew this wasn't just a fight—it was a turning point.

Noah took a step forward. "If we're going to survive this… if we're going to make it through everything coming at us, we have to stop lying to each other."

Nicki hesitated, her gaze flicking to the shadows behind him. For a moment, Noah thought he saw fear flash in her eyes—not of him, but of something else entirely.

"Then you need to hear the whole truth," she whispered. "And it's going to change everything you think you know about me… about us."

The wind picked up, carrying with it the smell of rain. The first drops began to fall, pattering softly against the hood of Noah's car. He didn't move, didn't breathe, as Nicki stepped closer, her voice trembling with a mix of dread and resolve.

"It wasn't an accident," she said. "That night—the one that started all of this—I was there. And I wasn't just watching."

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