The apartment was still thick with the scent of sex and anger. Selena lay awake beside Nolan, staring at the ceiling. His arm was draped around her, heavy and possessive, but his breathing was sharp, uneven. He wasn't asleep either.
She shifted slightly, trying to breathe without the weight of guilt crushing her chest. "Nolan," she whispered into the darkness.
He didn't respond at first. Then, finally: "What did she tell you?"
Selena hesitated. The truth tasted bitter on her tongue. "She said you ruined her. That you used her until she had nothing left. That you'll do the same to me."
Nolan's body went rigid. His arm slipped away as he sat up, rubbing his face with both hands.
"She showed me pictures," Selena pressed, her voice trembling. "Of you and her. She said you promised her everything. She said she gave up her life for you, and you walked away."
Nolan's head snapped toward her, eyes blazing even in the dim light. "Do you believe her?"
The question sliced her open. Tears pricked her eyes. "I don't know what to believe anymore."
Silence stretched, taut as a wire. Then Nolan exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "Fine. You want the truth? You'll get it."
---
He stood, pacing the room like a predator in a cage. His jaw worked as though every word was a battle.
"Clara and I… we were real, once," he admitted, his voice low and raw. "She wasn't lying about that. I loved her. Or at least, I thought I did."
Selena sat up, clutching the sheet around her body, her heart pounding painfully.
"She came into my life when I was at my lowest," Nolan continued. "Ambitious, beautiful, determined. She wanted everything—the world, the spotlight, the power. And I wanted to give it to her. But love…" His laugh was bitter. "Love wasn't enough. Not for her. Not when money and influence glittered brighter."
Selena's throat tightened. "So you're saying she left you?"
"She didn't just leave," Nolan said, his eyes flashing. "She used me. Manipulated me. Every secret, every weakness—I handed it to her like a fool. And when she was done, she didn't just walk away. She tried to destroy me."
Selena's pulse raced. "Destroy you how?"
Nolan's gaze darkened. "She spread lies. Leaked private documents. Turned allies into enemies. I almost lost everything because of her. And even then, she came crawling back when her schemes failed. But by then…" His jaw clenched. "By then, I was done."
Selena shivered, goosebumps prickling her skin. The weight of his confession pressed against her chest. "So why didn't you tell me any of this before?"
Nolan's eyes softened, pain flickering in their depths. "Because when I met you, I didn't want my past tainting what we had. You were… different. Pure. I wanted you to know me as I am with you, not as the man she tried to paint me as."
Selena's tears spilled, hot and heavy. "But hiding the truth only made me doubt you more. Don't you see? Every secret you keep gives her power over me."
Nolan moved back to the bed, kneeling before her. He took her trembling hands in his. "Then I'll give you everything. No more secrets. No more lies. Just me, Selena. Every scar, every flaw. You can have it all, if you'll still want me after."
Her chest ached with conflicting emotions—fear, love, doubt, longing. She searched his face, the vulnerability etched into every line.
And then she whispered the only thing her heart could manage: "Show me."
---
Nolan didn't hesitate. He kissed her—slow at first, tender, as though sealing the promise he'd just made. But the kiss deepened quickly, igniting into something rawer, hungrier.
Selena melted against him, her doubts tangled with desire. His hands roamed her body, mapping her curves with reverence and need.
"Every part of me is yours," he murmured against her lips. "Even the broken ones."
She gasped as his mouth trailed down her throat, over her collarbone, lower still. His touch worshipped her, his groans vibrating against her skin.
"Nolan," she breathed, arching as his lips found her breasts, his tongue circling, teasing until she moaned helplessly.
He looked up at her, eyes dark with devotion and hunger. "You taste like salvation."
Her hands tangled in his hair as he moved lower, his mouth leaving a trail of fire down her body. When his tongue reached her, Selena cried out, her back arching off the bed.
"God—Nolan…"
Her moans filled the room, mingling with his groans as he devoured her, relentless and tender all at once. The world blurred until all that existed was him—his touch, his breath, the way he made her unravel completely.
When she shattered in his arms, gasping his name like a prayer, he pulled her close, kissing away the tears on her cheeks.
And then, with one deep, claiming thrust, he was inside her. Their cries merged, their bodies moving in perfect rhythm, a symphony of love and desperation.
"Say you're mine," he groaned, his lips at her ear.
"I'm yours," she sobbed, clutching him tighter. "Always."
Their bodies surged together, fierce and unyielding, until the world broke apart around them.
---
Later, tangled in sweat-soaked sheets, Selena rested against his chest. His heartbeat was steady now, his arms secure around her.
For the first time, she believed him.
And yet, Clara's voice lingered like a ghost.
If Clara had already tried to destroy him once, what else was she capable of?
Selena closed her eyes, pressing closer to Nolan. For now, she chose him.
But deep inside, she knew Clara wasn't finished.
🔥 This chapter finally revealed Nolan's past with Clara. The truth is raw, messy, and dangerous, but it also deepened his bond with Selena. Intimacy here wasn't just physical—it was a desperate act of trust and surrender.
NisotWrites
Clara isn't done. She still holds one card close to her chest—a secret about Nolan that could shatter everything Selena thinks she knows about him.