NOAH

Ch. 26

Chapter 26

My shoes press into the soft earth as we move towards the front door. My hand grips my elbow, grasping it tight as Noah fiddles with the lock.

"I promise this is my house."

My lips lift slightly. "You don't look so sure."

Noah's keys are yanked forward as the door opens from the inside. A beautiful brown skinned woman stands with a smile, her silky curls falling to her chest.

"Noah, you're home!" She squeals, pulling him into a hug.

He coughs, his words having barely enough air to be heard. "Definitely the right house."

Her onyx eyes find mine. "And you are?"

"Nicole," I say, glancing at Noah. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise! Come in, come in!"

As we step inside Elijah runs toward Noah, Noah lifting him into the air with a spin. "Eli!"

Elijah's cheery voice fills the air as I follow behind Noah's stepm- aunt, his aunt. My eyes wander to the brown walls that cover ever inch of the home, including the kitchen we're now in. Pictures of Noah and his brother hang on the walls as if Noah was treated like something other than trash.

"Nicole, right?"

My eyes snap to hers as I slide in a stool that rests against a counter. "Yes, and you're Noah's step-mom?"

Her lips lift into a smile, her teeth glaring white. "Yes, but you can call me Olivia."

I nod as she spins around, turning on the faucet. She fills a cup with water before spinning around to me. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, no ma'am. I'm not thirsty."

A cough attacks my upper body as the lie rolls off my tongue. Every inch of moisture dried once I stepped foot into the place Noah suffers the most. But, my mind couldn't possibly take a drink from this place. I'd be tortured knowing that I even tolerated a glass of water from someone who tolerates him being abused.

Glass shatters against the floor, shattering my train of thought. Olivia jerks up, immediately dropping the glass against the counter, running over to her son.

"Are you OK, sweetie?"

A faint twitch shakes my hands as my eyes lift to the rust stained hole in the wall. And as Noah stands in front of it, trying to hang the shattered frame back into place, my stomach drops faster than the frame did. Noah's height matches the height of the frame, his eyes directly in front of the crack.

My eyes whip from frame to frame, most at the same height, some lower, as the shake in my hand races to the beat of my heart. Rusty images infect my mind, mixing with the bile in my stomach as they both torment my being. Every frame covers a crack where Noah's head was smacked. His body beaten against the wall by his father and then his aunt covers the scars, making everything seem good as new. But they'll always be there.

Scars won't go away just because you cover them.

"You OK?" Noah's hand on my shoulder snaps me from my thoughts. "Raine?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." I spot Olivia in my peripheral. "I was thinking about my car."

He nods, tilting his head backwards as he backs away. "I'll go find my charger and then we can go."

"Great," I say, lips cracking as they strain into a smile.

"What type of car do you have?" Olivia asks as Noah leaves the room.