Crossing lines (Noah and Aiden) novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Noah

I used to think having it all meant freedom.

When I pictured rich people, I figured they could buy anything-fancy houses, shiny cars, friends who pretended to care, the kind of toys and comforts that made life easy. I never imagined how heavy all that comfort could feel when it wasn’t yours.

Growing up, having it all would’ve meant heat in the winter and food that lasted more than a few days. It would’ve meant a Christmas tree that didn’t come from the curb after someone else threw it out, and shoes that didn’t belong to three other kids before me. I used to dream about unwrapping something new

-just once.

Now I was drowning in new. Designer sweaters stacked like trophies. A gold watch that could feed my family for months. A pair of leather boots worth more than my mother’s rent. William Hart’s idea of generosity.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop seeing their faces-Mom and Emily huddled in that cold little apartment, praying the heat didn’t get shut off again or that my father wouldn’t come home drunk and violent once more… My chest ached thinking of it. This was Christmas: crystal chandeliers, champagne, laughter loud enough to drown out the guilt.

Every gift around me meant nothing. Not the mountain of boxes, not the applause when Eleonora unwrapped the vintage wine set “I’d” supposedly chosen.

William had picked every damn thing. He’d even handed me a black Amex and said, “Make Lexie feel adored.”

I’d been using that card all month for dinners and gestures I thought were okay. But truth was, I had no idea what to give a girl who already had everything.

The night before, I’d given her something that actually came from me-a new Groveton jersey with my name and number, signed with love. It wasn’t expensive, but it was mine. The way her face lit up when she unfolded it softened something inside me I didn’t know was still capable of warmth.

Maybe that was why tonight hurt even more.

So there she was, radiant in red silk, glowing with gratitude as she opened a tiny designer purse, a diamond necklace, and another box filled with little luxury trinkets I couldn’t name-all gifts from “me.”

None of them were mine. None of them were me.

The only gift I’d truly chosen, weeks ago-back when I still had hope-wasn’t for any of them. It was for Aiden.

A simple silver keychain engraved with Your Baby Boy.

Something small enough to hide, but real enough to mean everything. I’d imagined him holding it on his keyring, brushing it with his thumb, remembering.

Now it sat buried at the bottom of my bag like a wound I couldn’t stop pressing.

Applause broke out as Lexie thanked me for the gifts William had picked. I smiled, nodded, played along. Every “thank you” sounded hollow, every kiss on my cheek another nail sealing my silence.

When it was my turn, she handed me her presents-a gleaming gold chain with a small charm shaped like a wolf, a cologne I’d actually used before, a beautiful leather jacket for my bike. I liked it, genuinely. And that somehow made it worse.

Before I could say anything, William’s voice carried across the room. “And now, I have one more gift for you, Noah.”

The crowd quieted. Every time he spoke, the air seemed to shift, like we all existed inside his show. He motioned for me to follow, and a wave of movement followed us-Lexie, her mother, a few cousins, a handful of cameras. No surprise there. Every gesture in this family came with a photo op.

We walked through the glass doors to the back of the mansion, the winter air sharp against my lungs. The Hart estate looked like something out of a snow globe-fountains frozen mid-cascade, strings of gold lights wound around the trees, the world gilded and unreal.

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6:14 pm P P &

Crossing Lines