The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel Chapter 252

It Was Never Just Competition.

“Are you both together?” Mrs. Crane asked. “I heard about the divorce. It was crazy, but then I also heard that you may be… dating?”

“Yes,” Silas said, putting his hand on the small of Noelle’s back. “Noelle is just formalizing her divorce with Brian, but we are… together, and we are planning to get married.”

“Oh,” the teacher’s eyes glistened. “What wonderful news!”

“While I’m sorry about your divorce, Noelle, you and Silas are a better-suited pair. I had never wanted Brian for you.”

Noelle, "???"

“I had actually seen your entries for the Local AI trials and was very proud of both of you.” The teacher shifted a bit. “You two were our pride at Westbridge Academy. We always knew you would achieve great success.”

Motioning to Noelle, the teacher complimented, “You were always smart, but often, you kept your talent hidden. If it were not for Silas pushing you to do better back then, you wouldn’t have really joined national competitions or even aimed for the number one spot.”

“And Silas,” Mrs. Crane laughed. “He was always so full of himself back then. I could tell when he met you, Noelle, he was awed by you because you were someone who actually challenged him.”

The more the teacher talked, the more Noelle saw through it all. And Silas? He had no objections.

“Do you remember during one of your presentations? Silas kept asking difficult questions. Those hard questions refined your thinking, and in the end, you gave sharp answers and got good marks,” Mrs. Crane described.

“Whenever you presented a lengthy solution in math challenges, I remember how Silas would question the efficiency of your formula. So, in the next oral examination, you came up with a better method!”

“It was amusing, to say the least,” the teacher laughed. “Silas was always bringing out the best in you. He was constantly challenging you… And you always rose to meet his expectations. I suppose… it was never just competition. Was it, Silas?"

Mrs. Crane beamed at Silas before turning to Noelle. “Silas had always had a secret crush on you.”

The teacher grabbed Silas’s hand and placed it over Noelle’s. She said, “It’s finally time for you to be together. When you get married, don’t forget to invite me.”

Mrs. Crane winked at them before finally leaving.

Noelle did her business and came out, her thoughts spiraling out of control. And those same thoughts encouraged her to drink more than she should.

For the rest of their gathering, Noelle found herself paying a little too much attention to Silas.

Now, his every touch sent an electrifying sensation across her skin.

She noticed the way his jaw tightened when he was amused, the subtle flex of muscle beneath his skin. Her gaze lingered on the slow bob of his Adam’s apple every time he spoke or drank. It was drawing her in more than she cared to admit.

Even the smallest things became distracting, like the way his fingers wrapped around his glass, the casual confidence in his posture, the low timbre of his voice that seemed to settle somewhere deep within her.

At one point, Noelle caught herself staring a second too long… even feeling a ridiculous flicker of jealousy toward the nuts that disappeared into his mouth.

She wished she were the nut.

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