Noa’s POV
By the time Elias’s wedding wrapped up, I was already long gone.
Jose–my brother–had personally escorted me and the twins back home.
We were officially back to th
Bennet family.
I’d grown up by the sea, raised in a loud, built a life for him, settled for
But I’d always belonged
him.
Near
thats
Ever since I made up my mind to
house in Los Angeles. My time in New York was never meant to be permanent. I only stayed because of Elias. I
and my family.
He was the kind of man who selfish, arrogant bastard, I’d been planning how to do it right.
Because Elias?
me, he still would’ve held on.
I never let the go. Even knowing it was wrong to keep me under the same roof as Harper, even knowing how much it destroyed
So I had to disappear cleanly and permanently.
Oddly enough, it was those thugs at the mall who gave me the idea. Elias didn’t hesitate to leave me behind that day. He didn’t even blink.
I could’ve died in that alley, and he would’ve walked away arm–in–arm with Harper.
He probably didn’t care about me living or dying anyway.
And I thought maybe the fake shooting video was exactly what he needed–something to finally cut me loose, guilt–free. So I gave him what he wanted.
And I got exactly what I needed. Freedom.
Before I left, I placed the signed and sealed divorce papers in his bedroom.
He’d have no choice but to sign them now.
And me? I was home. For real this time.
Marco and Tessa settled quickly into life in L.A.–maybe it was in their blood. They loved the sun, the breeze, the sound of waves crashing at night.
Jose got us new identities. Easy, considering who he was and who we were. I don’t like to brag, but the Bennet family had raised more than one genius.
Marco still carried the trauma from those dark days in the basement. So I kept him close, homeschooled him with care and patience.
But Tessa–sweet, resilient Tessa–was thriving. She’d enrolled in a small local school. One quiet enough that no one would think to look for her there.
And me? I stepped back into the family business.
My father needed help with the fighter’s club–his private little empire of underground gambling and combat. Math came easily to me, and I had the kind of cold focus needed for numbers and blood..
Life was quieter now. Simpler. It felt good to be surrounded by people who actually loved me. Who had never made me beg for space in their world.
Half a year passed.
That’s when I started hearing the rumors.
Elias was stirring up trouble across New York. Starting fights. Getting dragged into shootouts. It didn’t matter if it was an old rival or a stranger—he picked every fight like he had something to prove.
He asked around, always the same question: Did they know a woman named Noa Bennet? A woman with twins?
And that’s when I knew he hadn’t given up.
He was still looking for me. More persistent than I’d anticipated.
