Page 39 of The Hotel Room

Noah’s eyes narrowed. “No, you’re not. You didn’t eventryto fix things with him. You just left. You didn’t fight. You didn’t care enough to—”

“Stop.”

The knife trembled in her hand, and she set it down with a soft clink against the cutting board.

She turned fully toward him now, heart pounding painfully in her chest.

“Don’t youdaresay I didn’t care. You have no idea how hard this is for me. I came back here, didn’t I? Foryou. For Lily. Because you both deserve to have a home. To have stability.”

Noah’s face twisted, bitter.

“Yeah? Until the next time it’s easier for you to run away from him instead of actually fixing things?”

The words hit harder than they should have.

Because deep down, shewasrunning.

From the house. From James.

From the truth pressing heavier against her chest every day.

The baby.

The tiny, growing life she was keeping secret, locked inside her body like a wound she couldn’t share yet.

Because telling Noah—tellinganyone—would make it too real.

Would make it impossible to hold onto the sliver of distance she was barely managing to keep between herself and James’s betrayal.

Her stomach twisted sharply again—not just from the words, but the lingering nausea that had followed her daily now. She pressed a hand against her abdomen, breath tight.

“Noah,” she whispered, voice breaking just a little, “Iamtrying. I’m trying to protect you both.”

His gaze hardened further, shaking his head.

“From what? Dad? Because he still loves you, Mom. He told me. You’re just—”

He cut himself off, voice thick, as if saying it aloud would be too much.

Kate blinked hard, the ache rising so painfully she had to turn away.

“I need you to trust me on this,” she said, barely above a whisper. “There are things you don’t understand.”

Noah scoffed. “Yeah? Then maybe you shouldexplain it.”

And with that, he stormed out of the kitchen, footsteps echoing as he headed upstairs.

The door slammed shut.

Silence.

Kate closed her eyes, pressing her hands flat against the counter, the ache expanding until it felt like it might swallow her whole.

She didn’t even hear Lily come in until her daughter’s small voice broke the quiet.

“Mommy?”

Kate turned, blinking away the tears, forcing a smile that felt brittle and wrong.

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