Lisa's POV
The silence that hung between us was different now. There was no tension, no fear. Only understanding. Only the weight of Noha's confession lingering in the air, settling between us like something unspoken but deeply understood.
I sat next to him, my fingers still tracing the lines of his hand, as if grounding myself in this moment, in this man who had shared his deepest pain with me.
We didn't need words now. The honesty between us was enough.
But there were still questions I needed answered. I still needed to understand.
"What happened to her?" I asked, my voice soft, almost afraid to bring up the past again.
Noha's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. He let out a long, steady breath, his gaze drifting away for a moment. But then, as though he had made up his mind, he looked back at me, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't quite name.
"I told you before. I wasn't good enough for her," he said, his voice low and rough. "I was too deep in the mafia. She knew the risks, but she didn't understand what it really meant. I couldn't protect her. She... she died because of me."
I reached out to touch his arm, my heart aching for him. "Noha..."
His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw the boy he had once been. A boy who had loved and lost, who had never been able to forgive himself.
"Her name was Isla," he continued, the name tasting bitter on his tongue. "She was everything I wanted. Everything I thought I needed. And when I lost her... I lost myself too. That's why I became who I am. That's why I'm like this. I've never been able to forgive myself for failing her."
I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. I didn't know what to say. What could I say to ease the weight of his grief?
But then, his hand reached for mine, pulling me closer. His eyes softened for just a moment, and I saw something in them I hadn't seen before. Vulnerability.
"I'm not that person anymore," he whispered. "I'm not the man who couldn't save her. I'm the man who's trying to make things right. For you. For us."
Noha's POV
I didn't expect her to understand. I didn't expect her to be okay with it. But when Lisa looked at me, I saw something that made me believe maybe, just maybe, I could start to heal. Maybe we could start over.
I wasn't the same man I had been when Isla died. And I wasn't going to let Lisa pay the price for my past mistakes.
"I won't make the same mistakes again," I told her, my voice steady, but my heart racing. "I won't lose you, Lisa. I swear."
She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. "I believe you."
Lisa's POV
His words settled in my heart, but they didn't erase the fear. The fear that, despite everything he said, the past would always be a shadow that followed us. The fear that we were playing with fire, and one wrong move could burn us both.
But there was something else too. Hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, this could be enough.
Noha wasn't perfect. But he was real. And that was all I needed.
I leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek, feeling the roughness of his stubble against my lips. It was a small gesture, but it meant everything.
"I'm not going anywhere, Noha," I whispered, my words steady despite the storm of emotions inside me. "I'm here. And I'm not afraid."
For the first time in what felt like forever, Noha smiled—a small, fleeting smile, but one that made my heart skip a beat. It wasn't the smile I had once imagined him having, but it was enough.
It was a start.
Noha's POV
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She wasn't afraid. She was still here. She still wanted me. And despite everything, that was all I needed to hear.
I had spent so long in the darkness, hiding behind my anger and pain, but Lisa was the light I had been searching for without even realizing it.
I cupped her face in my hands, pulling her closer. Her eyes fluttered closed as I kissed her gently, but deeply. I wasn't sure what the future held, but I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't going to let her go. Not ever.
When we broke the kiss, I pressed my forehead to hers, the warmth of her skin grounding me. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice rough with emotion. "For staying."
She smiled softly, her hands running through my hair. "Thank you for being honest with me, Noha."
In that moment, I knew that no matter what happened next, we would face it together. The past was behind us, but the future was ours to write.
Lisa's POV
Later that night, we sat on the balcony of the safe house, the night air cool and crisp against our skin. The stars were bright overhead, their light flickering like tiny diamonds in the sky.
Noha had his arm around me, and I leaned against him, finding comfort in his presence. It was strange, this feeling of peace, considering everything that had happened. But somehow, it felt right.
"Noha?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?"
"I just want you to know," I started, my voice quiet but firm, "that no matter what happens, I'm not going to leave you. You don't have to do this alone."
He looked at me, his expression softening. "I don't want to do this alone," he said, his voice sincere. "And I won't, Lisa. Not anymore."
I smiled, the warmth of his words settling in my chest. We may not have had the perfect start, but we had each other. And that was enough.