The distance between Shawn and Lincoln grew like a festering wound, bitter and ugly. They no longer spoke the same language—where there was once laughter, now there were only sharp glances and colder shoulders. Lincoln had seen too much, understood too much. The boy who used to look up to Shawn now saw the cracks in him, and he didn't bother to hide his disappointment.
And somehow, amid the wreckage, Shawn found himself drifting toward Naledi again. It wasn't love—not in the way it once might have been—but something worn and tired, maybe regret. Naledi remained polite, cordial even, but she never allowed him closer than necessary. Her eyes, once full of light whenever he walked into a room, now looked past him as if he were nothing more than a shadow.
For Naledi, the past was a closed chapter, one she refused to reopen. She had no reason to hold herself back anymore. So when Noah started showing up more often, with his steady presence and shy, teasing smiles, she allowed herself to bask in the effortless chemistry between them. It was undeniable; even the way their eyes locked across a crowded room told a story that neither had dared to speak aloud.
When Noah finally asked her out, he did it under the clever guise of work.
"Since our partners canceled again... maybe we should still meet? Go over the final proposals?" he had asked, almost too casually.
Naledi had smiled. "Sure. Business, right?"
"Business," Noah had agreed, but the sparkle in his eyes said otherwise.
Meanwhile, Shawn was spiraling. Everything—everything—felt wrong. He blamed Melissa for the wreckage of his family, even if deep down, he knew he was the architect of it all. Melissa, however, would not take the blame lying down. Her fury brewed quietly until it found a target: Naledi.
But this time, she wouldn't hurt her directly—no. That would be too obvious. Instead, she aimed for the one thing Naledi would never recover from: her daughter.
Lincoln had moved to high school, his days now packed with new responsibilities and classes, leaving Tiana more vulnerable than ever. Melissa swooped in like a hawk, whispering poison into Tiana's ears. She filled the girl's mind with twisted truths and soft lies, slowly turning her heart against her mother.
The fights began small. An eye-roll here, a rude remark there. But soon, they were shouting matches, with Tiana screaming things that cut Naledi deeper than any knife.
"I wish you'd just divorce Dad already! I wish I could live with Melissa and be in a real happy family!"
Naledi would sit afterward, trembling, the words echoing inside her skull. Shawn, when he was home, would scold Tiana fiercely, but the damage had already taken root. And worse—Tiana would cry, blaming herself, blaming her mother, blaming everyone but Melissa, just as Melissa intended.
Melissa thrived on it, delighting in the way Naledi seemed to crumble a little more each day.
And in those broken moments, it was Noah who became her anchor. He held her hand when she needed strength, listened without judgment, and offered comfort without expecting anything in return.
One rainy evening, Naledi sat with Noah at the small café they often met at.
"I should have been smarter," she said, tracing the rim of her coffee mug. "I married too young. I thought... I thought love was enough."
Noah leaned in, his expression gentle. "What happened?"
She hesitated. Telling him the truth felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. She was terrified of what would happen if she fell.
"I married someone who... who didn't know how to choose me. Even when he promised he would."
Noah's hand brushed over hers, warm and grounding. He didn't ask for details. Not yet. And Naledi clung to that mercy.
Jacob and Max, who had long known the deeper truth, urged her to open up fully.
"You need to tell him, Rain," Jacob said one afternoon when they met at the bookstore. "Before he finds out another way."
"He's going to leave if he knows," she whispered.
"Better he hears it from you than from someone who wants to hurt you," Max added.
But Naledi, cowardly or wise, waited still.
Melissa, meanwhile, wasn't done yet. Her schemes had only just begun. After weeks of nausea, she realized she had missed her period, and the realization thrilled her.
Pregnancy.
It was the weapon she hadn't even dared to hope for.
Immediately, she sought out Margaret, Shawn's mother, who received the news with ecstatic glee.
"Oh, my sweet girl! This will bring the family together again!" Margaret exclaimed, pulling Melissa into a hug. They plotted eagerly, deciding that Tiana's upcoming birthday would be the perfect occasion to announce it.
Melissa arranged everything, steamrolling Naledi's wishes at every turn. Tiana's birthday party would be held at Margaret's estate—whether Naledi liked it or not.
The fight between mother and daughter was monumental. Naledi had never felt so helpless. But in the end, she relented, not wanting to ruin her daughter's special day.
Shawn, away on a business trip, was due to return the morning of the party. Naledi clung to the hope that somehow, she could survive the day without everything falling apart.
The day of the party dawned clear and sunny, a cruel mockery of the storm brewing beneath.
Margaret's estate was bustling with people—family, friends, strangers. Naledi moved through the crowd like a ghost, her smile brittle, her laughter forced.
Tiana was radiant, opening presents with the bright enthusiasm only a child could have. For a fleeting moment, Naledi allowed herself to feel peace.
Until Melissa stepped forward, holding her "gift."
She handed Tiana a beautifully wrapped box. Inside was a baby blanket, soft and blue.
Confused, Tiana pulled it out. "What's this?" she asked.
Melissa beamed, her voice loud enough for the entire room to hear. "You're going to be a big sister, darling!"
The room erupted into cheers and gasps. Margaret clapped gleefully. Strangers congratulated Melissa.
But Naledi—
Naledi couldn't breathe.
She turned and fled, weaving through the crowd, her heart pounding against her ribs. She threw open the front door and ran right into Shawn.
He caught her by the shoulders, steadying her.
"Rain—" he started.
"I want a divorce," she said, her voice steady, final. Her eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. Without waiting for his reply, she pushed past him, her only thought to find Noah. Naledi took a cab to his house, not wanting to drive in her state of mind.
She found him standing outside, near the gardens, his back turned.
"Noah," she choked out.
He turned, and one look at her shattered composure had him moving toward her instantly.
In Margaret's estate, Melissa burst through the door behind her, practically throwing herself at Shawn, squealing about the pregnancy.
Shawn stepped back from her, his face a mask of cold disdain.
"Don't touch me," he said icily. "You have nothing to do with me anymore."
Melissa's face crumpled in shock and humiliation as the guests watched.
Meanwhile, Naledi embraced Noah and decided to tell him what he needed to know.
She turned back to Noah, her hands shaking.
"There's something you need to know," she whispered. "Before you hear it from someone else."
He frowned, concerned.
"I married someone before. Someone who looks like you... because he's your brother."
The words dropped like stones between them.
Noah froze, blinking as if he hadn't heard right.
"Shawn," she said, the name like poison on her tongue. "I'm married to Shawn."
Noah stepped back, hurt flashing across his face—but only for a moment. Then, to her amazement, he smiled sadly.
"You think that changes how I feel about you?"
Naledi couldn't bear it. She shook her head wildly, tears blinding her. She turned and fled into the rain that had started to fall, cold and relentless.
She didn't get far.
Strong arms grabbed her, spun her around.
And then Noah kissed her.
It was a desperate kiss, all teeth and salt and rain. It was a kiss that said, "I see you. I choose you."
Neither of them noticed Shawn standing a few steps away, having followed Naledi, his expression hollow as he watched the woman he once had—the woman he lost—find her heart in someone else's house.