Noah's POV
The next two days passed surprisingly peacefully.
Or at least, that was what I kept telling myself.
Work remained busy.
Diamant remained in Country B.
We still spoke every evening through video calls.
And despite everything, I had managed to convince myself that the parcel didn't matter.
Because it didn't.
Not really.
Whoever had sent it wanted a reaction.
Wanted me to doubt Diamant.
Wanted me to question our relationship.
And I refused to give them that satisfaction.
I trusted Diamant.
That hadn't changed.
Wouldn't change.
Still...
Sometimes, when I was alone, my thoughts wandered.
To the photographs.
To the woman.
To the question I never asked.
I hated myself for it.
Because every time I saw Diamant's face on my phone screen, all those doubts seemed ridiculous.
The man looked exhausted.
The project in Country B was clearly keeping him busy.
Investor meetings.
Construction inspections.
Business dinners.
Contract negotiations.
He barely had time to sleep.
Cheating?
The thought felt almost insulting.
Diamant barely had enough free time to breathe.
Which was exactly why I nearly dropped the cup in my hand when my office door opened that afternoon.
A courier stood outside.
"Mr. Noah?"
Something inside me immediately tightened.
"Yes?"
"I have a package for you."
The cup slipped slightly in my grip.
A package.
Again.
The courier handed over a small envelope before leaving.
No sender.
No information.
Nothing.
Just like the first one.
My heart sank.
Slowly, I looked down at the envelope.
Every instinct screamed at me not to open it.
Throw it away.
Burn it.
Forget it exists.
But curiosity was a dangerous thing.
And fear was even worse.
My fingers moved before my brain could stop them.
I tore the envelope open.
A flash drive dropped into my palm.
Nothing else.
No photographs.
No note.
Just a flash drive.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
I stared at it for several seconds.
Then walked toward my laptop.
Maybe it was nothing.
Maybe it was another pathetic attempt.
Maybe—
The screen lit up.
A single video file appeared.
No title.
No description.
No sender.
My pulse began to quicken.
I clicked it.
The video started.
At first the footage was shaky.
Clearly recorded from a distance.
Then the camera focused.
And my entire body froze.
Diamant.
The video showed Diamant.
The same suit.
The same watch.
The same city.
Country B.
The same woman from the photographs.
My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.
The footage continued.
The two of them exited a building together.
Talking.
Walking side by side.
The woman seemed to be saying something.
Diamant listened.
Then she laughed.
The video zoomed in.
Too much.
Almost as if whoever filmed it desperately wanted to create a specific impression.
My chest felt tight.
I forced myself to keep watching.
The woman suddenly stumbled.
A tiny misstep.
Diamant reached out instinctively.
His hand caught her arm.
Steadying her.
A completely normal action.
A human action.
Anyone would have done the same.
But the way the video was filmed...
The angle.
The zoom.
The framing.
Made it appear intimate.
Far more intimate than it probably was.
I swallowed hard.
The footage continued.
The woman smiled at him.
Said something.
Then stepped closer.
Very close.
Too close.
My stomach twisted.
The camera zoomed in again.
Their faces partially obscured.
The distance between them almost nonexistent.
And then—
The video abruptly ended.
I stared at the frozen screen.
My heartbeat echoed loudly in my ears.
Silence filled the office.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
I replayed it.
Then replayed it again.
And again.
Each time searching for something.
Anything.
A clear answer.
But there wasn't one.
That was the problem.
The video wasn't proof.
Not really.
There was no kiss.
No confession.
No obvious betrayal.
Nothing concrete.
Just enough ambiguity to make my mind spiral.
Just enough uncertainty to make me question.
I hated it.
I hated whoever sent it.
I hated the feeling growing inside my chest.
Most of all—
I hated that it was working.
My phone buzzed.
I nearly jumped.
Looking down.
A message.
From Diamant.
Busy day. I'll call tonight. Eat properly.
My vision blurred for a moment.
The familiar message.
The familiar concern.
The familiar Diamant.
The same man who texted me every day.
The same man who worried if I skipped lunch.
The same man who always remembered the smallest details.
A painful lump formed in my throat.
I immediately closed the video.
Locked the laptop.
Shoved the flash drive into my drawer.
Then leaned back in my chair.
I trusted him.
I trusted him.
I trusted him.
So why did this hurt?
Why did my chest feel so heavy?
Why couldn't I stop thinking about that woman?
The rest of the workday became a blur.
I completed tasks.
Attended meetings.
Answered emails.
But my mind remained elsewhere.
Every now and then, the video replayed itself in my head.
The stumble.
The touch.
The smile.
The closeness.
The ending.
The uncertainty.
By the time I returned home, I was exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The mansion felt larger than usual.
Quieter.
Lonelier.
I stood on the balcony overlooking the city.
The evening wind brushed against my skin.
Normally, moments like this helped clear my thoughts.
Tonight they didn't.
Because for the first time since receiving the first parcel...
A question had appeared.
A question I desperately wished hadn't.
When was the last time Diamant and I had spent real time together?
Not work.
Not meals.
Not sleeping beside each other.
Just...
Us.
When was the last time he held me because he wanted to?
When was the last time we went somewhere together?
When was the last time he kissed me first?
When was the last time he even touched me?
The questions came one after another.
Relentless.
Unwanted.
Cruel.
I hated them.
Because every answer felt unfair.
Diamant was busy.
I knew that.
His responsibilities were enormous.
He wasn't neglecting me.
He wasn't abandoning me.
He wasn't—
The memory of the video flashed through my mind.
I clenched the balcony railing.
Hard.
No.
Enough.
This wasn't him.
This wasn't us.
I refused to believe some anonymous stranger over the man I loved.
Diamant Reed would never betray me.
Never.
The conviction remained.
Strong.
Unshaken.
Yet as I stood alone beneath the darkening sky...
The certainty wasn't as effortless as it used to be.
And that realization frightened me more than the video ever could.
Because trust wasn't gone.
Not even close.
But doubt had found a tiny crack.
And through that crack...
It was slowly beginning to seep inside.
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