Chapter 7 - The Unspoken VowThat night, after Harrison Vance and Julianna Ross departed into the snowstorm with a promising loan evaluation file, the farmhouse returned to a quiet, peaceful calm.
Miriam retired to her quarters, leaving Noah and me standing alone near the roaring stone fireplace.
The snow tapped softly against the high glass windows. The Christmas tree lights cast golden, magical reflections across the timber floor.
Noah walked up to the mantel, picked up the vintage framed photograph of our Las Vegas wedding, and turned to face me.
âDid you mean what you said at dinner, Eleanor?â Noah asked softly, his voice thick with raw emotion. âOr was that just for the bank officer?â
I walked slowly across the rug, stopping inches away from him. I reached out, taking the wooden frame from his hands, setting it gently on the coffee table.
âI didn't lie to the bank officer, Noah,â I whispered, looking up into his dark, loving eyes. âI lied to myself for ten years. I told myself that Las Vegas was a mistake because I was scared to fight for us.â
Noah pulled me into his arms, his hands wrapping around my waist, lifting me off my feet as if I weighed nothing.
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âI never stopped loving you, Eleanor,â Noah declared against my hair, his chest heaving with emotion. âNot for a single day. I kept that photo above the fireplace because this house was empty without you.â
He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine in a deep, passionate, hungry kiss that dissolved ten years of distance, pride, and regret in a single, breathless second.
