Because Noah had not invited him to humiliate him.
And Adrian had stayed long enough to hear the truth.
That mattered.
After midnight, we finally got home.
Noah put the championship medal on the kitchen table.
I put the MVP trophy beside it.
For several minutes neither of us mentioned Adrian.
Then Noah said:
“He left.”
“Yes.”
“You saw?”
“Yes.”
“Are you happy?”
I thought about it.
“No.”
That surprised him.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t need him hurt.”
“I needed him accountable.”
Noah nodded.
“He texted me.”
My stomach tightened.
“What did he say?”
Noah showed me.
I understand. I’m sorry. I won’t contact you again unless you want me to. You were right about Ethan.
I handed the phone back.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s okay.”
