Page 85 of Bound By Crimson

Chapter Eighty-Five

What She Didn’t Know

She went to Noah first.

It had only been one night, but it felt like a lifetime.

He was sleeping when she entered the nursery, but his eyes fluttered open the moment she touched his blanket.

He blinked at her, smiled, and reached up like he always did.

She held him close. Rocked him until the weight of the past twenty-four hours loosened its grip on her chest.

She whispered over and over:

“I’m sorry. I’m here. I love you.”

Noah didn’t cry. He never did when she held him.

He just looked at her like he understood everything.

She stayed until his little body relaxed completely against her, his breaths deep and even. Then she laid him down and stepped softly into the dark.

She headed to the garden—to the wall.

The moon was full, silvering the grass.

Grayson was already there.

She paused just short of the bench, surprised to hear his voice first.

“Hey,” he said gently. “Everything alright? I missed hearing you last night. ”

He laughed softly, a little awkward.

“Didn’t realize I’d gotten used to talking to a wall every night. Kind of sad, huh?”

She let out a breath of a laugh. Soft. Almost soundless.

But it was real.

And hearing his voice felt like stepping out into sunlight after being underground too long.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I just needed a night.”

“Hey, no pressure. I mean that. Just…” He stammered for a second. “I guess I got used to knowing you were there.”

She felt warmth rise in her chest. Not the dangerous kind. The kind that didn’t ask anything of her.

“Seriously though,” he added after a pause. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” she lied. “Just tired.”

There was a silence. Not awkward. Just thoughtful.

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” he said quietly. “I mean, you’re not like… the rest of them, I can already tell.”

Another beat. He added with a laugh:

“Besides, people who have big names and bigger estates—there are always stories. It’s just noise to me.”

Her mouth opened… then closed.

She looked up at the stars like they might answer for her.

Finally, she said it: “They’re not my family.”

Her heart pounded.

“I’ve just… kind of been stuck here.”

She braced herself for the silence that followed. For judgment. For suspicion. For the questions.

But none came.

Only his voice, soft and steady:

“You don’t have to explain unless you’re ready.”

And in that moment, she believed he meant it.

“I probably ramble on most nights,” he said with a sheepish laugh. “But it’s been a long time since I’ve talked to someone who feels real. You seem kind—and not in a fake way. That’s rare nowadays.”

Lyric wondered if she could actually trust him.

Even if she could… she could never tell anyone the full truth .

She had to protect Noah from all of that.

“I have a child,” she managed to say.

“You’ve got a kid?” he said, surprised—not mocking, just… interested. “That’s pretty amazing.”

He was quiet for a second. “Honestly,” he added quietly, “that just makes me like you more. I didn’t grow up with much. The idea of being someone’s whole world like that? That hits different.”

There was a pause.

“Tell me more. Boy or girl? What’s their name? How old are they?”

“His name is Noah,” she said proudly, and her voice caught with emotion. “And he is…”

She trailed off.

“He is…”

How old is he?

She didn’t know.

No calendars.

She didn’t even know how old her own baby was.

“I’ve gotta go,” she said quickly.

She turned, already walking.

“Wait—” Grayson called.

But she didn’t respond.

She slipped back into the shadows.

And didn’t look back.