Noah lifted up his eyes, and for a moment, George thought he would deny it. Instead, Noah gave a low laugh, a bitter prolonged laugh.
"George, it's not as simple as you think." His voice roughened as he went on. "Do you know how this even started? If it wasn't for me, Damien wouldn't have noticed her. Wouldn't have married her. I was the one who told him about her."
George frowned, confused.
"I liked her, always have since we joined college" Noah continued, his gaze far away now, as though he was watching a memory playout. "Back then, Jossy was just this girl I couldn't stop thinking about. I told Damien about her, confided in him like an idiot. And when I showed him who she was," his throat tightened, "the next thing I knew, he was asking her out, like she was some prize he had to take just because I wanted her. Most of the guys wanted her."
George's chest clenched.
"I was shocked at first, but I wanted to be a good friend, so I stepped aside," Noah said quietly. "I told myself it didn't matter that she chose him. I watched her fall for him while he gave her what? bare minimum. And me?" He shook his head, a hollow smile on his mouth. "A week before their wedding, I was losing my mind. That's why I left. To try to forget her. To bury what I felt for her for years."
He paused, his hands tightening into fists on his knees.
"But I came back, George. I had to because of the family business. I thought I had moved on, but nothing has changed. Seeing her now, seeing him treating her like she doesn't matter, do you have any idea what that feels like? The rumors you've heard, the ones on the news?" His voice dropped lower, heavy with shame. "They're true. I was there that night. I watched him leave with those women, and I couldn't stop him. Couldn't protect her. Two years ago, before I left, he promised to treat her right, and all he has done so far is break her down."
His breath was sharp now, his eyes full of rage.
"George, she deserves better. She deserves to be free, to breathe, to choose happiness for herself. Maybe I don't deserve her either. Maybe I'm the last man who should be saying this, but God, George, what I want most is just to see her happy. Even if it's not with me. It has to come from her. She has to decide what she wants to do. As for me, if she lets me, I will support her."
For a few minutes, George couldn't speak. The weight of his cousin's confession pressed against him, suffocating him. He had never seen Noah so raw, so stripped of his easy charm and control. He didn't know what to do or what to say. When he finally found his voice, it was hoarse. "I didn't know, man. I… I didn't know about any of that. It must have stung. More than I can even imagine."
Noah let out a shaky laugh, blinking hard. "Stung? George, it damn near broke me."