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Aria continued to cry for a long time, and all Noah did was hug her as he rubbed her back gently. He did not say a word, console her, or even kiss her. She needed to let out all that she had tolerated, and Aria was glad that he was giving her her time.

They stayed in each other\'s embrace for a long time until Aria\'s cries died and were reduced to hiccups. She wiped her cheeks and pushed herself closer to Noah\'s chest, taking more of his warmth. "Once Maggie joined Jared\'s gang, we could not continue with what we doing." She hiccuped softly. "But that did not stop us. We pulled in Ivy to our plan, and then we started to use the media to pull them down."

Noah recalled how the matter first came into full view before the public, courtesy of Ivy\'s brave work. It was only after the video went viral that people started to take note of the problem again. Though the matter had already become an issue when Mr. West was investigating it, it had not become a nationwide problem.

"We stopped Jared\'s men from releasing the virus. We stopped our country from facing a huge disaster. We stopped people from dying. But we could not stop the war. By the time, Maggie found out about it, the war had already started, and we could do nothing. Even Dad was poisoned because of him as he was close to finding out the real mastermind behind the organ trafficking case.." Aria was yet to continue when Noah stopped her suddenly.

"What do mean the war had started?" Noah pulled back at once and stared at her in shock. His mind immediately went back to the recent war that had taken place between the two countries and how Aria had added her name to the list of medical staff assisting the soldiers. "Did you know about it all along?" He narrowed his eye dangerously, and his look was enough to send chills down Aria\'s spine.

Aria did not have the courage to face him and his menacing gaze. So, she lowered her eyes and nodded meekly. Something snapped in Noah\'s mind after getting her response. He was pissed now, and Aria could sense it without even looking at him. He was radiating a cold aura around him, and Aria realized what she had done.

"Aria, you only added more to your punishment." Noah gritted his teeth, and his words made Aria\'s head shoot up.

"Punishment? What punishment?"

"Let\'s just say you will be punished for everything you have put me through." Noah\'s reply was vague. But Aria understood what he was implying, and her jaw dropped at once.

"Noah, listen to me. It is not how you think it is." She held his hand, and fortunately for her, Noah did not move back.

"Then, please enlighten me, Aria."

"Maggie could not leave the gang, and we had to do something about the traitors who wanted to destroy our country."

"She could have informed her superiors in the Intelligence," Noah remarked, his eyes not leaving Aria\'s face.

"No, she couldn\'t. There were spies in the Intelligence. Jared\'s men working undercover. Moreover, his father was the Chief of Intelligence. How could we approach them?" Aria revealed the dilemma they had faced, and Noah\'s stance softened. It would have been a disaster if Jared\'s men were to find out that Maggie was working against them. And that would lead to them finding out about his beloved. 

But he was still not convinced. "Why didn\'t you tell me? We could have sorted out this together."

"I don\'t know Noah. I don\'t know why I feared revealing the truth to you. Maybe because I assumed you to become angry once the truth came out. Or it might be that I did not have the confidence to face you. I didn\'t want you to loathe me." Aria replied and lowered her head.

A cool breeze blew past them, and her loose strands swayed with the wind. The couple was too busy to notice how beautiful the weather was and how mesmerizing the sky had turned as the sun inched closer to the west. 

Noah sighed in defeat. This time he did not any words to rebuke her with, for he too had done the same. He had hidden his identity and about her father on fearing Aria\'s reaction. So, he was in no position to blame her. Yet, he could not stop thinking about the possible danger Aria would have been in if things were to go wrong in the warzone.

"Maggie knew about the traitors in the army, and you signed up to accompany the medical staff so that you could deal with them. Am I right?" He bent his head slightly so that he could meet Aria in the eye. Aria just nodded her head in response.

"Did you also know who they were?" Noah questioned, and Aria\'s once distraught face flashed in his mind. He recollected how broken she had been once she returned from the war. Noah frowned, a lot of questions popping in his mind.

Aria shook her head frantically. "No, we did not know who they were. So, I could not take anyone\'s help. I had to search for them myself. I did not even know how many they were in number."

"Noah nodded in understanding. In that case, why did you fall sick after shooting the last guy?" 

Aria bit her lip as she tried to arrange her messed up thoughts. "Kevin was the last traitor remaining, and somehow Major Ethan found out about the traitors in the army. He started to tackle them one by one, making my job easy. But I guess he was not discreet in eliminating them. So, Kevin found out about it. I happened to stumble upon their fight when Kevin tried to kill the Major."

Aria took a glance at the man who was waiting for her to continue. "I could not kill him right away as that would alert the Major. So, I tricked them into my ploy."

"Are you saying that you waited until you had no other choice but to kill the man? Is this how you escaped from the Major doubting you and your abilities?" Noah read between her lines and understood her plan at once.

"Yes, I did. But I could not pretend as though nothing happened after killing the man. I could not let the others know that I was not affected after killing someone. So, I had prepared for a situation like this."

"And what had you prepared?" Noah found it incredulous as Aria revealed her plans one by one. He was still stupefied to know that his woman had risked her life to protect the nation. Although his heart swelled up in pride, he was livid too. Her carelessness irked him, and he made it a point to punish her for putting her life in grave danger. 

"I don\'t think you know that I am allergic to pears." Aria bit the side of her cheek, and Noah did not have to be told any further to know what she had done.

"What the fuck!! Aria, you ate pears so that you could not raise suspicion on your actions. Are you insane?" His voice rose significantly, and Aria flinched hearing him. She had never seen him this incensed, not at her at least, and suddenly, she was having an ominous feeling.

"No, I did not eat pears. I ate a pear candy."

"There is no difference, Aria." Noah ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Noah, listen to me." Aria stepped closer to him, hoping for the man to understand her point of view. "I am just mildly allergic to pears. They are not life-threatening. I just get a fever and my eyes turn red."

Noah did not speak a word, and on seeing that Aria was about to coax him, he glared at her. This eventually shut her up. Nobody said a word for a few seconds, and finally, Noah gave up when he saw how pitiful his sweetheart looked.

"Aria, what do I with you?" He sighed lightly and pulled the girl to him before he embraced her tight. "You make me worry for you."

"I am sorry, Noah. I really am. Please forgive me." She hugged him back, her shoulders finally relaxing. She had got all her secrets out, and her heart felt light and at ease.