My Bestie's Dad Likes Me Wet-Chapter 104 TRUTH

NOVA POV

Sam sat across from me at the small kitchen table, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee he hadn’t touched. I’d made it for something to do with my hands, some semblance of normalcy before I shattered everything.

"You’re scaring me," he said quietly. "Just tell me what’s going on."

I looked at this man who’d spent six years of his life loving a ghost. Who’d built cribs for my babies and taught them how to ride bikes and kissed me like I was precious. Who deserved so much better than what I was about to give him.

"My name isn’t Elizabeth Moore," I said.

The words hung in the air between us. Sam’s expression didn’t change immediately, like his brain needed a moment to process what I’d just said.

"What?"

"My name is Nova Hart. Elizabeth Moore is... she’s not real. I made her up. The ID, the social security number—it’s all fake."

Sam set down his mug slowly, deliberately. "I don’t understand."

"Six years ago, I was a different person. I was in college on a full scholarship. I had friends. I had a future. And then..." My voice cracked. "And then I made a mistake. A big one. And my entire life fell apart."

"What kind of mistake?"

I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t watch his face as I confessed everything. So I stared at my hands instead.

"I fell in love with someone I shouldn’t have. Someone older. Someone... complicated. And his daughter—my best friend—she found out. She was angry. So she destroyed me."

"How?"

"She had someone record us. me and her dad together in an intimate session. And she leaked it to my school, to my sponsors, to everyone. My scholarship was revoked. I was expelled. My reputation was... I became a joke. A scandal. The sex tape girl who fucked her best friend’s dad."

I heard Sam’s sharp intake of breath, but I couldn’t stop now. The truth was pouring out after six years of holding it in.

"I found out I was pregnant the day I left. Took three pregnancy tests in a shitty motel bathroom and realized I was carrying the baby of a man I could never see again. So I ran. I bought a fake ID, changed my name, and disappeared. And I became Elizabeth Moore."

"The boys," Sam said, his voice tight. "Their father—"

"Doesn’t know they exist. He doesn’t know where I am. No one does. Or... no one did." I finally looked up at him. "That phone call was from my old roommate. My godmother died. And apparently there are people looking for me."

Sam’s face was pale. "People? What people?"

"I don’t know. Maybe him. Maybe his daughter. Maybe no one. But I have to go back. I have to handle my godmother’s affairs and figure out who’s asking questions and—" I stopped, my throat closing up. "And I’m sorry, Sam. I’m so sorry. You deserved the truth from the beginning, but I was scared and selfish and—"

"Stop." Sam’s voice cut through my spiral. "Just stop for a second."

I stopped.

He ran his hands through his hair, a gesture I’d seen a thousand times when he was trying to work through something. "So for six years, I’ve been calling you by the wrong name."

"Yes."

"And everything you told me about your past was a lie."

"Yes."

"And the boys’ father—this man you loved—he’s some rich older guy who doesn’t know his sons exist."

"Yes." The word felt like acid in my throat.

Sam was quiet for a long moment. Then: "Does he know you were pregnant when you left?"

"No. I found out after. I left my phone in that motel room with the pregnancy tests. I don’t know if he ever found them or if he’s even looking for me anymore. It’s been six years. He probably moved on."

"And you?" Sam’s eyes met mine, and the hurt there made me want to die. "Have you moved on?"

The question hung between us. Have you moved on?

I thought about Grant. About the way he’d looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. About his hands on my skin and his voice in my ear and the way he’d made me feel alive and terrified and completely consumed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

And then I thought about Sam. About six years of quiet stability. About goodnight texts and homemade cribs and patient kisses. About a man who’d never asked for anything except the chance to care for me.

"I don’t know," I whispered. "I thought I had. I thought Elizabeth Moore had moved on. But Nova Hart..." I shook my head. "I don’t know who she is anymore. I don’t know if she ever really moved on or if she’s just been hiding."

Sam nodded slowly, like he’d expected that answer. "What was his name? The father."

"Sam—"

"I need to know. If I’m competing with a ghost, I need to know his name."

"You’re not competing with—"

"His name, Elizabeth. Or Nova. Or whoever you are." There was an edge to his voice now, frustration bleeding through. "Tell me his name."

"Grant," I said quietly. "Grant Calloway."

Sam’s eyes widened. "The billionaire? That Grant Calloway?"

"You know him?"

"Everyone knows him. He’s been in the news for years. Business acquisitions, hostile takeovers..." Sam stopped, realization dawning. "He’s been looking for you. All this time, he’s been looking for you."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"There were articles. Years ago. About him searching for some missing woman. They never released her name, but there were rumors about a scandal at a college, a viral video..." He stared at me. "That was you. You’re the woman he’s been searching for."

I couldn’t breathe. Grant had been looking for me. For years and my stupid heart is thrilled about this.

"I didn’t know," I whispered. "I threw away my phone. I changed my name. I thought he’d give up, thought he’d—"

"He didn’t give up." Sam’s voice was flat. "And now you have to go back."

"I don’t have to—"

"Yes, you do." Sam stood up, pacing. "Your godmother is dead. People are asking questions. If you don’t handle this, they’ll keep digging. And eventually, they’ll find you. Find the boys."

"I know." My hands were shaking. "That’s why I have to go. But Sam, I need you to understand—"

"What do I need to understand, Nova?" The way he said my real name sounded wrong in his mouth.

"That the woman I’ve loved for six years doesn’t exist?" I knew he loved me but I didn’t expect the confirmation during a conversation like this. "That the boys I’ve raised call me Dad but they have a billionaire father who doesn’t know they exist? That you kissed me tonight while you’re still in love with another man?"

"That’s not fair—"

"Fair?" Sam laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You want to talk about fair? I’ve given you six years. Six years of patience and support and love, and you couldn’t even tell me your real name."

"I was trying to protect you—"

"Bullshit. You were protecting yourself." He stopped pacing, his eyes boring into mine. "You were hiding. And you let me fall in love with a lie."

The words hurt but they were true because he was right. God, he was right.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Sam, I’m so sorry. You deserved better than this. You deserved the truth from the beginning, but I was scared and—"

"I know you were scared. I know something happened to you. I’ve always known you were running from something." His voice softened slightly. "But I thought when you were ready, you’d tell me. I thought you trusted me."

"I do trust you—"

"Then why didn’t you tell me?" The pain in his voice broke me. "Why couldn’t you trust me with the truth?"

"Because if I told you the truth, Elizabeth would disappear. And she’s the only version of me that gets to be happy. The only version that gets to have you and the boys and this quiet life. Nova Hart..." I shook my head. "Nova Hart ruins everything she touches."

Sam stared at me for a long moment. Then he walked over, crouched down in front of my chair, and took my hands in his.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice steady despite the pain in his eyes. "I don’t care if your name is Nova or Elizabeth or Jane Doe. I don’t care about your past or your scandal or your mistakes. What I care about is that you lied to me for six years. And I need time to process that."

"Sam—"

"But I also care about those two boys sleeping in the other room. They’re my sons in every way that matters. And I’m not abandoning them, no matter what happens between us." He squeezed my hands. "So you’re going to go handle your godmother’s affairs. You’re going to figure out who’s looking for you and deal with whatever you need to deal with. And I’m going to stay with you and take care of Phoenix and Asher."

"You’d do that?"

"Of course I’d do that. They’re my kids." His voice cracked slightly. "Even if their father is a billionaire who’s been searching for them for six years."

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. "Thank you."

"Don’t thank me yet." Sam stood up, letting go of my hands. "When you come back—if you come back—we’re going to have a long conversation about trust and honesty and what the hell we’re doing here. But right now, you need to go. Before whoever’s looking for you shows up here."

He was right. I knew he was right.

"When do I leave?" I asked.

"Tomorrow. I’ll take the boys for the weekend. Tell them you have a work trip or something. Don’t tell them the truth until you know what you’re dealing with."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

Sam headed toward the door, then stopped. Without turning around, he said, "One more question."

"Anything."

"If Grant Calloway shows up and wants his sons back, what are you going to do?"

The question hung in the air. "I don’t know," I whispered.

Sam nodded once, like that was the answer he’d expected. Then he left, the door closing softly behind him.

I sat alone in my kitchen, surrounded by the life I’d built as Elizabeth Moore, and realized I had less than twenty-four hours before I had to become Nova Hart again.

And I had no idea if Nova Hart would survive what came next.