Chapter 154 No One Can Hurt You

Being denied by Anne cut Noelle deeply. After the event ended, she slipped away in a hurry, unwilling to face the awkwardness of staying behind. She couldn't bear to see her old teammates. Back at her small apartment, she drowned herself in bottle after bottle of liquor. By the time Hunter arrived, the floor was littered with empty bottles. Noelle sat slumped on the carpet, tilting her head back for another swig—only for him to snatch the bottle out of her hand. "Enough," he said firmly. He knew what it must have done to her to see Anne again after all these years, especially now that Anne stood beside her greatest rival. Noelle shook her head with a bitter smile. "When I had that accident and missed the Tempest Cup, everyone thought I was a coward, that I had lost my nerve." Her voice caught. She buried her face against her knees. "When I woke up, it was already over." The media plastered Nancy's triumph across every headline. The once dazzling Solar Squad vanished overnight,