Hidden Desire in the Hallway

Aiden moved into a wealthy family when his mother remarried, and the moment he made eye contact with his stepbrother Noah, tension surged. Noah was a 26-year-old finance elite, but was forced into a political marriage with a senator's daughter Victoria—the family scandal was the lifeline of his stepfather Richard's campaign. On a late-night rooftop, tipsy Noah revealed his sexuality he'd repressed for years, and they shared their first kiss under the moonlight. They began a secret romance, but lived in fear of being discovered every time they grew close. Victoria sensed something was wrong, took intimate photos and gave them to Richard. Richard threatened Aiden's mother's stable life, and forced the engagement announcement. At the engagement party, Aiden watched Noah put on the ring, then turned and walked into the New York rain. Noah lived a zombie-like existence, and Aiden finally realized that running away wasn't love. On the wedding day, Aiden burst into the church and confessed everything publicly, and Noah took off the ring and left with him. Victoria's schemes and Richard's political scandal were exposed, and the campaign collapsed. Aiden's mother chose to stand by her son and divorced Richard. Noah gave up his family inheritance, and moved into a small Brooklyn apartment with Aiden, starting a real, free life.