Chapter 140

Olivia

As my foot landed on the top stair, the thick carpet underfoot seemed to mute my every step, making me soundless.

The grand hallway before me was dimly lit by sconces on either side, their gentle flames throwing long, eerie shadows.

Each door was closed, and I realized that I didn't actually have a clue where Jenifer might have gone. Why I was following her, I couldn’t quite understand. Curiosity? Distrust? Did I expect to find her in the midst of something evil with Colin? Or was it something else entirely?

I stopped at the top of the stairs for a moment and cast a glance back down to see that the foyer was still empty. For a moment, I considered turning back around and heading back downstairs.

Olivia, your curiosity will be the death of you, my father’s voice echoed in my mind.

I swallowed and kept going, although I had no clue where I was headed.

But then, from the far end of the corridor, a muted sound reached my ears—a whisper. Almost instinctively, I found myself drawn to it, my heart thumping loudly against my ribcage.

Approaching the door from which the sound emanated, I recognized it as Colin’s study. I had passed by it the last time I was upstairs, when Jenifer gave me her dress before the hunting ceremony.

The door was slightly ajar, and through the narrow slit, I could see the rich mahogany desk and the towering bookshelves behind.

I saw movement in there. A long, black dress. Long, black hair that cascaded in rivers over her thin shoulders. Jenifer.

But she wasn’t alone. If she was, maybe I wouldn’t have cared to eavesdrop. No, someone was with her, and I recognized him immediately by his tall form.

Colin.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I gently nudged the door with my fingers, widening the gap just a bit more, careful not to make any sound. They were facing away from me, too absorbed in their conversation to notice.

From my angle, I could see Colin and Jen. Jenifer was leaning against the mahogany desk, her long fingers curled around the edge. She tilted her head back. Colin said something, and she smirked.

Jenifer’s hand shot out and caught his tie. She tugged on it, her tongue flicking out across her lower lip. Colin moved closer—and their positions left me paralyzed with shock.

Their bodies were close, too close. They continued their hushed conversation, so low that I could barely make out the words.

“But what if…” Jen’s voice trailed off, full of hesitancy.

“We’ll deal with it,” Colin's voice responded, and there was a firmness to it that I would have never expected from a man who had just lost his wife.

And then, as I strained my ears to hear more, the unimaginable happened.

Colin bent down, his face moving towards Jen’s. My eyes widened in horror as his lips landed on her neck, lingering far too long for comfort.

The world around me seemed to blur, and my stomach churned with revulsion. What was this? It wasn’t grief; it was something dark, twisted, and entirely inappropriate.

Of course I knew that something was going on. Both Nathan and I had our suspicions, founded on decent evidence. But this… this was concrete. I wasn’t prepared for it, and it made me want to retch.

Without even thinking, I spun on my heels and fled, my breath coming in short gasps. My sole focus was to get as far away from that room as possible. The revelations of the past few days, coupled with the sordid scene I had just witnessed, threatened to consume me.

But as I hurriedly descended the staircase, my rapid retreat was cut short. Standing at the foot of the stairs was Nathan, his blue-green eyes searching my face, filled with concern.

“Olivia,” he said, his tone cautious, “what were you doing up there?”

The weight of what I had seen bore down on me, making my words stick in my throat. I couldn’t tell him. Not now, not when he was already dealing with so much pain. So I did the only thing I could think of at that moment—I lied.

“I, um, was looking for the bathroom,” I said, my voice unsteady.

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed. “You've been here before,” he pointed out, a note of doubt creeping into his voice. “You should know where it is.”

A lump formed in my throat. “I guess... I must have forgotten,” I responded, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He stared at me for a moment longer, his eyes sharp, analyzing. And then, as if coming to a silent conclusion, he merely nodded. Maybe he suspected that I saw something that I couldn't walk about right now.

“Come on, let’s go,” he said, offering me his hand.

I took it, grateful for the support. But as we walked hand in hand out of Colin’s grand house, the weight of my secret bore down on me. There was something deeply unsettling going on between Jen and Colin. I was certain of it.

Once we were outside, the chilly night air seemed to help clear my thoughts, at least a little. The car ride home was silent, and every so often, I would catch Nathan glancing in my direction, his expression unreadable.

The truth was, I wasn't sure if I should confide in Nathan or keep the terrible secret to myself. On the one hand, he deserved to know what was going on in his family.

On the other hand, I was afraid of what the revelation might do to him. It would ruin him. It was concrete evidence that Jenifer and Colin’s relationship wasn’t… normal. It would not only shatter what was left of his perception of his family, but it very well could lead to proof that…

That Maria’s death may not have been an accident after all.

We finally reached the villa, and Nathan parked the car. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, he turned to me in the driver’s seat, his gaze piercing.

“Olivia,” he began, his voice hoarse, “I know there's something you’re not telling me. I can feel it.”

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes. “Nathan, I…”

He raised a hand to stop me. “You don’t have to say anything. I trust you. But if there’s something I should know, something that affects either of us, you have to promise me that you’ll tell me.”

I looked at him, torn between my loyalty to him and my fear of causing him further pain.

“There’s nothing," I whispered, trying to hide the tremble in my voice. “I promise.”

For a few moments, Nathan stared at me with a slight sense of disbelief on his face. But he said nothing else. He just nodded and climbed out of the car.

I sat in the passenger seat for a few moments, watching as he stiffly walked up the driveway. Why did I lie? I thought to myself. He already knows that something is wrong. I should have told him. But…

He had his suit jacket clutched in one hand, his other hand shoved into his pocket. His sleeves were rolled up and his tie was loosened.

Under normal circumstances, I would have found him handsome. But now, I just found him sad.

He didn’t head inside. Instead, he took the path around the side of the house, down to the beach. Only then did I finally climb out of the car and go to follow him; but I stopped as I reached the side of the house, and saw how he had begun pacing back and forth on the sand.

I decided to give him some space, some time to think. He deserved at least that.

Because eventually, and probably sooner rather than later, there was a good chance that whatever semblance of ‘family’ he had left in his heart would shatter entirely.