Chapter 146

Nathan

Olivia’s car was gone, but I still had hope. There was only a shred of it, but it was there.

“Olivia?!” I called out, bursting out of my room as I looked wildly up and down the hallway. “Olivia, are you here?!”

I jogged down the hallway to her room, but my question was already answered before I even reached it. Her door was wide open, and she wasn’t in there.

Cursing under my breath, I ran down the steps; I scoured that little villa as though she was in some sort of hiding place, covering her mouth and giggling like we were kids playing hide and seek again.

I searched everywhere, racking my brain for every place where she used to hide during our childhood games, but she was gone. I guess I already knew that, though.

The weight of the silence in the empty villa was nearly unbearable, pressing down on my chest with an intensity that left me gasping for breath. The realization that she was gone, combined with the gut-wrenching sensation of fear as I realized that I was pretty certain that I knew where she went, urged me to act.

The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed to mock me, reminding me of the precious seconds I was wasting. I tried to think rationally, tried to trace her steps, but my mind only provided a single, haunting word—Colin.

Whispers of the past, my mother’s letter speaking of safety, plagued my mind. My heart raced, adrenaline pumping through my veins as memories flooded my senses. Olivia was in grave danger, and I had a sinking feeling that I knew where she had gone.

The car keys felt cold and heavy in my hand. Without sparing a second, I bolted out of Olivia's home and into my weather-beaten sedan. The engine roared to life, breaking the stillness of the night.

The road stretched on endlessly ahead, a dark ribbon winding through the shadows, leading me straight to my father’s grand estate.

As I drove, thoughts of Olivia clouded my mind.

Why would she go there? What could she possibly hope to find? The horrifying notion that she had discovered something about Colin, something he didn’t want to be known, gnawed at me. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles white.

The familiar outline of my childhood home loomed in the distance. Its imposing stature seemed even more menacing in the moonlight. A single light burned from the study. My heart sank— seeing that light was the worst possible sign.

Quietly shutting the car door behind me, I approached the mansion with caution. The old oak door, once welcoming, now seemed like the entrance to a monster’s lair. I hesitated, memories of my mother’s letter flashing through my mind.

“I fear for my safety, Nathan, and possibly yours.”

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped into the cold, grandiose hallway.

The sound of muffled voices led me to the study. My pulse quickened. Olivia's voice, frantic and terrified, intertwined with the even, sing-song tone of Jenifer. My worst fears had come to fruition.

The sliver of light escaping through the slightly opened door of the study painted a dim, golden rectangle on the polished marble floor of the hallway.

Drawn to the muted sounds of confrontation, I approached quietly, pressing myself against the cold, ornate wall beside the door. My heartbeat echoed in my ears, a rapid drumbeat that seemed almost deafening in the stillness of the mansion.

Peering through the crack, the scene that unfolded before me was like a haunting artwork brought to life. The grandeur of the room, with its towering bookshelves and elaborate decor, was overshadowed by the palpable tension between the two figures in the center.

Olivia, with her honey-golden hair cascading over her shoulders, stood defiant yet visibly shaken. The soft light from the ornate desk lamp cast a glow on her pale face, accentuating her eyes that darted around the room, seeking an escape.

Her hands tightly clutched a leather-bound folder, her knuckles white from the strain. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable, yet there was a burning determination, a fire that refused to be extinguished.

And then there was Jenifer.

Wearing a white nightgown, her eerie figure cast a long shadow that seemed to dance mockingly on the walls. Her face was as calm as ever, but her eyes were like snakes’ eyes—cold, unyielding, predatory—and they were locked onto Olivia like she had just caught a field mouse for dinner.

The atmosphere in the room was thick with dread. It felt as though the world had narrowed down to this one moment, this singular point in time where the balance of power teetered precariously.

“What were you doing in here, Olivia?” she asked sweetly, advancing on her. Olivia tensed and shrank further into the corner, clutching the folder even more tightly in her hands.

“Back off, Jenifer,” Olivia hissed. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“Doesn’t it?” Jenifer cocked her head, shooting Olivia a menacing glare that betrayed the anger hidden below her calm surface. “This is my house, though, isn’t it? And you’re an intruder.”

Olivia swallowed. “You’re not scaring me, Jenifer,” she said. “I’m just here for this file. Let me go, and I promise—no matter what’s in here—I’ll keep you out of it. This is between me and Colin.”

Jenifer let out another low, mocking laugh. “Colin? Do you want me to wake him up, then?”

Without hesitating for another moment, I burst into the room. “Leave her alone, Jenifer.”

Jenifer, seemingly not expecting me to be there, whirled around, her eyes flashing dangerously. The predatory grin she wore made my skin crawl. This was no longer my sister. This was… This was a monster.

“Ah, Nathan,” she hissed. “Decided to join our little party? Or were you the one who sent your ‘girlfriend’ here to begin with? I suppose I’d expect you two to be working together at this point.”

Olivia's eyes met mine, a mixture of relief and terror. “Nathan…”

I wanted to ask her why she came here like this. It seemed impulsive and dangerous. But now was not the time for questioning; Olivia had her reasons, and that was all that mattered.

“Jenifer, just let her go,” I said, holding my hands up in defense as I came closer and positioned myself between the two of them. “It’s not worth it. It’s just one file.”

“So?” Jenifer cocked her head, mockery flashing through her eyes. “I have a file, too. Both of these files could ruin all of our lives, you know.”

“What do you mean?” I lowered my hands slowly, feeling how Olivia’s shoulder pressed into me. She was trembling.

Jenifer, with another wry chuckle, walked over to one of the bookshelves that lined the walls. The way her nightgown moved around her ankles, the way that it covered her feet and how smoothly she moved, made her appear as though she wasn’t even walking, but rather levitating. Like a ghost.

I put an arm around Olivia’s shoulder while Jenifer’s back was turned. The two of us exchanged glances, and I motioned my eyes over to the door, indicating that we should run.

But as I looked down at Olivia, I realized that she had other plans. Her fingers quickly typed out three numbers on her phone, then hit the call button. She gave me a silent, firm nod, then quickly hid her phone behind her back.

Just then, Jenifer turned back around with a folder in her hands. She held it up with a toothy grin as she approached, and opened it on the desk that stood between us to reveal something that I hadn’t expected.

Pictures. Dates. Notes.

“While you two have been busy snooping into other people’s business, so have I,” she said, her voice lilted and cheery. “I knew that baby wasn’t yours, Nathan. And now I have proof.”

Olivia and I both became even more tense as she pulled out two things: a cassette tape and a photograph. She held both up; the cassette tape had a label on it that read ‘Olivia’s Voicemail to Ryan’ and the photograph was clearly taken when Olivia met with Ryan for dinner.

We were caught in our lie.

Without so much as a word, Jenifer placed the two things back inside the folder, snapped it shut, and held it tightly under her arm. She held her other hand out with a smirk, aimed at Olivia.

“Now, hand the folder over, Olivia… Or I’ll release this information. Nathan will never be on the Council again. You’ll both be banished from the pack, and labeled as liars and traitors for the rest of your miserable lies.”

She then slowly turned to look at me, her eyes showing no hint of warmth or love, no matter how many years we had grown up together. Suddenly, I came to the realization that all of those hugs, all of those family dinners, Christmas mornings, personal talks… They were all acts.

Jenifer never loved me. She was never my sister.

She was a snake.

“Go on, hand it over,” she said. “Or I’ll ruin your lives.”