Chapter 6: Caught Red-Handed

Olivia’s POV

“Oh, that?” I let out a light, breezy laugh, forcing my voice to sound completely unfazed. “Noah gave it to me at the estate when the power killed the lights. I needed something to light those thick emergency candles, so I shoved it in my coat and completely forgot to give it back.”

Before Ethan could even process it, I stepped right past him, grabbed a swatch board of white lace from the table, and thrust it toward his face.

“Anyway, babe, do you think this lace trim looks too busy for the dining tables, or should we go with the plain silk?”

Ethan didn’t hesitate for a single second. He casually tossed the silver lighter onto the desk near Noah’s blueprints and grinned. “Plain silk, definitely. Less is more, right?”

“Exactly,” I said, flashing him a bright, practiced smile.

Noah picked up his lighter off the table, sliding it back into his pocket without a word. He didn't say a thing, and Ethan didn't suspect a single detail. Crisis avoided.

Or so I thought.

---

By eight o’clock that evening, Ethan was out the door for a late-night business dinner with Finn, leaving me alone in our sprawling Manhattan apartment.

The moment the front door clicked shut, my fake smile completely vanished.

I paced back and forth across the plush living room rug, my hands shaking so violently I could barely hold my glass of water. Every sound in the apartment made me jump. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Noah’s dark, intense gaze from the storage closet. I was vibrating with so much guilt and sheer panic that I felt like I was going to throw up right onto the polished hardwood floors.

Ding-dong.

I jumped a foot in the air, spilling water over my sweater. I practically ran to the front door and pulled it open.

My sister, Lily, stood on the welcome mat holding a giant paper bag of takeout and two bottles of red wine.

“Hey, bridezilla!” Lily cheered, pushing her way inside with her elbow. “I brought Thai food and alcohol because you looked like you were one minor wedding detail away from a nervous breakdown at the studio today.”

“Lily, hi,” I choked out, trying to catch my breath. “You… you didn't have to come over.”

Lily kicked off her shoes and turned to look at me, her eyes narrowing fast. She walked right up to me, setting the heavy food bag on the kitchen island.

“Okay, what is wrong with you?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re pale, you’re trembling, and you look like you haven't slept in three days.”

“I’m fine!” I said, my voice rising an octave higher than normal. “Just wedding stress. You know how Mom is with the guest lists.”

“Liv, I’m your sister,” Lily said softly, her funny, playful tone completely disappearing into pure concern. “I know you better than anyone. This isn't just wedding stress. Ever since Noah Bennett flew into town, you’ve been acting like a totally different person. The energy between you two at the studio earlier was so thick I could’ve cut it with a butter knife.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. “Noah? There’s no energy with Noah! He’s just Ethan’s best man!”

“Right,” Lily said slowly, eyeing me up and down. “And I’m the Queen of England. Liv, you’re about to marry Ethan in two weeks. If you’re having second thoughts, or if Ethan is pushing you into something you don't want, you need to tell me. You don't have to make a life-changing mistake just to make Mom and Ethan happy.”

“I’m not making a mistake,” I whispered, turning away to grab two wine glasses from the cabinet. “Ethan is great. Everything is fine.”

I set my phone face-up on the kitchen counter right next to the wine glasses.

Buzz.

The screen lit up with a notification from an unsaved number.

Lily stepped closer to the counter to pour the wine. Her eyes accidentally dropped down to the glowing phone screen just as the message preview popped up in bold white text.

I froze. My soul literally left my body as I realized what was on that screen.

I lunged for the phone, but Lily was faster. She snatched it off the counter and held it up, reading the message out loud, her mouth dropping wider with every single word.

“Hey, just wanted to make sure you're feeling okay today,” Lily read, her voice shaking in pure disbelief. “I'm sorry about last night if you're feeling guilty about us fucking, but we need to talk.”

Silence slammed into the room like a heavy freight train.

Lily slowly lowered the phone. Her jaw was slack, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at me like I had grown a second head.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS THIS?!” Lily shrieked, her voice echoing off the high ceilings.

“Lily, give me that!” I begged, reaching for the phone with trembling hands. Tears instantly spilled over my eyelashes and streamed down my cheeks. “Please, put it down!”

“Who is this, Olivia?!” Lily demanded, backing away, her hand over her mouth in utter shock. “Who just texted you about… about fucking you last night?!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!” I sobbed, collapsing onto the kitchen barstool as my knees gave out completely.

“Don't tell me to keep my voice down!” Lily yelled, her face turning bright red. “You’re getting married in two weeks! Who sent this text? Is it… wait. Is this from Noah?!”

I couldn't look her in the eye. I hid my face in my hands and let out a broken, ragged sob.

“Oh my God,” Lily gasped, dropping the phone onto the counter as if it had burned her. “It is Noah. You slept with Ethan’s best man?! At the estate storm night?!”

“I didn't mean for it to happen!” I cried, wiping my face with my sleeves. “I swear, Lily! I was trapped, the power went out, and we were talking by the fire, and… and I completely lost control!”

“Lost control?!” Lily paced back and forth across the kitchen, waving her hands wildly. “Liv, he is Ethan’s oldest friend! Ethan was upstairs planning a life with you, and you were out in the Hudson Valley sleeping with his best man! Are you crazy?!”

“You don't understand!” I sobbed, looking up at her with raw, bloodshot eyes. “It’s not just some random hookup, Lily! I know him!”

Lily stopped dead in her tracks, frowning hard. “What do you mean you know him? He’s lived in California for years!”

“Chicago,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Four years ago. The design conference.”

Lily froze. The anger on her face slowly morphed into utter, total confusion. “Chicago? The conference where your umbrella broke and your phone died?”

“Yes!” I choked out. “Do you remember the guy I told you about? The stranger who helped me pick up my blueprints in the storm? The guy who took me to the diner, talked to me for hours, and kissed me before I had to rush home for Dad’s hospital scare?”

Lily’s eyes went wider than I had ever seen them in my entire life. “The mystery guy? The one you talked about for six months straight after you got back? The guy whose name you never got?!”

“It was Noah,” I sobbed, burying my face back in my hands. “Noah Bennett is the guy from Chicago.”

“Shut up,” Lily breathed, sinking into the barstool across from me, looking completely floored. “You are lying to me.”

“I’m not!” I wailed. “I didn't know his last name! Ethan never showed me a picture of him because Noah hated taking photos! When Noah walked into the hotel lounge four days ago and grabbed my hand, I almost fainted right there on the rug!”

Lily sat in complete, stunned silence for almost a full minute. She stared at me, processing the absurd, chaotic puzzle pieces coming together.

“So… let me get this straight,” Lily said slowly, rubbing her temples. “The one guy who swept you off your feet four years ago—the guy you could never forget—turned out to be your fiancé’s best friend?”

“Yes,” I whimpered.

“And when you guys got trapped in the storm at the estate…” Lily gestured with her hands. “…nature took its course?”

“We fought it,” I whispered miserably. “We tried to pretend we were strangers. But sitting by that fire, listening to the rain… everything just spilled out. He asked me if I wanted him to stay, and I couldn't lie anymore, Lily. I couldn't.”

Lily let out a long, dramatic breath, slumping over the marble counter. “Liv… this is a mess. A toxic, radioactive, explosive mess.”

“I know,” I cried, pulling a napkin from the holder to wipe my nose. “I know it is. I feel sick. I feel like a horrible person. Ethan is so good to me, and I just destroyed everything.”

“You didn't destroy it yet,” Lily said quietly, leaning across the counter to grab my shaking hands. She looked at me with fierce, protective sisterly love. “Ethan doesn't know. Mom doesn't know. But Liv, you need to answer me right now, and you need to be one hundred percent honest.”

I swallowed hard, looking into my sister’s eyes. “What?”

“Do you actually love Ethan?” Lily asked softly. “Or are you just marrying him because he’s safe, and because Mom loves him, and because you think you’re supposed to?”

The question hung in the air, heavy and terrifying. Before I could even attempt to open my mouth and answer, my phone buzzed on the counter again.

Lily and I both glanced down at the screen.

It was a text from Ethan this time: Hey babe, meeting ran short. Driving home now! Be there in 5 mins. Love you!

My heart stopped. I looked at Lily in absolute panic.

“He’s coming up the elevator,” I whispered, my voice shaking violently. “Lily, what do I do?!”

Lily snatched my phone, deleted Noah’s text thread in one quick swipe, and looked me dead in the eye.

“Go to the bathroom, wash your face, and pull yourself together,” Lily ordered firmly. “We’re not done talking about this, Olivia. But if Ethan walks through that door right now and sees you looking like this, your whole life is going to blow up before midnight.”