Chapter 6: My Sister’s Husband

Tanith

Vesper arrived at Bellamy House on Thursday afternoon, carrying a bouquet of white lilies and the sort of smile that had convinced people she was incapable of doing anything unkind.

The housekeeper announced her while I was seated in the sunroom, going through documents Arthur had sent over that morning.

“Shall I tell her you’re unavailable, Miss Bellamy?”

My eyes returned to the papers. “No. Show her in.”

There was no reason to hide from my sister in my own home. Besides, curiosity had begun to outweigh the dread. Vesper had never once visited home since she came back to the country. So, whatever she wanted now, it was obviously important enough to bring her here alone.

She appeared in the doorway moments later, dressed in a cream blouse and a pale blue skirt, her long hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders. The lilies rested in the crook of her arm. She looked beautiful, as always, with that pitiful look that made men fall at her feet.

“Tanith.” Her smile faltered when I didn't rise to greet her. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“The housekeeper already told you I was here. What did you expect me to do, disappear?”

She lowered her eyes, accepting the rebuke with a patience that made me feel unnecessarily cruel. It was one of Vesper’s oldest tricks, whether intentional or not. She could turn almost any confrontation into a situation where the other person found themselves wondering if they had been too harsh.

“I brought these for you.” She held out the lilies. “I know they're your favorite.”

“They were.”

A brief silence followed. Vesper glanced at the flowers before placing them on the table between us, careful not to let her expression change. Then she took the chair opposite mine without being invited.

“I didn't come to fight with you,” she started, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “The last few days have been awful, and I've been thinking about everything that happened. I've come to apologize.”

My fingers tightened around the edge of the document, but not a word slipped past my lips. She watched me in silence for a second, then sighed softly. “I truly didn't mean anything bad. You were frightened, and in pain. You must have felt so alone. I'm sorry for that, Tanith. Truly. Never in a million years did I want Caspian to choose between us.”

Something inside me went still. Turning slowly to face her, my eyes took in the flawless look of guilt on her face. Such a beautiful face, accompanied by such a pathetic look. Who would dare doubt her? I smiled, placing the document on the table. “If you truly had no thought of that, then why did you call my husband instead of an ambulance?”

Her expression shifted, but only slightly. “What?”

“When the accident happened at the gallery, why did you call Caspian?" I repeated, watching her expression flicker. "You were surrounded by many other people. There were staff members, visitors, security personnel. Surely somebody could have called emergency services.”

“I panicked.” The answer came softly. “There was blood, and everyone was talking at once. I couldn't think clearly. Caspian was the first person who came to mind, and I knew he would know what to do.”

“Apparently, he did.”

“Tanith, please.”

“Why were you still at Rourke House hours later?”

This time, Vesper looked genuinely wounded. “Caspian insisted I stay. He was worried about me, and I wasn't feeling well enough to leave. You know how he gets when he thinks someone is hurt.”

Yes, I knew. Caspian could be attentive, generous, and almost unbearably tender when he decided someone needed him. He remembered little things, noticed the smallest changes in a person's expression, and could make concern feel like devotion. Once, I had believed that side of him belonged to me.

Apparently, it had never belonged to me alone.

Taking a deep breath, I turned away from her towards the windows. “I understand. You had no other choice, and Caspian couldn't just leave you alone either.”

Relief softened her face. “I'm so glad you understand. You're my sister, Tanith. I would never dream of doing anything bad to you. Neither will Caspian." Her tone became gentler, almost pleading. "You know how much he loves you. And, divorce is a serious decision. Maybe you should give yourself time to reconsider it.”

There it was. The main reason she'd crawled back and acted out this whole play. "So, you've come all this way to be his mouthpiece?" I asked.

"That's not it, Tanith." She replied, looking so misunderstood. "Caspian is struggling too, you know. He's under tremendous pressure at work, and now there's the divorce on top of it. He needs someone steady in his life, someone who understands him and can help him through this.”

"Hmm," I nodded. "He's struggling, so, I should return to the marriage and make his life easier.”

"Why do you always make everything sound so terrible?" She finally snapped, voice pitched high. "Is it that bad that he was there for me when I needed him? It's not like I intentionally meant to hurt you.”

"Of course you didn't." I hisssed, turning back to finally face her. "You simply took away my husband's attention, his love, his devotion, and made me seem like a crazy fool making a scene every single time. I'm just done being the spectacle, Vesper. You can have him if you want. Do you want me husband, Vesper?"

Vesper gasped in shock, her jaw tightening. “Unbelievable. I'm here trying to help, and you're being such a bitch. It's not my fault you can't handle how naturally Caspian understands me. Neither is it that your husband doesn't love you properly.”

She stood up slowly, walking toward me. "You think running away to this family protects you? Snap out of it, Tanith. Reality is much more dangerous. You'll be better off in the safe shadows of being Mrs. Rourke, than in this hellhole."

My brows creased in confusion. "What do you...?"

Before I could finish asking my question though, Grandpa's voice cut into the words. "Get out my house, Vesper!" His voice was sharp and cutting, his expression hard as his gaze moved from Vesper to me, then settled on the flowers between us.

My sister, turned to him so quickly, and the change in her was immediate. The sharpness disappeared, her shoulders drew inward, and her face rearranged itself into something smaller and more vulnerable.

“Grandfather, I only came to see Tanith.”

“And now you've seen her. Leave.”

“Please, I don't want another argument.”

“Then you should have stayed away.”

For a moment, Vesper looked as though she might protest. Instead, she gathered her handbag and glanced at him with an expression I couldn't quite understand, and asked quietly. “Do you still hate me after eight years?”

Granpa said nothing, and his silence seemed to affect her more than his anger had. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag, and the corner of her mouth trembled before she forced it still. “Of course,” she whispered. “Why did I expect anything different?”

She turned toward the door, but before leaving, she looked at me one last time. Whatever apology she had brought with the lilies was gone. All that remained was a cold, searching stare, as though she wanted to know whether I had understood something she hadn't meant to reveal.

Then she walked out.

I waited until her footsteps faded before turning to my grandfather. He was still standing near the doorway, his expression unreadable. The anger had left his face, replaced by a weariness that made him look older than he had that morning.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

A familiar frustration rose in my chest. “That didn't look like nothing to me. What does she mean bay still hating her for eight years? You hated her?”

Grandpa adjusted his grip on the cane. For a moment, I thought he might answer. Instead, he glanced toward the hallway through which Vesper had disappeared. “Some things are better left where they belong, Tanith.”

“Buried?”

His gaze returned to mine, and something in it made the next words catch in my throat. Then, he replied, voice sharper and final. “Forgotten".

Before I could even asked another question, he turned away, leaving me behind with my confusion.