Chapter 4 - A door he never opened.

Teresa didn't take her eyes off Lucas.

The apartment had gone strangely quiet. Emma was back on the living room rug, making her stuffed rabbit "read" the new storybook while Mrs. Lim quietly disappeared into the kitchen, sensing the conversation wasn't meant for her.

Lucas stood near the door with his hands in his pockets. He wasn't avoiding Teresa's gaze this time. "How many keys were made for this apartment?" he asked.

"Three."

"And who had them?"

"Myself." She held up one finger. "Asher."

She stopped. Then looked at him.

"And you."

Lucas gave a single nod. "I had one." The answer came too quickly.

Teresa stared at him. "You're admitting it?"

"I've never lied to you about having the key."

"You've never told me either."

"You never asked."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "That's convenient."

Lucas accepted the remark without reacting. She stepped closer, lowering her voice so Emma wouldn't hear. "Why did you have a key to my apartment?"

"It wasn't your apartment then."

She frowned.

"It was the house you shared with Asher." Lucas glanced toward Emma before speaking again.

"One night, Asher called me." He started narrating…

Teresa folded her arms.

He'd locked himself out after a business dinner. He asked me to keep a spare key in case it happened again."

"You actually believed him?"

"I knew he was lying."

Her brows drew together. "You knew?"

"Yes."

"And you still kept it?"

"Yes, he was my brother."

The words hung in the air. Teresa shook her head slowly. "That's always the excuse."

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, looking briefly at the floor before meeting her eyes again.

"It wasn't an excuse."

"Then what was it?"

"A mistake." The honesty in his voice caught her off guard.

She hadn't expected that.

"I never used the key." He said it quietly. "I never opened your door."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to decide for yourself."

She searched his face, waiting for the slightest crack, the smallest sign that he was hiding something.

"I shouldn't have collected it." He admitted. 

His eyes drifted toward Emma again. "I shouldn't."

"Do you still have it?" Teresa asked. 

"No."

"What happened to it?"

"I gave it back."

"To Asher?"

"Yes." Lucas looked toward the front door. "Call a locksmith today."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll send one."

"I didn't ask you to." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You act like protecting people gives you permission to make decisions for them."

For the first time since he'd arrived, something flickered across his face. "I've learned what happens when I don't protect the people I want to, and I'm not going to make that mistake again." 

Before Teresa could ask what he meant, Emma ran over holding the rabbit in one hand and the storybook in the other. "Uncle Lucas."

He crouched until they were eye level. "What is it?"

Emma held up the book proudly. "Will you read this next time?"

Lucas smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"If your mom says it's okay."

Emma nodded as though that settled everything. "Okay!"

She skipped back to the rug.

Teresa watched the exchange, there was no awkwardness or hesitation.

Emma trusted him. Far more than she should.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

By lunchtime, Teresa was back at the interior design firm where she'd spent the last eight months rebuilding her career.

The office buzzed with conversations about deadlines and client meetings. Someone had brought pastries. Music played softly from a speaker near reception.

For a few hours, she managed to lose herself in work.

Until the receptionist appeared at her office door. "Teresa?"

She looked up from a floor plan. "Yes?"

"Someone's here to see you."

"I don't have an appointment."

The receptionist smiled. "I don't think he needs one."

A ripple of whispers spread through the office before Teresa even stood. She stepped into the reception area.

Asher stood there in a tailored navy blue suit, holding a bouquet of white lilies.

Every head in the office turned. His smile was warm.

Effortless. The same smile that had charmed investors, reporters... And once, her.

"There you are," he said, walking toward her. "I was beginning to think you'd hide from me all day."

Teresa didn't take the flowers. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to congratulate you."

"For what?"

"I heard your firm won the Marina Bay redevelopment contract."

She hadn't told him. Very few people even knew.

The receptionist clasped her hands together.

"Your ex-husband is so thoughtful."

Asher chuckled softly. "I've made plenty of mistakes." He held the bouquet out again. "The least I can do is support the mother of my daughter."

Several of Teresa's coworkers exchanged impressed looks. She hated every second of it because this was exactly who Asher wanted them to see.

Kind, respectful and gracious.

She accepted the bouquet only to stop the scene from growing larger. "Can we talk outside?"

"Of course."

The smile remained until they stepped into the quiet corridor. The moment the office door closed behind them...

It disappeared. Asher's hand slipped into his pocket. "I see you've been spending time with Lucas."

She folded her arms. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"It means..." He looked down the empty hallway before returning his attention to her. "Lucas has always wanted things that belonged to other people."

She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"When we were children, if I bought something, he suddenly needed it."

His smile returned, smaller this time. "When Father praised me, Lucas worked twice as hard."

He leaned in slightly. "When I married you..."

He didn't finish the sentence. Teresa's fingers tightened around the flowers. "You're lying."

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"Or maybe you're asking the wrong brother for answers."

He stepped back. "I'll see Emma on Friday." Then he walked away.

Teresa remained where she was until the elevator doors closed behind him.

The lilies suddenly felt heavier than they had a minute ago.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

That evening, Emma sat at the dining table coloring a princess with bright purple hair.

Teresa chopped vegetables in the kitchen, though she'd been staring at the same carrot for almost a minute.

"Mommy?"

"Hm?"

Emma didn't look up from her drawing.

"Why doesn't Uncle Lucas visit anymore like he used to?"

The knife stopped against the cutting board. "What do you mean?"

Her phone rang on the kitchen counter.

The screen lit up with a familiar name.

Lucas.

She answered after the second ring.

"Hello?"

His voice was calm. Way too calm. "Did Asher visit you today?"

Teresa's hand tightened around the phone.

She hadn't told him. Slowly, she lowered herself into the nearest chair.

"...How do you know that?”