Chapter Two What Happened That Night?

I didn't sleep much after seeing the message.

“Did she find out?” The words kept circling through my mind.

“Who was she?”

“And what exactly was she supposed to find out?”

I wanted to wake Ronan and ask him immediately, but something stopped me.

After all, it was Vivian, his younger sister.

There were a hundred innocent explanations for that message, and I wasn't going to accuse my husband based on four words.

Especially after the mistake I'd made with the livestream. So I waited until morning.

Morning came by too fast. Ronan was already dressed when I came downstairs. He stood by the kitchen counter, drinking coffee while scrolling through his phone.

He looked up. “You're awake early.”

“I couldn't sleep.” I smiled slightly, walking towards him.

His eyes moved over my face. “Why?”

I reached for a glass of water. “Your phone kept buzzing last night.”

He looked at his phone. “Vivian? Oh! Yes, she sent me a message.”

I nodded. “What did she want?”

His expression changed for the briefest moment. Then he sighed, “It's nothing you need to worry about.”

I placed the glass on the counter. “That's what you said yesterday.”

He looked at me. I forced a small smile.

“I'm just curious.”

Ronan put his phone down. “Vivian is dealing with something she doesn't want our parents to know about.”

“What kind of something?”

“It's personal. She is entangled in a personal situation…”

“And she asked if I found out?” I cut in, sharply.

He nodded. “She was asking whether our parents had found out.”

I frowned. “Then why didn't she just say that?”

“Because Vivian panics whenever she thinks she's in trouble.” He walked toward me. “She asked me to cover for her. That's all.”

“Cover for her? I don't understand.”

“She has been using me as an excuse whenever she needs to explain where she's been or what she's doing.”

I stared at him. “What is she doing?”

“I promised not to tell. It is a bit complicated.”

I folded my arms. “Ronan. I am your wife.”

“Lydia.” We stared at each other, then he smiled. “You're interrogating me over my sister.”

“Because your sister sent you a suspicious message at midnight.”

He laughed softly. “Fair enough. You have a point.”

He reached for my hand. “But I promise you, there's nothing between Vivian and me that you need to worry about.”

“I never said there was. I am just asking because I am a bit concerned.”

“You were thinking about it too much. Weren't you?”

I rolled my eyes. “ I just want to know. I was not overthinking it.”

He kissed my forehead. “Trust me, My Darling.”

I wanted to. And perhaps that was the problem. I trusted him so easily.

---

By noon, I heard the front door open while I was coming downstairs.

“Lydia?” A female voice called out.

I stopped. Vivian stood in the living room, holding her handbag.

“Hi.” She said, with a weird smile as she moved closer.

“You scared me. How come you are here?” I glanced at her bag.

“Sorry.” She laughed. “I was nearby.”

She leaned over and hugged me. I hugged her back.

Then she looked toward the hallway.

“Is Ronan here?”

“Yes. He is in his study.” I turned towards the stairs.

Her expression relaxed. “Okay. I need to talk to him.” She walked toward the study without hesitation.

I followed her with my eyes. “Vivian? You still have a key to the house?”

She turned, “Of course.” She pulled the key from her handbag. “Ronan gave it to me a while ago.”

I looked at her. “You should call before coming over.”

“Would you actually open the door for me if I did?”

I laughed. “Probably. But still, you should have called.”

“Alright see ya!” She walked away.

I couldn't help smiling. Though I was just a few years older than her. She still treated me like her age mate.

And Vivian had always been comfortable around Ronan. Perhaps too comfortable, but she was his sister.

There were boundaries between siblings that outsiders didn't always understand.

A few minutes later, they came out of the study. Vivian looked relieved, though Ronan looked slightly annoyed.

I glanced between them. “Everything okay?”

Vivian nodded. “Yeah. Everything is okay. As it should be.”

She turned to Ronan. “You're sure?”

“I'm sure.” He responded staring straight at her.

“And Mum won't know?”

Ronan gave her a look. “Not if you stop making careless mistakes.”

Vivian sighed. “I'm trying my best but I just can't help it.”

I watched them. That sounded exactly like the kind of conversation Ronan had described.

She really was hiding something from their parents. My suspicion began to fade.

Vivian walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “Do we have cake?”

I laughed. “You've barely been here five minutes.”

“That's not an answer. Where is it?” She asked, eyes scanning the contents of the fridge.

“Top shelf.” I replied, watching her unravel my fridge.

She took it out without asking. Then she looked at Ronan. “I need some money.”

Ronan didn't even hesitate. “How much do you need?”

“Twenty thousand.” He reached for his phone while I stared at him.

“You're not even going to ask why?” I asked, eyes widened.

Vivian shrugged. “He knows. There is no need for him to ask.”

Ronan transferred the money. She checked her phone, “Got it.”

“That's the last time. I won't ask again.” She chuckled.

“You said that last time.” Ronan rolled his eyes, dipped his phone in his pocket.

“And I meant it.” She grinned, placing her handbag on the counter.

I shook my head. “You two are unbelievable. You guys do this every single time.”

She laughed, “You should have seen us growing up.”

She took another bite of cake. Then, almost casually, she asked Ronan:

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Ten… I am leaving by ten.” He replied, leaning towards the counter.

“Okay! It's decided then.” She continued eating the cake.

I looked at her. “How did you know he was leaving tomorrow?”

She paused for half a second. Then smiled, “He told me.”

Ronan nodded. “I told her the time I would be leaving.”

I looked away. I didn't want to look for things that weren't there; The livestream, the message and now Vivian.

Everything had an explanation. I was beginning to feel ridiculous.

---

Vivian stayed for another hour before finally leaving.

I walked her to the door. She slipped her shoes on and turned toward me. “Thanks for not asking too many questions.”

I smiled. “Should I?” I raised a brow, waiting for her response.

She laughed. “Please don't. It is better this way.”

She opened the door. Then suddenly stopped. “Lydia?”

“Yes?” I responded, hands on the knob of the door.

She looked at me. “Did Ronan tell you what happened that night?”

My smile disappeared. “What night?”

Vivian's face went blank. For one second, she looked genuinely frightened.

Then her eyes moved past me. I followed her gaze, Ronan was standing at the end of the hallway. He wasn't smiling.

“Vivian.” His voice was quiet. But something about it made her straighten.

She looked back at me. “I... I meant… Sorry, my bad.”

“What happened that night?” I repeated.

Vivian swallowed. “Nothing.” She forced a laugh. “I was talking about something completely different.”

“Like what?” I moved closer to her.

She opened her mouth. But nothing came out.

Ronan walked toward us. “Vivian, you should go.”

She nodded quickly. “Right.” She stepped outside. “Good bye, Lydia.”

I watched her walk toward her car. Then I turned around. Ronan was still standing behind me. “What happened that night?”

He looked at me. Something flickered across his face. Then he looked away.

“She got confused.”

“About what?” I shut the door behind me.

“Nothing important. Don't listen to Vivian.”

“Ronan?” I called his name, “ What is she talking about?”

“It's nothing, My Darling.” He held my hands and pulled me to the kitchen.