[2]

“Where have you been?”

Nora stopped walking. Her hand tightened around the arm of her personal assistant at home, Clara. “Javier?”

“I called Elena at Virelle Maison. She said you weren’t there.” Javier’s voice sounded full of concern. “I also tried to reach you, but your phone was turned off. Where did you go?”

Nora fell silent for a moment. She had not expected Javier to immediately notice her absence.

“I ... I stopped by the opera house.”

“The opera house?”

“There was a piano performance this afternoon.” Nora tried to sound casual. “I wanted to cheer myself up.”

Javier sighed in relief. His wife did enjoy performances like that, but ... “Next time, you should tell me.”

“I was only gone for a little while, Darling. You don’t need to worry so much.”

“I know.” Javier sighed softly. “But you’re in this condition, Nora. What if something happened to you?”

Javier’s tone sounded slightly firmer.

Nora did not answer.

Javier approached her. A moment later, he took Nora’s hand and guided her inside. “Come on. You must be hungry.”

Javier brought Nora to the dining room. He asked one of the servants to prepare dinner immediately, then instructed Clara that she did not need to do anything.

“Clara, you’ve been taking care of my wife all day. Let me keep her company tonight.”

“Yes, Sir.” Clara stepped back a few steps.

Nora sat in her chair and heard Javier pull out the chair beside her. Not long after, the aroma of roast beef with black pepper sauce filled the room, whetting the appetite of anyone in the dining room.

Javier took Nora’s portion. He cut the roast beef into small pieces, making sure there was nothing that would make things difficult for his wife before placing it in front of Nora.

Those small gestures made Nora feel loved. Javier’s care for her had not diminished at all. Even after the accident that took her sight, Javier was the one who helped her adjust. The man always made sure Nora had no difficulty doing anything.

Then ... how could a man like that have an affair?

Nora lowered her head as she thought hard. Perhaps Keith was wrong. After all, her stepbrother had barely communicated with her for almost five years. Only occasionally, and never extensively. Two days after Nora got married, Keith left home. He said he was continuing his studies abroad, and since then, they had never seen each other.

What about Javier?

The man was by her side every day. Showering her with love and affection. Could it be ... that Keith had another reason for saying something so ridiculous?

“Nora?”

She startled slightly. “Yes?”

“Why haven’t you eaten anything this whole time? Or do you not like the dinner? I’ll ask—”

“No need, Javier,” Nora stopped him with a wide smile. “I like it. Really.”

Javier smiled faintly as he gently stroked the top of his wife’s head. “Finish your dinner. After that, you need to rest.”

The woman nodded slowly. “Javier.”

“Yes?”

“Do you ... love me?”

Javier was stunned. He even clicked his tongue in annoyance at the question. “Are you questioning my love?”

“It’s just—”

“Why are you suddenly asking something like that?” Javier asked firmly. “Do you doubt me?”

“No,” Nora replied. “I have never doubted you.”

Javier sighed. “I love you very much, Nora. No matter what, my love for you has never changed.”

Before Nora could say anything, Javier’s phone rang.

Javier immediately answered it. “Hello?”

He fell silent for a few moments before speaking again. “I’ll come.”

Nora frowned. “Something urgent?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You’re leaving now?”

“I won’t be long.” Javier stood up. He then gave Nora a brief kiss on the side of her head. “Finish your dinner, Darling. And get some rest soon.”

Nora heard her husband’s footsteps moving away without hesitation. But for some reason, this time she could not ignore Keith’s words that echoed in her mind once again.

Your husband is having an affair with my fiancée.

Nora held her breath, then she heard another set of footsteps.

Faint.

Who is that? she asked herself. As if someone was walking after Javier.

Nora said nothing. She heard a car starting outside the house, and the vehicle slowly drove away. Nora remained silent until the sound of the car completely disappeared.

Only then did she turn around. “Clara,” she called.

Her assistant, who had been standing not far from her all this time, immediately approached.

“Yes, Mrs. Nora?”

“Is there someone else in this house?”

Clara’s eyes widened. She even stepped backward because the question was so startling to her.

“Clara?” Nora called again. “Tell me, was there anyone else who came here before I returned?” Nora’s voice remained calm, but this time, there was no gentleness in it.

Clara lowered her head. “Mrs. Nora ... it’s ...”

“Who?” Nora pressed.

Clara bit her lip. “It’s ... Miss Kate.”

Without realizing it, Nora’s hands clenched tightly. For several seconds, she remained silent, processing Clara’s trembling words. “Kate ... was in the house?”

Clara gave a small nod. “Y-yes, Mrs. Nora.”

“Since when?”

Clara grew even more uneasy. She repeatedly wrung the edge of her shirt.

“Don’t you want to tell me?” Nora asked once again.

“Forgive me, Mrs. Nora,” Clara said in a trembling voice. “Miss Kate ... was in the house before Mrs. Nora returned.”

Nora gripped the edge of the table. Her chest thundered heavily. For some reason, Keith’s words from that afternoon echoed in her mind once again.

“Where is she now?”

This time, Clara looked truly nervous. “Mrs. Nora—”

“Answer me!”

Clara looked at Nora with eyes that were beginning to glisten with tears. “Mr. Javier left with Miss Kate, Mrs. Nora. Just now.”

The room suddenly felt very quiet.

Nora said nothing. Both of her hands slowly clenched at her sides. Just a few hours earlier, she had still been trying to convince herself that Keith might be wrong. That Javier could never betray her. That the man she had relied on for five years could never do something like that.

But tonight, for the first time, that certainty began to crack.

And the most painful part was the fact that she could not even see for herself what was actually happening.

Nora took a deep breath.

“Clara.”

“Yes, Mrs. Nora?”

“From now on, if Kate comes to this house again,” Nora paused for a moment. “Tell me. Don’t hide anything from me again. Or are you planning to betray me too, Clara?”