AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tristan looked at me meaningfully. “Did Silvio tell you?”
Carmen flashed him a cold smile. “Nah, she told me, genius. You were there, remember? But honestly, I had already guessed,” she said as I clutched the laptop closer and then reluctantly slammed it shut. “Are you working right now? I’m sure you’re supposed to be resting.”
“Nope. Just on social media,” Tristan answered for me. “You know about these like, mommy bloggers or whatever?”
Carmen shook her head, walking up to me and sitting by my side. “I just thought. You're always so diligent with the books…" She gestured vaguely at my laptop. "...Makes sense you'd have everything in order."
Her words, which I was sure were meant to be innocent, felt like pointed jabs under the circumstances.
“I’m sure Dad can keep his books without my help for a few weeks,” I said.
“I don’t know. I think he probably made a mess of them.”
Tristan's head snapped up so fast it was like he'd been electrocuted.
The atmosphere in the room instantly changed. My heartbeat quickened as Tristan’s gaze met mine, his eyes darting toward Carmen before settling on me with a piercing intensity.
“Well, I’ll sort it out,” I said, forcing myself to keep my voice steady.
“I’m sure you will,” she said. Her assurance sounded final, like a verdict rather than reassurance. I didn’t like it at all. “Actually, I was about to pick up some Chinese food. Just wanted to come in and check in on you myself before I went. You guys text me if you want anything, alright?”
“I will. Thanks, Carm,” I said, giving her a shaky smile. She returned it with a warm one, standing up from the bed and ruffling my hair in an older sister sort of way.
“You better be good to her,” Carmen growled at Tristan before she left.
Tristan watched her leave, his expression unreadable. When the door slammed behind her, he turned to me. “You know it’s her, right?”
“It might not be.”
“Adriana.”
“Tristan.” I mimicked his tone, though my heart was pounding in my chest. My headache had returned as I fought off the confusion of Carmen’s presence and words, but I tried to remain calm, for both our sakes. For all of our sakes. The weight of the family I was trying to uphold felt impossibly heavy, and my head had started to swim.
“Carmen wouldn’t do this. She…” I began, but the words died on my lips. Carmen was ambitious, tenacious even, but to betray her own family? It didn’t seem possible. The undeniable logic of Tristan’s suspicions wormed its way through my defenses, planting seeds of doubt where I least wanted them. In our world, anything was possible.
“It could be a coincidence,” I said finally, trying to sound convincing.
“You don’t believe that.” Tristan’s gaze held mine, and for a moment, I saw a glimpse of the man beneath the hardened exterior–the man who cared deeply about the people he loved and would go to any lengths to protect them.
“I don’t want to,” I admitted, feeling tears welling up in my eyes again. “But what if it’s true? What then?”
“Well,” he said. “If it’s true, then I think I have to kill her.”
I looked at him, my breath catching in my throat. “Please don’t kill my sister.”
“I won’t. Not without proof,” he said. “But if there’s a rat…there’s no other choice. Even if you love them. We cleanse the rot from the root and protect our future.”
Tristan wasn’t exactly promising to murder my sister, but rather to fight back against the betrayal that threatened to unravel everything we knew. It definitely sounded a lot like a threat to kill my sister, though.
“Including if…” my voice trailed off, unable to round out the sentences. The possibilities were too horrifying.
“Even if it’s Carmen, Ade. But we’ll do it right. We’ll get the proof we need.”
“The proof. Yes,” I said, latching onto the idea like a lifeline. If there was proof, we wouldn’t have to rely on suspicion alone, and my sister would be spared. “We need evidence.”
Tristan reached over, squeezing my hand. “We’ll find it,” he said. “For now, let’s focus on keeping you and our babies safe. Let’s hope it doesn’t mean killing your sister.”
“Yeah,” I said, trying to ignore the knot in my throat. “Let’s hope so.”
