The house no longer breathed with warmth.
Adrian noticed it first in the mornings. The kitchen used to echo with Elena's laughter as she fussed over burnt toast or teased him for rushing out the door without breakfast. Now, there was only silence, punctuated by the clink of her spoon against her teacup.
Elena, he said one morning, forcing a smile, "you've been quiet lately."
She looked up at him, her eyes calm, unreadable.
Have I?
Her tone was soft but sharp enough to draw blood.
He shifted, uneasy. He wanted to reach for her, but her distance was like a shadow standing between them. So he back off and walked away.
At the college library, Maya felt the change too. Adrian's touches were hesitant, his whispers strained.
What's wrong? she whispered, her hand brushing his.
"Nothing in particular" Adrian lied.
But his mind was elsewhere, basically on Elena's coldness, on the way her eyes seemed to pierce through him, as though she already knew.
Maya leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear.
She suspects, doesn't she?
He pulled away sharply, too sharply. Stop talking like that. I've told you severally to keep your cool and stop hovering your head over this. We will get through it.
Maya's chest tightened.
The guilt that gnawed at her heart was now joined by fear, fear of exposure, fear that Elena's silence wasn't ignorance but calculation.
That evening, Elena set the table carefully, every plate and fork in place. Adrian watched her, waiting for conversation, waiting for her to break the tension. But she didn't. Halfway through dinner, she finally spoke.
Adrian!! His fork froze in mid-air.
Yes, My Na Na.. he answered.
Do you ever think about what honesty costs? She asked.
Whether it saves people… or destroys them? Her gaze fixed on her wine glass.
The silence that followed was unbearable. Adrian swallowed hard, forcing a chuckle. I can see you've been reading too many philosophy books.
Elena smiled faintly but never lifted her eyes.
She lifted up her chin and said yeah maybe Or I've just been paying attention closely.
The words sank deep into him like poison. He wanted to ask what she meant, but fear kept him still.
Later that night, Adrian found himself at Maya's door. His chest felt tight, so desperate.
When she let him in, he pulled her into his arms as though her warmth could erase the frost Elena had planted in his veins.
Their kisses were hungry, frantic, but tinged with bitterness. Maya could feel it, the desperation wasn't desire, it was escape.
When they finally collapsed together, Maya's tears wet his shoulder.
She whispered.. I can feel it. She knows. If there's something I learn about Elena, she's cold in evidence especially evidence that has to do with secrets.
Adrian closed his eyes, pressing his lips to her hair.
Then I suggest we keep quiet. We bury it deeper. The true evidence lies between us.
But his voice trembled. And in that tremble, Maya heard the sound of cracks widening.
At the same time, Elena sat awake in her own bed, staring at the ceiling.
The shadows between them had grown so wide, she no longer felt him even when he lay beside her. And she realized something chilling..
The more Adrian pulled away, the closer she was to the truth.
The betrayal wasn't hidden in shadows anymore. It was standing right between them.