Nathan's Pov
I was in my study when I heard someone screaming. I gasped in shock.
I placed my glass on the table and rushed toward the stairs
Then I heard my mother's voice. Sharp and cold. "How dare you. You little scumbug. You think you can talk about me? In my own house?"
I started moving faster.
"How dare you call me cruel? I'll show you how cruel I can be then!" Her voice was firm.
I reached the top of the stairs. The hallway was empty but Olivia's door was wide open. That door was always closed. I ran.
When I got there, Olivia was backed against the wall. Her hands were up. Her face was pale. Her eyes were wide. You looked terrified.
My mother was in front of her. Her hand was raised.
"Mother, stop!" I said quicklMy mother's hand came down on her face. The sound was sharp. That slap echoed off the walls.
Olivia's head snapped to the side. Her hand went to her cheek. She didn't make a sound.
"Get away from her!" I grabbed my mother's arm and pulled her back. "What the hell are you doing mother?"
"She was talking about me." My mother's voice was shaking. Not with fear. With rage. "Jessica called. She told me everything. This…this creature has been badmouthing me. Calling me cruel! Calling me a monster!"
"That's…that's not true," Olivia said. Her voice was calm but trembling. Her hand was still on her cheek. "I never said that."
"You're a liar!" My mother stepped forward. I blocked her. "Jessica told me. She heard you. She heard everything."
"Jessica is lying." Olivia's voice cracked. "Why can't you just believe me?”
"Don't you dare…"
"Mother, stop!" I put myself between them. My back to Olivia. My hands on my mother's shoulders. "You can't just come in here and hit her. This is abuse."
"She's my daughter-in-law. I can do whatever I want."
"She's my wife." The words came out before I could stop them. They felt strange in my mouth. Absolutely wrong. "You can't hit her. Not in my house."
My mother's face twisted. She looked at me like I had betrayed her. "She's a gold-digger. A liar. A manipulator. And you're defending her?"
"I'm not defending anyone. I'm stopping you from doing the wrong thing. You are being mean.."
"She slapped me!" Olivia's voice came from behind me. "I never said anything about her. I don't even talk to anyone. I don't leave this room."
"Liar!" My mother's voice was shrill. "Jessica never lies. She's the sweetest girl. She wouldn't make this up."
"Jessica would make anything up if it meant hurting me." Olivia's voice quivered. "She's been doing it to me my whole life."
"That's enough!" I held up my hands. "Both of you. Stop."
My mother was breathing hard. Her chest was heaving. Her eyes were wild. She had never looked like this in a long time. So out of control. So angry. The last time she did was when she was beating up a girl I had brought home for fun. She stole her diamond necklace.
"Get out of my way! Nathan."
"No."
"I am warning you. Get out of my way."
"I said no."
We stared at each other. Her eyes. My eyes. We looked like the same person. Same cold eyes. Same stubborn chin. Same refusal to back down.
"Fine," she said finally. She stepped back. Her hands dropped to her sides. "But this isn't over! I know what she is! I knew it the moment I saw her! And I will prove it!"
She turned and walked out. Her heels clicked on the floor. The sound faded down the hallway. Then the stairs. Then the front door.
I stood in the middle of the room. My heart was pounding.
Behind me, I heard a soft sound. A breath. A sob. Quiet. Like she was trying to hide it.
I turned around.
Olivia was still against the wall. Her hand was still on her cheek. Her eyes were wet. Tears were falling. Silent tears.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"No. I'm not okay."
I stepped closer. She flinched. Just a little. Just enough for me to see it.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said.
"I know." She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "It's just... I'm not used to people being nice to me."
"I'm not being nice."
She looked at me. Her blue eyes were red now. Puffy. "You're being less cruel. There's a difference."
I didn't know what to say to that.
She moved away from the wall slowly. Like she was testing her legs. She sat on the edge of the bed. The springs creaked. She looked at her hands. Her fingers were trembling.
"Did you really say something about my mother?" I asked.
She looked up. Her eyes met mine. "No. I didn't. I don't talk to anyone. I don't leave this room. I don't even know anyone in this house."
"Mia," I said. "You talk to Mia."
"Mia doesn't count. Mia is kind to me. She brings me food. She doesn't judge me. That's it. We have never had any conversation about anyone. Not even about me."
"She lied to me," I said. "About the bruise. She said you fell."
Olivia's face went pale. "The bruise?"
"On your arm. Three days ago. I asked her what happened. She said you fell."
She looked away. Her hands twisted in her lap. "I did fall."
"Don't lie to me."
She looked up. Her eyes were hard now. "What do you want me to say? That your mother gave it to me? That she grabbed my arm so hard she left marks? That I've been hit so many times in my life I don't even feel bad anymore?"
I stopped breathing.
"My mother," I said. "My mother did that?"
I walked to the window. The brick wall. I stared at it. The red brick. The mortar. The cracks.
"I didn't know," I said.
"Of course you didn't. You don't see anything. You don't want to see anything."
I turned around. She was still sitting on the bed. Still twisting her hands.
"I'm sorry," I said. The words felt foreign. I didn't say them often. "I should have... I should have done something."
"What could you have done?" She laughed again. That hollow laugh. "You don't even believe me. You think I locked my sister in a basement. You think I tricked you into marrying me. You think I'm a gold-digger who only wants your money."
"I don't know what to think."
"Exactly." She stood up and walked toward me. She stopped a foot away. "You don't know anything. You don't know me. You don't know my family. You don't know what I've been through. And you don't care to know. You just want me to disappear."
"That's not true."
"Then what is true?" She looked up at me. Her eyes were searching. "Why did you stop your mother? Why did you come in here in the first place? Why did you even care?"
I didn't have an answer.
"I don't know," I said.
She stared at me for a long time. Then she shook her head. "That's the problem. You don't know anything. And you're too scared to find out."
She walked past me. Out of the room. Into the hallway. Around the corner.
I watched her go.
I swallowed hard and walked back to my study. The whiskey was still there. The ice had melted. I poured another glass and drank.
I thought about her face. Her voice. Her eyes. The way she said "you don't know anything." The way she said "you're too scared to find out."
She was right. I was scared. Maybe of the truth or what my mother would think.
I was scared of what I might find if I looked too close. Scared that Jessica was lying. Scared that Olivia was telling the truth. Scared that I had made a terrible mistake.
I drank even more.
Three days ago, I had seen the bruise. I had asked Mia. Mia had lied. I had let it go.
Why did I let it go? Because it was easier.
I hated myself for that.
I poured another glass. The decanter was getting low. I didn't care. All my life, I have always had to let my mother get her way in every area of my life. I have become used to being weak. I don't even know how to change that.
My phone buzzed on the desk. I ignored it. It buzzed again. And again.
I picked it up. Unknown number.
"Nathan Hayes," I said.
"Mr. Hayes, this is Marcus Chen from Chen Industries." His voice was quick. Professional. "I'm calling about the banquet in three weeks time. We need to confirm your attendance."
I rubbed my temples. "I'll be there." I nodded.
"Excellent. And your plus one? You have the option to bring someone."
I paused. Plus one?I was supposed to bring someone. A date. A partner. A wife.
I thought about Olivia.
But I also thought about Jessica. Her perfect tears. Her perfect voice. The way she always called at just the right moment.
"For sure. I will bring my plus one," I said.
"Very well. I'll send the details to your assistant." A pause. "There's been some talk about the new partnership with Morgan Tech. People are curious about how the merger is going."
"It's going fine."
"Is it?" His voice was careful. "There's been some speculation. Rumors. Nothing serious. Just... people talking."
"What kind of rumors?"
"You know how it is. The wedding was quiet. No announcement. No press. People are wondering."
I closed my eyes. "Uhm.The wedding was private."
"Of course. Of course." He paused. "The banquet is a good opportunity. Show a united front. Shut down the talk."
"Yea. Right."
"I'll put you down for two guests, then."
“Alright. That will be fine.”
The pause was longer this time. "Understood."
The call ended. I stared at the phone. “My plus one,” I thought. “I could bring anyone I wanted. But I couldn't bring the woman I was married to at the moment. Because I was ashamed of her. Ashamed of what people would think. Ashamed of what they would say. Hmmm. Most importantly what my mother would do.”
I was a coward. I already knew that.
I set the phone down and poured another glass of whiskey.
Then, the phone buzzed again. It was a message from Jessica.
"Are you okay? I heard my mother went to see Olivia. I'm so worried about you. Call me when you can. "
I stared at the message. The heart emoji. The sweet words. The concern. I didn't know if I should say it's pathetic. I took a deep breath and held the ridge of my nose. I closed my eyes to think. I didn't know what to think anymore. A part of me wants to bring Olivia. But the possibilities are slim. I will have to find out.
