Messy
1503 Words
REYNA'S POV
He froze. Slowly, he turned around. His expression didn’t change, but his body did, he straightened, like my one word pulled him tight.
“What is it?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed hard. “There’s… something I need to tell you.”
A line appeared between his brows. He stepped back toward me, but only one step. “Reyna. Did something happen?”
My fingers tightened around the grocery bag until the plastic stretched too thin. “Yes. Or… I think yes. I’m not sure.”
He moved closer. “Tell me.”
I let out a shaky breath. My voice came out small. “I saw Jessica.”
He stilled completely.
“At the parking lot,” I added quickly. “Not in the store. Outside.”
His eyes sharpened. “Did she see you?”
“No.”
His jaw moved once, a small, angry twitch, but he stayed calm. “What was she doing there?”
“She wasn’t alone,” I whispered.
His whole body went rigid.
“With who?”
“A man.” My voice shook a little. “Someone I’ve seen before.”
Nicholas didn’t say anything, but his breathing changed. Slower, harder. Like he was pushing himself to stay in control. I reached into my purse with trembling fingers and brought out my phone. “I took pictures.”
His eyes widened a fraction, surprise, maybe even pride, then he held out his hand.
“Show me.”
I placed the phone in his palm. His fingers brushed mine, warm, firm, steady… so steady it made me realize how much I had been shaking.
He looked at the screen. Once. Then again. Then he zoomed in on the man’s face. A long, heavy silence stretched between us, thick enough to choke me.
“Nicholas?” I whispered. “Do you know him?”
He didn’t answer at first. He just stared at the photo like it was poison. Finally, he lifted his head. His face… changed. The calm mask dropped. His eyes darkened, sharp as a blade.
“That’s Robert,” he said quietly.
My heart lurched. “Robert?”
“My uncle.” He let out a breath, slow and angry. “He handles legal affairs for the Hall family.”
Uncle, not cousin, not some distant man. Family.
I felt my blood go cold. “Why would he be meeting Jessica?”
Nicholas didn’t answer. His jaw was locked tight. His shoulders were tense under his shirt, like he was holding in something dangerous. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and controlled.
“He shouldn’t be anywhere near her,” he said. “And he definitely shouldn’t be meeting her in secret.”
I stepped closer. “Nicholas… this is bad, isn’t it?”
His eyes lifted to mine, and for a second, he didn’t hide anything. Fear, anger and shock. And something softer… something that looked a lot like worry. Not for himself... for me.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “This is bad.”
My heart pounded. “Then what do we do?”
He looked back at the phone one more time, then handed it to me carefully, like it was evidence.
“We don’t rush,” he said. “We don’t panic. And we don’t let anyone know you were there.”
He raked a hand through his hair, the first real sign he was shaken.
“Reyna… listen to me.” His voice dropped lower. “Robert is deep in the Hall family’s business. If he’s involved with Jessica, it means this is bigger than we thought.”
The air around us felt colder. I hugged my phone to my chest. “Do you think he had something to do with Jeremy?”
His jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth click. “I think we need to be careful.”
A soft tremble ran down my arms. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t want to drag you into something dangerous.”
He stepped forward without thinking. His hand hovered near my arm, like he wanted to touch me but wasn’t sure if he should. “You didn’t drag me,” he said. “We’re in this together.”
My throat burned.
“Nicholas… I’m scared.”
He closed the small distance between us and finally placed his hand on my arm, warm, grounding. “I know.” His voice softened even more. “But you did the right thing.”
The weight of his words settled deep in my chest. He looked at the phone again, his expression turning cold, almost dangerous.
“I’ll handle him,” he said.
I stepped back a little. “Nicholas… please be careful. He’s your uncle.”
“That’s exactly why I need to be careful,” he said. “Family makes things messy.”
I didn’t argue. We stood there for a moment, close but not touching, breathing the same tense air.
Finally, he nodded once. “Come downstairs when you’re ready. We’ll talk more.”
He turned away, walking down the hall without rushing, but every step he took was heavy, controlled, like he was holding back a storm. I watched him go. Then I looked at the pictures again. And for the first time since Jeremy died…
I felt like the truth was right in front of me. Close enough to touch, close enough to destroy someone.
***
I walked into my room and shut the door gently, leaning on it for a second. My chest still felt tight, like everything that happened at the grocery store was stuck right under my ribs.
I dropped the grocery bag on the small table and rubbed my forehead. My head was starting to ache again. Maybe from stress… or maybe from fear I didn’t want to name.
I took a long breath and walked into the bathroom. The warm water hit my skin, and for a moment, I just stood there with my eyes closed. The steam wrapped around me, soft and quiet, so different from the noise in my mind.
I let the water run down my face. Maybe it could wash off the tension. Or Jessica’s evil smirk. Or the image of that man beside her.
I reached for my sponge slowly, making small circles across my arms. I wasn’t really relaxed, but at least the shower made me feel like I could breathe again. Then… another thought came. One I’d been pushing away for days.
Nicholas’s mother. And his aunt. I paused, the sponge still in my hand.
They hadn’t returned since Nicholas married me. Not once. Their rooms stayed closed. Their perfume no longer clung to the hallway. No sharp voices. No judging eyes. No whispers behind my back.
It was quiet, too quiet. For the first time since I walked into this mansion… there had been peace.
But peace from those two never lasted. I knew that in my bones.
Maybe they were still angry about the marriage. Maybe they were mourning Jeremy in their own twisted way. Maybe they just found another place to spread their poison for a while. But they would come back. And when they did… they would make sure I felt it.
I placed my palm on the cool tile and lowered my head under the water again. A small shiver went through me, not from the cold, but from the thought of their return.
A woman like Nicholas’s mother doesn’t disappear forever. A woman like his aunt doesn’t stay silent for long. If anything… they were charging up. Preparing. Waiting for the perfect time. And I felt it creeping closer.
I let out a slow breath. “Just great,” I whispered to myself.
The peace I had felt these past few days… it was only borrowed time. Time that was running out.
After rinsing off, I turned off the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. The mirror was fogged, but even blurred, I could see the worry in my eyes.
I didn’t want to deal with them. Not now. Not with everything happening. Not with Jessica acting strange and meeting important people behind closed doors. But life didn’t care about what I wanted.
I dried my hair halfway, slipped into soft pajamas, and tied my robe around my waist. My steps back into the room felt heavier than before.
I walked to my bed and sat slowly, pulling my knees up for a moment. My phone sat on the pillow, the screen still black.
Those pictures. Jessica and that man. Nicholas’s reaction. His tight jaw and that look in his eyes…
Something big and dangerous was happening. And somehow, without even trying… I was standing right in the middle of it.
I pressed my palm to my stomach gently. “I’ll protect you,” I whispered. “No matter what.”
Even if it meant facing those women again. Even if it meant walking into whatever storm was coming.
- Writer
