Chapter5: THE MESSAGE
838 Words
The message appeared by accident.
Or perhaps fate had finally grown tired of Amara being blind.
It was Saturday afternoon.
Amara was sitting in the living room with Lisa, watching a movie.
Daniel had gone out to meet a friend.
Lisa was scrolling through her phone.
Her screen suddenly lit up.
Lisa quickly turned it over.
But Amara had already seen the notification.
I can’t stop thinking about last night.
Amara looked at her sister.
Lisa looked away.
“Who’s that?” Amara asked casually.
Lisa picked up her phone.
“Nobody.”
Amara laughed.
“Nobody can’t stop thinking about you?”
Lisa smiled.
“It’s complicated.”
“Ooooh.”
“Don’t start.”
Amara nudged her playfully.
“Is there a new man?”
Lisa stood.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Lisa!”
But her sister was already walking away.
Amara smiled.
She was happy for her.
Perhaps Lisa was finally moving on from Marcus.
But something bothered her.
The notification had disappeared too quickly for Amara to see the sender’s name.
Later that evening, Daniel returned home.
He seemed distracted.
He barely touched his dinner.
“Are you okay?” Amara asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You seem distant.”
“Just tired.”
Lisa entered the room.
The moment she did, Daniel looked up.
Their eyes met.
It lasted less than a second.
But Amara saw it.
Something changed between them.
A silence.
A secret.
Amara suddenly remembered the message.
I can’t stop thinking about last night.
Her stomach tightened.
No.
She immediately pushed the thought away.
No.
Not Daniel.
Not Lisa.
Anyone but them.
⸻
The following morning, Amara woke up early.
Daniel was in the shower.
His phone was lying on the bedside table.
It vibrated.
Amara looked at it.
She had never checked Daniel’s phone before.
Not once.
She respected his privacy.
But then it vibrated again.
Her eyes moved towards the screen.
A message preview appeared.
Delete our conversation. She might see it.
Amara stopped breathing.
The sender’s name was hidden because the message came from an unsaved number.
Her hands became cold.
For several seconds, she simply stared.
Then the message disappeared.
Daniel came out of the bathroom.
Amara quickly looked away.
He picked up his phone.
His eyes moved to the screen.
Something changed in his expression.
“Who is it?” Amara asked.
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“You got a message.”
“Oh.”
He placed the phone in his pocket.
“Work.”
Amara forced a smile.
“On a Sunday?”
He shrugged.
“You know how it is.”
She watched him.
He was lying.
For the first time, Amara knew it.
Not suspected.
Knew.
But she still didn’t know why.
⸻
Later that afternoon, Amara visited her office.
She couldn’t concentrate.
The message replayed repeatedly in her mind.
Delete our conversation. She might see it.
She thought about Daniel.
Then Lisa.
Then she became angry at herself.
Why was she connecting them?
There could be another woman.
The thought hurt.
But strangely, it hurt less than imagining Lisa.
Amara left the office early.
She wanted to surprise Daniel with dinner.
She stopped at his favourite restaurant and ordered takeaway.
Then she drove home.
As she approached the house, she noticed something unusual.
Lisa’s bedroom window was open.
Music was playing.
Amara entered quietly.
“Daniel?”
No answer.
“Lisa?”
Nothing.
She placed the food on the kitchen counter.
Then she heard footsteps upstairs.
Slow footsteps.
Amara walked towards the staircase.
Her heart began beating faster.
Daniel appeared at the top.
His hair was wet.
He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
Amara frowned.
“You showered?”
He looked confused.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
He laughed.
“Because I wanted to shower?”
Amara stared at him.
“Where’s Lisa?”
Daniel looked towards the guest room.
“I don’t know.”
The door opened.
Lisa stepped out.
Her hair was wet too.
Amara felt something inside her collapse.
But she smiled.
She smiled because she was terrified of what would happen if she didn’t.
“Both of you decided to shower at the same time?”
Lisa’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Amara picked up the food.
“I brought dinner.”
Nobody spoke.
The silence was louder than screaming.
⸻
That night, Amara didn’t sleep.
Daniel held her from behind.
She lay completely still.
His arm felt heavy.
Foreign.
She stared into the darkness.
For the first time, she wondered whether the man holding her was the same man who had once promised to protect her heart.
And downstairs…
In the guest room…
Her sister was sleeping peacefully.
The sister Amara had raised.
Protected.
Loved.
Amara closed her eyes.
One tear slipped down her cheek.
She still had no proof.
And perhaps that was worse.
Because suspicion was a prison.
You couldn’t escape it.
You couldn’t prove it.
And you couldn’t ignore it.
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