THE CRACKS WIDEN
904 Words
Three days passed without Nina seeing Adrian.
She told him she was busy. Told him she needed space. Told him everything was fine, even when it wasn't. He called. She let it go to voicemail. He texted. She replied with short, hollow words.
Are you okay? he asked.
Fine. Just tired.
You're not fine. Talk to me.
She couldn't. Because if she talked, she would tell him everything. About Vanessa. About the park. About the way her sister had looked at her — not with anger, but with something worse. Disappointment.
Nina could handle anger. She could handle being hated. But disappointment from Vanessa, after everything Vanessa had done, was unbearable.
She sat on her couch, the apartment dark, her phone face-down on the cushion.
You came here for revenge, she told herself. You wanted to destroy her. Now you have. Why do you feel like the one who's broken?
She didn't have an answer.
---
Vanessa spent her days in the guest room.
She had moved her clothes, her books, her phone charger. The room was smaller than the master bedroom, but she preferred it. Less space to feel empty.
She thought about Nina. About the park. About the way Nina had said I'm trying to be happy — like happiness was something she had to fight for.
Vanessa understood that. She had been fighting for happiness her whole life. She had never won.
She picked up her phone. Scrolled to Nina's contact — the real one, the one Frank had found. Not the work number. The personal number.
She typed: I know who you are. Not just the affair. I know everything.
She stared at the message. Her thumb hovered over send.
If I send this, there's no going back. She'll tell Adrian. He'll hate me. He'll hate her. Everything will burn.
She deleted the message.
Not yet, she thought. Not until I'm ready.
---
Derek stopped leaving his apartment.
He called in sick to work. He stopped answering texts. He let the dishes pile up in the sink, the trash overflow, the mail stack by the door.
He thought about Vanessa. About Adrian. About the years of lies.
You're a terrible person, he told himself. You don't deserve a brother. You don't deserve a job. You don't deserve to be happy.
He poured a drink. Then another.
His phone buzzed.
Adrian: Haven't heard from you. You okay?
Derek stared at the message. His brother. Checking on him. Again.
I'm fine, he typed. Just tired.
Adrian: You said that last time.
Derek: Because it's true.
Adrian: Come over this weekend. We'll talk.
Derek set the phone down. He didn't reply.
---
Adrian stood in his office, looking out at the city.
Something was wrong. He could feel it — in the way Nina had pulled away, in the way Vanessa moved through the house like a ghost, in the way Derek's texts had grown shorter and shorter.
He didn't know what it was. But he knew something was coming.
He picked up his phone. Called Nina.
She answered on the fourth ring. "Hey."
"Hey yourself."
"I'm sorry I've been distant."
"What's going on?"
A pause. "I can't explain over the phone. Can you come over tonight?"
"I'll be there."
---
He arrived at her apartment at 8 PM.
She opened the door. Her eyes were red. She had been crying.
"Nina —"
"Don't." She stepped back. Let him in. "I need to tell you something."
He sat on her couch. She sat across from him, not touching.
"Vanessa confronted me," she said.
Adrian's face went pale. "What?"
"A few days ago. In the park. She knows about us."
"Did she hurt you?"
"No. She just — she told me to stay away from you."
Adrian stood up. "I'll talk to her. I'll —"
"Sit down." Her voice was sharp. He sat.
"She knows," Nina continued. "She's known for a while. I don't know how. But she knows."
Adrian ran his hands through his hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was scared. Because I didn't want you to think —" She stopped. Swallowed. "Because I'm tired of lying."
He looked at her. Really looked.
"What else are you lying about?"
The room went quiet.
Nina's heart pounded. Tell him. Tell him now. Tell him you're Vanessa's sister. Tell him you came here for revenge. Tell him everything.
"Nothing," she said.
Adrian studied her. "Nina —"
"I'm tired, Adrian. I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of waiting. I just want this to be over."
He walked to her. Knelt in front of her. Took her hands.
"It will be over soon. The divorce is moving forward. Vanessa and I are living separately. In a few months, we'll be free."
She looked at him. His eyes were sincere. Trusting.
If you knew the truth, you wouldn't be holding my hands.
She nodded. "Okay."
He kissed her forehead.
She closed her eyes and pretended.
---
That night, Adrian drove home slowly.
The streets were empty. The city was quiet. He thought about Nina's face when he asked What else are you lying about?
Something had flickered there. Fear. Guilt. Something.
She's hiding something, he thought. But what?
He parked in the garage. Walked inside. Vanessa's door was closed. He didn't knock.
He went to his room their room, now just his — and lay on the bed.
He didn't sleep.
- Writer
