Skin and Secrets

THE UNRAVELING

Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Not about the divorce. Not about Vanessa. About Nina. The way she had hesitated when he asked What else are you lying about? The way her eyes had flickered — fear, guilt, something he couldn't name.

He told himself he was being paranoid. She had been confronted by his wife. She was scared. Anyone would be.

But the feeling didn't go away.

He started paying attention differently. Not to what she said — to what she didn't say. She never talked about her family. Never mentioned her past. When he asked about her mother, she gave short answers and changed the subject.

She's hiding something, he thought. But what?

He didn't confront her. Not yet. Instead, he started asking quiet questions.

---

He called Linda on Friday afternoon.

"Linda, do you remember Nina's employment file? The one from HR?"

"I can pull it up. Why?"

"Just curious. Can you send me a copy?"

A pause. "Is everything okay, Adrian?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out."

Linda emailed the file within the hour.

He read it carefully. Her resume. Her references. Her application. Everything looked legitimate — but something felt off. The references were from Sterling Group, her previous employer. He called them.

"Nina Vance? Yes, she worked here. Excellent assistant. Why do you ask?"

"Just verifying."

He hung up. Nothing suspicious. But the knot in his stomach remained.

---

Vanessa spent the weekend in the guest room, curtains drawn, phone face-down.

She thought about Nina. About the park. About the way her sister had said I'm trying to be happy. She thought about their mother. About the jade necklace. About the funeral she had missed.

You're just like her, a voice whispered. You destroy everything you touch.

She picked up her phone. Scrolled to Derek's contact.

She hadn't seen him since the apartment. He had stopped texting. She had stopped calling. The silence between them was heavy, final.

She typed: I miss you.

Then she deleted it.

You can't, she told herself. You have to let him go.

She set the phone down and stared at the ceiling.

---

Derek didn't answer his door for two days.

His boss called. His landlord called. His mother called. He let them all go to voicemail.

He sat on his couch, the blinds drawn, the television off. The apartment smelled like stale whiskey and unwashed clothes.

You're a coward, he told himself. You slept with your brother's wife. You lied to everyone. You don't deserve to be happy.

He thought about Adrian. About the way his brother had looked at him in the bar — worried, caring, completely unaware.

If he knew, he would hate you.

He thought about Vanessa. About the way she had felt in his arms. About the way she had said I love you like it was a weapon.

She doesn't love you. She loves the idea of being loved.

He poured another drink.

---

Nina met Elena for coffee.

Elena was her only friend who knew the truth — the real truth. The revenge. The fake name. The affair.

"You look terrible," Elena said.

"Thanks."

"When did you last sleep?"

"I don't remember."

Elena reached across the table. "Nina. Talk to me."

Nina looked at her friend. Elena's eyes were kind, worried.

"I can't do it anymore," Nina said.

"Do what?"

"Lie. Pretend. Every time I'm with Adrian, I feel like I'm drowning. He asked me the other night if I was hiding something. I could see it in his eyes — he knows. He doesn't know what, but he knows something is wrong."

"Then tell him."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Nina stared at her coffee. "Because if I tell him, I lose him. And I don't know how to lose him."

Elena was quiet for a moment. "You might lose him either way. Secrets have a way of coming out."

Nina nodded slowly. "I know."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Nina looked out the window. The city was gray, indifferent.

"I don't know," she said. "But I can't keep going like this."

---

That night, Adrian called Nina.

"Can I come over?"

"Not tonight."

"Why not?"

A pause. "I need some time. To think."

"Think about what?"

"About us. About everything."

Adrian's chest tightened. "Nina —"

"I'm not breaking up with you. I just need space. Please."

He closed his eyes. "Okay. Take your time."

"Thank you."

She hung up.

Adrian sat in his dark living room, the phone in his hand, the silence pressing in.

Something is wrong, he thought. And I need to find out what.