Chapter 4: Unspoken tension
960 Words
The mansion had never felt so large to Ava.
After leaving the garden the previous afternoon, she had avoided Jed completely. Dinner had been quiet, almost painfully so. Leo spent most of the evening on his phone, responding to messages from work, while Jed remained strangely silent, occasionally glancing at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
Ava had excused herself early that night.
Yet sleep refused to come.
Now the next morning had arrived, and the house felt unusually heavy.
Ava stood in the living room, arranging fresh flowers into a crystal vase. The staff usually handled these things, but she needed something to distract her mind.
Jed’s words from yesterday echoed in her thoughts.
“You’re not as happy as you pretend to be.”
She frowned slightly.
Who was he to say something like that?
He had barely been back for two days.
Still… a small part of her hated how those words had unsettled her.
Because somewhere deep down, she feared they might not be entirely wrong.
Footsteps approached from behind.
“Ava.”
Leo’s calm voice broke her thoughts.
She turned, offering him a small smile.
“You’re leaving already?”
Leo adjusted the sleeve of his suit as he walked closer.
“There’s a meeting with investors this morning.”
Of course there was.
Leo always had meetings.
“You worked late last night,” Ava said softly.
“It couldn’t be helped.”
His tone wasn’t cold, but it carried the same distant efficiency it always had.
Leo glanced at the flowers she had arranged.
“You didn’t need to do that. The staff would have taken care of it.”
“I know,” she replied quietly. “I just wanted to.”
He nodded once.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Their marriage had become like this over time—calm, polite, functional.
Yet strangely empty.
Leo stepped closer and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
“I’ll be late tonight.”
Ava forced another smile.
“I understand.”
And she did.
She always did.
Leo picked up his briefcase and headed toward the door without another word.
The large front doors closed behind him with a soft thud.
The silence returned.
Ava sighed quietly.
She had just turned back toward the flowers when another voice spoke.
“Does he always leave like that?”
Her shoulders stiffened instantly.
Jed.
He stood near the staircase, leaning casually against the railing.
“How long have you been standing there?” Ava asked.
“Long enough.”
His expression was unreadable.
Ava turned away from him, adjusting the flowers again even though they didn’t need adjusting.
“He’s busy,” she said.
Jed walked slowly into the room.
“Busy is one thing,” he replied. “But that looked more like routine.”
Ava didn’t respond.
Jed studied her carefully.
“You didn’t even try to stop him.”
She finally looked at him.
“Why would I?”
“Most wives would.”
Ava crossed her arms slightly.
“Leo and I understand each other.”
Jed raised an eyebrow.
“Do you?”
His tone wasn’t mocking, but it carried an edge that made Ava uncomfortable.
She shook her head.
“You’re reading too much into something that doesn’t concern you.”
Jed stepped closer, his gaze steady.
“I’m not trying to cause problems.”
“Then don’t.”
The tension between them thickened.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Jed suddenly chuckled softly.
“You know,” he said, “you’re very different from the woman I expected my brother to marry.”
Ava frowned slightly.
“What does that mean?”
“I expected someone colder.”
His eyes scanned her face briefly.
“Someone more like him.”
The comment caught her off guard.
“And I’m not?”
Jed shook his head slowly.
“No.”
Ava felt strangely self-conscious under his gaze.
“Jed…”
But she stopped herself.
This conversation felt wrong.
Too personal.
She stepped back.
“You should find something else to do.”
Jed didn’t move.
“I am doing something.”
“And what is that?”
“Trying to understand you.”
Her heart skipped.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Maybe it is.”
Ava shook her head firmly.
“You’re crossing a line.”
The moment the words left her mouth, silence fell between them.
Jed’s expression shifted slightly.
Then, unexpectedly, he stepped back.
“You’re right.”
His tone softened.
“I shouldn’t push.”
Ava relaxed a little.
But something about the way he looked at her still made her uneasy.
“Don’t misunderstand me,” Jed added quietly. “I’m not trying to disrespect my brother.”
Ava studied his face carefully.
“Then what are you trying to do?”
Jed didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes held hers for a long moment before he finally spoke.
“I’m trying to figure out why a beautiful woman like you looks so lonely in a house like this.”
The words struck deeper than she expected.
Ava’s chest tightened.
“I’m not lonely.”
Jed tilted his head slightly.
“You keep saying that.”
Before she could reply, he turned and began walking toward the staircase.
Halfway up, he paused.
“Ava.”
She looked up.
“Yeah?”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Then he disappeared upstairs.
Ava stood frozen in the living room.
Her heart was beating far too fast.
She didn’t know whether she was angry…
Or shaken by how easily he seemed to see through her.
Outside, dark clouds slowly gathered in the sky.
And somewhere deep inside the mansion, something dangerous had begun to grow.
- Writer
