Chapter 16: Whispers Behind Closed Doors
907 Words
Chapter 16: Whispers Behind Closed Doors
Just as Vivian was getting ready for bed, a soft knock came at her door.
“Vivian, are you still awake?” It was Aunt Lillian’s voice.
Vivian opened the door. “Aunt Lillian? What’s the matter?”
Lillian smiled, holding two glasses of warm milk. “Nothing much. Just thought today must’ve been tiring for everyone. I brought you some milk to help you sleep.”
Vivian accepted it with a polite smile. “Thank you, Auntie.”
Lillian gave her a tender smile and said, “Get some rest, dear,” before turning away.
Vivian waited a moment before closing the door. But something about Lillian’s tone was off—too kind, too calculated. She had lived with this woman long enough to sense when something didn’t feel right.
Vivian had a tiny peephole installed in her door, something Uncle Charles insisted on when she first moved in. Peering through it now, she saw Lillian still standing in front of her door, staring directly at it with an eerie stillness.
Vivian’s stomach turned. A chill ran down her spine.
Lillian remained there for nearly two minutes before she turned and knocked on the door next to hers—Alexander’s temporary guest room.
Vivian couldn't see her anymore, but her mind raced. When Lillian walked away, the second glass of milk was gone.
Vivian looked at the untouched milk in her hand, a sweet scent rising from it. Her fingers tightened around the glass.
Moments later, she opened her door quietly and stepped into the dark hallway. The corridor was silent, the house asleep.
She made her way upstairs to the third floor—where her cousin Yvonne’s bedroom was. Yvonne had been unusually tense about Alexander’s visit. Vivian had a strong feeling she wasn’t the only one scheming tonight.
She knocked softly.
Yvonne opened the door in surprise. “Vivian? What do you want?”
“I… I’m scared,” Vivian whispered, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her pajama top. “Can I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone…”
Yvonne’s first instinct was to say no. But her eyes flicked toward the hallway. Vivian’s room was next to Alexander’s. If she left Vivian there alone, who knew what might happen?
And after all, in the last life, Alexander had loved Vivian.
That thought alone was enough for Yvonne to suppress her irritation and open the door wider.
“Fine,” she said stiffly. “But you sleep on the floor.”
Vivian nodded obediently. “Okay.”
Yvonne's room was twice the size of Vivian’s and decorated entirely in soft pinks—like a princess’s dreamland.
Vivian quietly took a pillow and curled up on the thick carpet, not even asking for a blanket. Yvonne climbed into bed, clearly not in the mood for conversation.
But a few minutes later, the soft tapping of a phone screen echoed in the quiet room.
“Could you stop fidgeting?” Yvonne snapped. “You’re driving me crazy!”
“I’m sorry,” Vivian said in a small voice. “I was just watching my cousin’s new show. He’s trending on social media again.”
“You mean that actor from the Lu family?” Yvonne scoffed.
Vivian nodded, eyes gleaming innocently. “This new drama is really good. It’s about twin sisters in ancient times—one marries a powerful minister, the other a poor scholar. But when the emperor dies and the tides turn, their fates reverse.”
Yvonne turned slowly. “What did you say?”
“It’s a tragic story,” Vivian continued softly. “They both die, but then they’re reborn. This time, the one who once married power decides to choose love instead. But it doesn’t go as planned.”
Yvonne sat upright. “And then?”
Vivian paused, then smiled to herself where Yvonne couldn’t see.
“The sister tries to change her fate. She chooses the poor scholar, thinking he’ll rise again. But this time, she ends up worse—betrayed, abandoned, and completely alone.”
“That makes no sense!” Yvonne snapped.
Vivian looked up innocently. “Because she wasn’t ruthless enough. If it were me, I’d make sure there was no turning back. I’d… make sure the man was mine, no matter what.”
Her voice was sweet, almost coaxing. A poisonous kind of softness.
Yvonne sat frozen, her breath shallow.
Reborn. Twin sisters. Switched fates.
It was too close for comfort.
Vivian curled up on the rug, her voice barely a whisper now. “I mean… if it’s meant to be, you just have to make it happen. Right?”
Yvonne didn’t respond. But Vivian could hear her breathing faster, see her fists clenched in the shadows.
Then suddenly, Yvonne stood and stormed toward the door.
Vivian blinked up at her. “Yvonne? Where are you going?”
“I need the bathroom,” she said quickly, before slipping out the door.
Vivian watched the door swing shut behind her.
Then she slowly sat up, expression calm and calculating.
She hadn't wanted to take things this far. But if Lillian had laced that milk with something, she couldn’t risk staying passive. She wouldn’t go down without a fight—not again.
As the clock ticked toward midnight, Vivian whispered into the dark,
“Good luck, Yvonne… I hope you succeed. I truly do.”
- Writer
