Chapter 5
1165 Words
Lydia Hayes never entered a room loudly; She entered it like she already belonged.
The first time Nora saw her in person after the marriage, it was at the Brooks family estate during a Sunday luncheon Margaret had insisted on hosting.
As Nora saw her, she quickly remembered that it was the same lady she had seen 2 years ago.
Family gathering, Margaret had called it.
Nora should have known that meant something else.
The estate was polished, intimidating, and old-money quiet. Nora walked beside Ethan as they entered the grand living room.
And there she was.
Lydia.
Soft cream dress. Effortless elegance. A smile that looked warm but calculated.
Nora,” Lydia said sweetly, stepping forward as if greeting an old friend. “It’s so nice to finally meet you properly.
Finally.
As if she had been waiting.
Nora returned the smile politely. Nice to meet you too.
Lydia turned to Ethan next, and the familiarity between them was immediate.
Ethan, she said softly.
No formal distance. No hesitation, just comfort.
Ethan’s expression softened in a way Nora hadn’t seen before. Lydia. You’re back.
Back? So she had been away, Nora asked.
I had to return, Lydia replied gently. After everything. Her eyes lingered on him a second too long.
Nora noticed.
Lunch was served. Margaret beamed at Lydia.
Charles asked about her recent charity work abroad.
Lydia spoke gracefully, intelligently, effortlessly fitting into every space Nora still felt like she was borrowing.
Then it happened.
The conversation drifted to Ethan’s stabbing two years ago.
Margaret sighed dramatically. That was the worst night of my life.
Lydia’s face shifted subtly but noticeably.
Yes, she said softly. I still remember finding him like that.
Nora’s fork paused midair.
Finding him?
Ethan looked at Lydia, curious. You’ve never told me what really happened that night.
Lydia hesitated perfectly timed.
I didn’t want to burden you.
Margaret touched her hand gently. You were so brave, Lydia.
Brave.
Nora’s chest tightened.
Lydia looked at Ethan, her voice lowering emotionally.
I was driving home when I saw your car parked strangely by the street. The door was open. You were barely conscious.
Nora felt her pulse in her ears.
No.
That must have been terrifying, Margaret whispered.
It was, Lydia said, eyes glistening slightly. “There was blood everywhere.”
Ethan stared at her.
You never told me that.
I didn’t want credit, Lydia replied softly, I just wanted you alive.
Silence wrapped around the table.
Then Lydia added the knife.
If I hadn’t seen you that night… if I hadn’t called for help… You might not have survived.
Nora’s stomach dropped.
That wasn’t what happened.
Lydia hadn’t found him first.
Nora was the one who compressed the wound.
She was the one who stabilized him.
She was the one who ran to the pharmacy.
But she had left.
And Lydia had arrived afterward.
And now…
Now, Lydia was rewriting history.
Ethan looked shaken.
You called the ambulance? he asked quietly.
Yes, Lydia replied. And I stayed until they arrived.
That part was true.
But incomplete.
Deliberately incomplete.
Then Lydia’s eyes flicked toward Nora because she knew Nora was the one who saved Ethan.
Ethan said, “So saved my life that night and never for once mentioned it to me?
“Of course I did,” Lydia added smoothly, “if you had died that night… Nora would never have met you at the hospital to save you later.”
The words landed softly, but the meaning was sharp.
Lydia turned to Nora and said you only exist in his life because of me.
Nora’s hands tightened under the table.
Ethan’s gaze slowly shifted toward his wife.
Confusion flickered there.
Nora forced herself to speak, but could not.
Margaret nodded approvingly at Lydia. We will always be grateful to you.
Nora felt invisible.
For the first time since signing that contract, she felt something else.
Threatened, later that afternoon, as guests dispersed, Lydia approached Ethan alone near the garden terrace.
Nora watched from a distance. She couldn’t hear them, but she could see body language. Lydia leaned slightly closer.
Ethan listened, and something inside Nora twisted painfully.
She told herself it didn’t matter; this was a contract marriage.
No love, no expectations.
But why did it hurt?
That night, back at the penthouse, Ethan was quiet.
Too quiet.
Nora removed her earrings slowly in front of the mirror.
“You didn’t know Lydia found you first?” she asked gently.
“No.”
And it doesn’t bother you that she never told you?
He paused.
She’s never been someone who seeks attention.
The defense came quickly.
Too quickly.
Nora’s chest tightened.
I’m not accusing her, she said calmly. I’m just saying…
You sound defensive. The words stunned her.
Defensive?
“Yes.”
She turned to face him. I was there too,
“How?”
“Do you?”
Silence stretched.
Ethan rubbed his forehead slowly.
“It just… changes perspective.”
Perspective.
“Because she saw you first?” Nora asked quietly.
“If she hadn’t called for help…”
“Nora said jokingly what if I say I administered the first treatment to you? Will it change anything”?
“He looked at her and said you joke too much”
Lydia’s seed had been planted.
Nora saw it clearly, and what scared her most wasn’t Lydia’s manipulation; it was the fact that Ethan looked uncertain.
For the first time since their marriage, doubt flickered between them.
“You trust her,” Nora said softly.
“I’ve known her for years. He said”
“And you’ve known me for months.”
The comparison hung heavily in the air. Ethan exhaled.
This isn’t a competition.
“It feels like one.”
He looked at her carefully.
“Are you jealous?”
The question cut deeper than he intended. I shouldn’t be, she replied honestly.
“Why?”
“Because this is a contract marriage.”
She said it again.
Like a shield, but this time it felt weaker, he stepped closer.
“I chose you.”
“Did you?”
The words slipped out before she could stop them, and he frowned slightly.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
It means… maybe I was just convenient, his expression hardened. That’s not fair.
Neither is rewriting history; the tension thickened.
Lydia’s voice echoed in her mind.
If you had died that night, Nora would never have met you.
The truth was simple.
Nora had saved him first, but she had left and sometimes…
The one who stays gets the credit.
Ethan’s voice lowered.
I don’t know what you’re implying. I’m not implying anything, but she was, and he felt it.
Silence fell again.
And for the first time since their marriage began, they stood on opposite sides of something invisible.
Not love, not hate, but doubt.
And doubt was far more dangerous because it didn’t shout, it whispered, and Lydia Hayes had just started whispering.
- Writer
