Chapter 9
She stared at the van for a long time, one voice inside her head repeating over and over:
"Coincidence. It's only a coincidence," it repeated.
But another voice, louder and clearer, cut through. 'Isn't that exactly what you've been telling Sean?
'Working late.
'Client dinner.
'Something came up at the office.
'How many times had she said those lines since the day she'd started falling for Neil?'
Ciara's hands started to shake.
She remembered three months ago, when Sean had asked her, "Have you ever thought about what you'd do if, one day, I did something to hurt you?"
She'd thought he was joking.
Only now did she realize Sean hadn't been joking at all.
He'd been warning her.
*****
Havenport. The Four Seasons.
Neil lay on the bed, thinking back to how off Ciara had seemed after that video call.
He picked up his phone and dialed her number.
It rang for a long time before she answered.
"Ciara, where are you?" Neil asked.
"Out," she said, her voice heavy and clearly in a bad mood.
Neil immediately shifted into a wounded tone. "Ciara, my stomach hurts so bad."
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end.
"I'll send a doctor from Havenport over to check on you," Ciara said. Her tone wasn't the worried one he'd expected. If anything, it carried a hint of impatience.
Neil's heart sank. He made his voice more pitiful. "You're not coming to see me? I'm here all alone, I don't know anyone. What if something happens?"
"The doctor will handle it."
"You went to find Sean, didn't you?" Neil's voice suddenly rose. "Ciara, I'm the father of your child. And you ran back to him?"
The line went quiet again.
After a long moment, Ciara finally spoke, her voice a few degrees colder. "Neil, I've told you. Don't make a scene."
"I'm not making a scene," Neil said. "I'm just scared. I'm scared you don't want me anymore."
Ciara sighed, her tone softening a little. "That won't happen. Get some rest. I'll be back in a couple of days."
When the call ended, Neil tossed the phone aside and wiped his eyes. His expression slowly changed.
*****
It was in Larkhaven.
The next morning, I was woken by the birds in the garden.
I opened my eyes, staring at the wooden beams and paper screens above me, and it took a few seconds to remember where I was.
My phone lit up.
I picked it up. A text from an unknown number, just one photo and one line.
In the picture, Ciara was sitting on a hotel sofa, wearing a dark blue sweater I'd never seen before.
The caption read: [Sean, Ciara stayed with me until two in the morning last night. She said I'm the one who matters most.]
I stared at the photo, my fingers going cold, bit by bit.
There was a soft knock at the door.
"You up?" Vivian's voice.
I lifted my head, took a deep breath, and tried to make my voice sound normal. "Yeah."
"Breakfast is here. Want me to leave it outside?"
"Sure."
I got dressed and opened the door. Vivian was standing on the veranda, holding a tray with two bowls of miso soup, a few small dishes, and a bowl of mashed potatoes.
She glanced at me and paused.
There was still a smile at the corner of my mouth, but my eyes were red. One look and anyone could tell I'd been crying.
Vivian didn't ask anything.
She just set the tray on the low table on the veranda, then pressed a cup of hot coffee into my hands. "Drink something warm first."
I took the cup, cradling it in both hands. The warmth seeped into my palms, slowly chasing the cold from my fingertips.
I didn't speak, and neither did Vivian.
We just sat there on the veranda, the sunlit garden in front of us, the bamboo fountain tapping out its slow, unhurried rhythm.
After a long while, I finally spoke. "You're not going to ask what's wrong?"
Vivian held her cup, watching the koi in the garden. "You'll tell me when you want to."
The corner of my mouth lifted.
Just then my phone rang again. It was Ciara.
*****
Ciara had sat in the study the entire night, picking up her phone and putting it down again more times than she could count.
She stubbed out her last cigarette and finally hit the call button.
It rang three times before he picked up.
"Sean, let me come get you," Ciara said. "Send me your location."
Sean didn't answer right away.
The other end was quiet, quiet enough that she could hear the faint sound of his breathing.
And then she heard a woman's voice. "Tell her you're in Larkhaven."
Ciara's blood froze in an instant.