"W–What are you saying now, Nathan?" Nadia asked, her voice filled with concern as she looked at the man in front of her.
Nathan sighed, his expression distant. "Maybe... the two of them are back together," he murmured, staring at her intently.
Nadia sat down beside him, puzzled. "How are you so sure?"
"I've always known my sister was hiding something. Maybe I didn't realize that Ely's feelings for that guy had come back," Nathan said, his mind running through every possibility.
"No—wait, we need to ask Mariely about this. I know she'll tell us the truth," Nadia replied firmly.
"I hope she does. But what if she's just too scared to speak up? If I stay blind to what's happening, my sister could end up in more danger."
"What are you planning to do then?" Nadia asked cautiously.
Nathan didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at her. "She's still reviewing now," he said quietly. "I won't pick her up today."
Nadia raised her eyebrows. "What are you planning?"
Grabbing his car keys, Nathan headed for the door.
"Nathan, where are you going?" Nadia called out, following him.
"I need to observe Mariely... and that bastard."
"Okay—but what if your gut feeling is right? Are you really going to cause a scene just to make Mariely feel bad?" she asked, trying to cool his emotions.
"I don't know," Nathan muttered. "God knows what I'll do if it's true."
"I'm coming with you," Nadia decided.
"There's no need—"
"I'm coming with you," she repeated, more firmly this time, climbing into the car ahead of him.
Nathan sighed but didn't argue. Silence filled the car as they drove off into the early evening. It was almost 6 p.m. Nadia glanced at him, unsure where this would lead, but afraid it might end up hurting Mariely.
They waited in the parking lot. Mariely was standing near the curb, checking her phone. Nathan's phone vibrated.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Nadia asked.
Nathan said nothing.
Frustrated, Nadia took his phone and read the text aloud. "She says she'll commute home... Traffic's bad."
They continued watching until a car pulled up in front of Mariely. Nadia squinted. "Who's that?"
A moment later, she relaxed. "Oh... it's just Veron."
Mariely didn't hesitate to get in. The car pulled away.
"Let's go home," Nadia said softly. "Maybe you're just overthinking."
Nathan didn't respond. "I'm just going to buy something to eat," he said after a pause.
She followed him inside a nearby food stall, still watching him closely. After getting takeout, they drove straight to Nathan's house. Veron's car was already parked outside.
"Oh, where did you two go?" Nathan's mother asked as they entered.
"We just went for a ride, Auntie," Nadia explained. "Has Mariely arrived yet?"
"Yes, we were just waiting for you both so we could eat together."
Nadia nodded, and Nathan went to help prepare dinner.
*****
"I really think my brother is mad at me," Mariely said, slumping beside Veron on the couch.
"For what?" Veron raised an eyebrow.
"He probably noticed I was lying... That man can be so annoying sometimes," she sighed.
"Just tell him the truth. It was a coincidence. He'll understand—you're his sister," Veron encouraged, giving her a gentle pat.
Mariely didn't reply. Her thoughts were already tangled in guilt and anxiety.
A knock came at the door.
"Mariely?" Nadia's voice called out.
"Go ahead, open it," Veron told her.
Mariely stood and opened the door.
"Come on, let's eat," Nadia said with a soft smile. "Veron, join us."
"We'll be right there," Veron replied.
"Veron, let's go." Mariely gestured to her.
They headed to the dining room where Nathan was waiting.
"Brother," Mariely greeted him with a hug, which he returned silently.
"Have you eaten?" he asked, patting her back.
She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. Guilt clung to her like a second skin. Nathan, meanwhile, was waiting for her to confess something—anything.
Dinner passed in silence. Mariely barely tasted her food, her headache from the earlier review compounding her unease.
Did my brother deliberately not pick me up today? She wondered, stirring her food absentmindedly.
"Ah, Mariely, I'll sleep here tonight," Veron suddenly said.
Mariely blinked in surprise. "What? Weren't you going home to your mom?"
"It's too dark to travel now," Veron reasoned.
"Let her stay, dear. She has a review tomorrow, right?" her mother added.
Veron nodded, and Mariely simply scratched her head, unsure what to make of it.
Later that night, after helping with the dishes, Mariely returned to her room, where Veron was already arranging an extra foam mattress.
"You seriously planned this overnight, huh?" she said, raising a brow.
Veron just grinned like an excited child, fluffing her pillow.
"Are you sure you're sleeping there? Just come share my bed," Mariely offered.
"I'm fine here," Veron replied with a wink.
As the night wore on, Mariely drifted into sleep. But nature soon called, and she tiptoed out to use the bathroom. On her way back, she noticed the living room light was still on—and Nathan was there, drinking coffee while watching TV.
She glanced at the clock. Midnight.
Why is he still awake?
"Ely? I thought you were asleep already," Nathan asked, looking over.
"Just went to the bathroom," she replied. "Then I peeked out to check if everyone's asleep. What about you? Why are you still up?"
Nathan let out a long sigh. "Nothing. Just thinking. I'll sleep after this coffee."
Mariely squinted. "Since when did you start drinking coffee before bed?"
Nathan chuckled softly, unable to answer.
"Come sit with me for a bit," he invited.
She walked over and glanced back at Veron, who was fast asleep.
Taking a seat beside Nathan, she leaned against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and gently ruffled her hair.
They sat in quiet comfort, watching the screen, not really paying attention to the show. Mariely rested her head against her brother's arm, her body slowly relaxing, thoughts still swimming but soothed—at least for now.