Chapter 30 More Serious Than We Thought
Ian
There wasn’t a trace of shame on her face. Instead, she was smiling—soft and careless—like a little girl as she scrolled through her phone. When she finally set it down, she caught me staring.
I looked away instantly.
At this rate, the children would soon notice that something was wrong between us. I couldn’t even bring myself to touch her today. Knowing she was letting another man do that—knowing another man’s hands had been on her—made my stomach turn.
It disgusted me.
And I didn’t even understand why it affected me this much.
How could she do that?
The investigator still hadn’t called. It shouldn’t be this hard to find out who Claire was cheating on me with.
“So… you and Mom have an issue?” Max asked.
I blinked and turned to him quickly. “Not really,” I said, forcing a smile. “We’re both just tired from work, that’s all.”
He smiled and nodded. “Whatever it is, you guys should resolve it quickly.”
I nodded too, even though I knew the truth. The only thing still holding Claire and me together was the children—and her determination to keep them from finding out our marriage was falling apart.
“You really shouldn’t worry,” I added casually. “Your mother and I are fine.” I told him but seeing the look on his face, he doesn't believe it one bit.
Isabella
I came home hoping to see my parents wrapped in each other’s arms like they used to be. Instead, I walked into this—distance, stiffness, silence.
They looked awkward together, like strangers trying to pretend they weren’t. I’d have to ask Max later if he noticed it too.
But Mom… she had changed.
There were no dark circles under her eyes. She didn’t look worn or tired. If anything, she looked younger—like she’d discovered some secret glow no one else knew about. I was genuinely shocked when I saw her, and honestly, I liked the change.
Dad, on the other hand, looked worse. Like someone weighed down by thoughts he couldn’t escape. Like something was slowly draining him.
Something wasn’t right in this house—I could feel it deep in my bones. And what convinced me even more was Luppy constantly stepping in, trying to shut down every conversation that drifted too close to me finding out something was wrong.
I needed answers.
Because even when Mom and Dad stood close to each other, they weren’t really close at all.
And that scared me.
Yes, they do have ups and downs sometimes, but it was never like this.
A message popped up on my phone, and I smiled slowly.
It was my boyfriend.
I glanced at my mom and noticed she was staring into space, her phone lying on the table in front of her.
I wasn’t ready to tell her I had a boyfriend. I didn’t know how she would take it. She had always told me to focus on my education, that boyfriends would come later, and that men like accomplished women. But I had fallen in love with Cullen.
He was a sweet guy, and from the moment I saw him, I liked him. When he asked me out, I didn’t hesitate—I said yes.
And damn… we went all the way.
I still couldn’t believe I gave him my first time a week ago. It was so painful that I told myself I wouldn’t do it again. But last night, I did—and it wasn’t like before. Last night was good.
“Are you enjoying your time at home?” he texted.
I smiled and replied, “Yes, I am. Thank you. But I’m with my family now. I’ll call you when I’m alone.”
I really wanted to be alone soon. I missed him so much, and just texting him made my body feel hot. I never knew sex could feel that good. Maybe if I had known, I wouldn’t have waited so long or made him beg for it.
After the first month of us becoming official, he had been asking for sex, but I always refused. Then one day last week, when I called him, he didn’t pick my calls.
So I went to see him.
When he saw me, the smile on his face disappeared. “What do you want, Isabella?” he asked after he excused himself from his friends.
“You weren’t answering my calls,” I said.
He sighed heavily. “Since you don’t want to reciprocate my feelings, I don’t think I should either,” he said.
I immediately understood what he meant. He wanted sex, and I didn’t want to give it to him.
“So that’s why you ignored my calls?” I asked.
He nodded. “There’s no point in this relationship, Isabella. I’m a guy, and I have needs—needs you don’t want to satisfy.”
I didn’t want to lose him because of sex. I loved him, and sex suddenly didn’t feel like something worth losing him over. After thinking about it, I agreed.
The moment I did, he became so happy. I had never seen him like that before. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly.
Before then, we only kissed, but that day, we did so many things. In the end, he took my virginity.
It hurt badly, and there was nothing sweet about it for me then. But yesterday was different. Yesterday was the best.
I enjoyed it.
Now my relationship wasn’t in danger anymore, and I was glad I made it work.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and that was when I noticed Max talking to Dad. They looked serious.
Soon, Max met my eyes and mouthed, “You and me later.” I nodded.
We really needed to talk, because what I was seeing between our parents didn’t feel right. They were close, but at the same time, very far apart.
Soon enough, it got late, and Luppy yawned loudly.
“We should head inside,” my mom suggested, and I nodded as I stood up.
“I still can’t believe you’re both here,” my mom said as she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her tightly, breathing in her familiar warmth.
The men stood up too, and we all headed inside.
“Sleep well, everyone,” Luppy announced.
“Goodnight, Luppy,” we all chorused as we moved toward the stairs.
Just then, Max walked up to me. “Your room or mine?” he asked.
“Yours,” I replied.
Soon, everyone split off to their rooms. I watched Mom and Dad walk toward theirs together, but neither of them spoke. Not a word.
“Goodnight, Riette,” I said, ruffling his hair.
He nodded. “Seriously, I wasn’t planning to sleep.”
Max playfully punched him. “Go to bed. In the morning, you’ll tell me about Mara.”
Riette’s face instantly turned red. “Mind your business,” he snapped before storming off to his room.
Max and I burst into laughter. Luppy had already told us that Riette was infatuated with a girl from church named Mara, no wonder he loved going to church recently.
Once we got to Max’s room and shut the door, he turned to me. “You noticed it too, right?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed before nodding. “Something is definitely wrong with those two,” I said quietly.
“They’re trying not to show it, but they’re doing a terrible job,” Max replied, running a hand through his hair as he walked aimlessly, clearly restless.
“I just hope they’re okay. I really don’t like this,” I admitted.
“Me too,” Max said with a sigh and came to a stop. “I can feel it. This quarrel is different.” he added breathlessly.
“We should ask Riette later,” I suggested. “He’s the one living with them.”
Max nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” Though knowing Riette, he might not have noticed anything at all.
I glanced down at my phone and saw another text from Cullen.
“Aren’t you alone yet?”
I immediately looked up at Max. “I should head to my room now.”
He smiled. “Goodnight.” he said, his face still holding worry.
“Goodnight,” I replied before stepping out of his room.
I sighed softly and was about to head to my own room when I saw Dad walking out of theirs. He was heading toward the guest room area in long strides.
My phone vibrated again with a message from Cullen, but I didn’t look at it. I just stood there, watching my father disappear down the hallway.
This was more serious than we thought.
They weren’t even sleeping in the same room.
A tight pain formed in my chest.
No. I needed to talk to Mom—immediately.