Chapter 138 One Hundred And Thirty Eight
The door had barely finished closing behind Sofia when the tension she left behind filled the entire apartment.
The silence that followed felt thick.
Heavy.
Helen stood near the kitchen counter, her brows drawn together in confusion and irritation. The grocery bag she had brought still rested on the counter, forgotten.
Across the room, Antonia remained frozen where she stood.
Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
Her chest still rose and fell faster than normal.
Helen watched her for a moment before speaking again.
“Antonia…”
Her voice softened slightly.
“Talk to me?”
Antonia swallowed hard, still staring toward the door as if expecting the woman to suddenly walk back in.
“She came to gloat.”
Helen’s expression hardened instantly.
“Of course she did.”
Antonia slowly walked toward the couch and sat down heavily.
Helen followed her, lowering herself into the chair across from her.
“Start from the beginning,” Helen said gently.
Antonia rubbed her temples.
“Which beginning?”
Helen crossed her arms.
“The one where that snake decided to show up at your door.”
Antonia let out a tired breath.
“Okay.”
She leaned back against the couch cushions.
“This whole mess actually started yesterday at the park.”
Helen frowned slightly.
“The park?”
Antonia nodded.
“Austin came over in the morning.”
Helen blinked.
“Austin?”
“Yes.”
“What did he want?”
“He said I needed fresh air.”
Helen raised an eyebrow.
“That’s… surprisingly thoughtful.”
Antonia gave a faint shrug.
“He suggested we take a walk.”
“And you agreed?”
“Yes.”
Helen nodded slowly.
“Well, that doesn’t sound suspicious.”
“It wasn’t.”
Antonia continued.
“We took the baby and went to Riverside Park.”
Helen leaned forward slightly.
“Okay.”
“At first it was nice.”
Antonia’s expression softened briefly at the memory.
“We talked.”
“About what?”
“Normal things.”
“Movies.”
“Childhood.”
“Random stuff.”
Helen studied her sister’s face carefully.
“And then?”
Antonia’s expression darkened again.
“Then Kennedy showed up.”
Helen’s eyes widened.
“Wait—what?”
“He came with Sofia.”
Helen sat back in her chair.
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was.”
“What happened?”
Antonia shook her head slightly.
“He completely lost his temper.”
Helen’s brows furrowed.
“Why?”
“Because he saw me with Austin.”
Helen scoffed.
“Oh please.”
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
Antonia’s voice grew sharper as the memory returned.
“He walked right up to me and started accusing me.”
“Accusing you of what?”
“Replacing him.”
Helen blinked.
“The nerve.”
“I know.”
Antonia stood up suddenly and began pacing slowly across the room.
“He acted like I had betrayed him somehow.”
Helen folded her arms.
“Wasn’t Sofia standing right next to him?”
“Yes.”
“And he still had the audacity to be jealous?”
Antonia stopped pacing.
“That’s the part that made me furious.”
Helen shook her head in disbelief.
“That man has some serious nerve.”
“It got worse.”
Helen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“How?”
“Austin stepped in.”
Helen leaned forward again.
“He defended you?”
“Yes.”
“Well… I guess I am starting to like him.”
Antonia gave a small, distracted smile.
“He basically told Kennedy to stop talking to me like I had done something wrong.”
Helen nodded approvingly.
“Good.”
“And then Kennedy tried to make me jealous.”
Helen blinked again.
“What?”
“With Sofia.”
“How?”
“He suddenly started acting very close to her.”
Helen rolled her eyes.
“That’s such a childish move.”
“I know.”
Antonia sighed and returned to the couch.
“But that’s not even the most complicated part.”
Helen frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Antonia hesitated slightly.
“Austin told me something after we got back here.”
Helen tilted her head.
“What?”
Antonia met her sister’s eyes.
“He said he came back to the city because of me.”
Helen’s eyebrows shot up.
“Oh.”
“He said he couldn’t stop thinking about me.”
Helen leaned back slowly.
“And what did you say to him?”
“I didn’t know what to say.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I asked for time.”
Helen nodded thoughtfully.
“That was probably the right call.”
Antonia rubbed her hands together nervously.
“But there’s something else.”
Helen sighed.
“Of course there is.”
“Ernest came over yesterday too.”
Helen froze.
“My husband?”
“Yes.”
Helen frowned immediately.
“What was he doing here?”
“He said you told him about the dinner.”
Helen thought about it for a moment.
“I might have mentioned it.”
“But the conversation got weird.”
“Weird how?”
Antonia hesitated again.
“He started giving me advice about Kennedy.”
Helen’s brows knit together.
“What kind of advice?”
“He said I shouldn’t wait around for Kennedy.”
Helen shrugged.
“That doesn’t sound terrible.”
“He also said he wouldn’t be surprised if Kennedy and Sofia got back together.”
Helen’s expression darkened slightly.
“That’s… oddly specific.”
“And then he said something else.”
“What?”
“He said maybe I should give Austin a chance.”
Helen sat upright.
“What?”
“Yes.”
“He said Austin came all the way here for me and that meant something.”
Helen stared at her sister for a moment.
“Why would Ernest care about that?”
“I don’t know.”
Helen shook her head slowly.
“That’s strange.”
Antonia nodded.
“I thought so too. And now Sofia shows up here bragging about kissing Kennedy.”
"Really?"
“Yes.”
Helen leaned back again, her mind clearly racing.
“Something about this doesn’t feel right.”
Antonia looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
Helen tapped her fingers lightly on the arm of the chair.
“Ernest doesn’t usually involve himself in other people’s relationships.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“And the fact that he was pushing you toward Austin…”
Her voice trailed off.
Antonia frowned.
“You think that’s suspicious?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Helen sighed.
“But I don’t like the pattern I’m seeing.”
Antonia leaned forward slightly.
“What pattern?”
Helen looked up at her sister.
“Too many people suddenly invested in your love life.”
Antonia fell quiet.
Because when Helen said it like that—
It really did sound strange.
Helen stood up slowly.
“Something’s going on here.”
Antonia watched her carefully.
“What do you think it is?”
Helen shook her head.
“I’m not sure yet, but I am going to find out.”
Because deep down—
A small seed of unease had begun to grow.
Helen didn't wait for a response. She abruptly gets up and heads towards the door, "I'll call you later. I need to find out exactly why my husband is playing matchmaker."