“What’s happened?”
Emily turned toward him.
“Why are you here?”
Nobody answered.
I finally pointed toward the staircase.
“Ryan and Vanessa are upstairs.”
Emily frowned.
“What do you mean?”
I took a breath.
“They’re in the master bathroom. Together.”
For a moment, my sister didn’t move.
She stared at me as though she had heard a sentence in a language she didn’t understand.
Then she shook her head.
“No.”
“Emily—”
“No, Megan. That’s impossible.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Vanessa is my best friend.”
“I know.”
“And Ryan is my husband.”
“I know.”
She looked toward the staircase.
Then she began walking.
I followed her, with Daniel close behind us.
At the top of the stairs, the bathroom door was still closed.
From inside, we could hear Ryan whispering urgently.
“Vanessa, just stay calm. I’ll handle this.”
Emily stopped.
Her face changed.
She had heard him.
She had heard her husband discussing how to manage the consequences of betraying her, while she stood just outside the door.
She reached for the handle.
Then she turned to me.
“How long?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.”
Her lips trembled.
“How long have they been doing this?”
“I don’t know, Emily. I’m so sorry.”
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.
Then, with a steadiness I had never seen in her before, she opened the door.
Ryan stood there wrapped in a towel. Vanessa was beside the bathtub, struggling to pull on her clothes.
