An hour had swiftly passed and Orla was still not talking to him. It was unwonted.
Her queer countenances and continual tapping of her fingers against her palm made him restless. She sat there on the couch, her eyes skeptically boring into his.
Callan tossed the car keys on the centre table, walking after her as she headed towards the hallway. His eyes weren't entertaining anymore.
He composedly reached for her arms before she walked out of him, gently holding her to avoid hurting her slender arms.
"What's wrong? Did something happen there?" Worry was laced in his tone.
Orla looked at him again, still finding it hard to believe her sister. Callan wouldn't hurt her, or was that what she thought?
The magnitude of worry that invaded his face could make her fall to his knees, washing away every word Mia told her. And she could let them go if she continued to stare at him like that.
His eyes held irresistible charms, but now wasn't the time to fall for those charms like she used to.
"No, nothing is wrong." She freed herself from his grip and proceeded into the bedroom. "I am tired, that's all."
Callan scoffed. Really?
Did she think he was a baby who was unfamiliar with people's countenances and mood swings? He had been in this life years before she was born. He knew more things than she did.
She clutched the lock tightly, pushing it off with full force when it refused to open up. Everything around seemed to irritate her right now. It was just a matter of time before she stopped bottling up her anger and unleashed it on everything around, including Callan if he didn't desist from pestering her.
"Orla?" She walked into the room, ignoring Callan.
Reminiscing the scene with Mia at Bernadoz Construction company, she was tempted to tug at Callan's crisp expensive-looking tuxedo, squeeze the tie so tightly it would hurt him and then coerce him to confess all he had been doing behind her back. But she couldn't bring herself to do that.
"I plead for my privacy now, Callan. And I will leave this room if you won't let me have it." She said miserably, flopping on the bed.
She was trying her best to baulk her anger from overwhelming her.
Double emotions of irritation and indescribable despair clenched her stomach. She wanted to be away from him, to think, to think of the next action to take. But Callan kept glueing to her like a pest. She needed to breathe, man.
Callan shook his head, puzzled. "Since when did we start giving each other privacy?" He attempted to go closer even though she had already warned him to stay far away from her.
Her anger ruptured uncontrollably. She leapt to her feet and moved closer to him.
"Since when? Really? Callan?" She tried to suppress her boiling temper.
She didn't want to do things she'd regret later, but she was furious.
With herself for being helpless in this kind of situation.
With Callan for being a terrible husband in the past and later switching to being the perfect husband.
And with Mia for ringing Callan's alleged infidelity tales in her ears.
She shouldn't have heard of it at all. Not with her sister, not with anyone, she couldn't deal with it anymore.
"Orla, talk to me if something is going on with you." There were no traces of suspense in his calm tone.
He behaved so smoothly she didn't want to believe that Mia was telling the truth.
Mia could be lying. She had always been a liar. She didn't have to trust her, but there was this premonition deep inside of her that urged her to find an iota of truth in Mia's words.
Something must have happened between them. Something she'd never want to know if only she could beat her curiosity.
"How well do you know Mia?" She began with something soft, planning to study his answers and gestures. Those would give him away if he lied.
"Mia?" He was confused for a second. "Which of the Mias?"
"Oh come on, I mean my sister! How well do you know her?" Her voice was louder and harsher.
She didn't want to act this way, but she was mad.
She inwardly hoped she would not regret her actions once this was over and Callan wasn't guilty.
He would probably stop caring for her, throw her out of the house for not trusting him or do worse. She didn't care about the aftermath now, she was willing to risk her emotions for what was coming next.
"Exactly what I know her as, your sister. What more?" His eyes dilated like he was unsure of his response.
He stared away from her and Orla didn't fail to capture that reaction. How he looked away with guilt marring his face.
When his shoulders tensed, Orla knew there was something more.
"Have you been seeing her behind my back?" That question was wrong. She was accusing her husband of infidelity without evidence.
Callan could react to this, but there was no better way she could ask this. Her fury was taking full control of her actions, and at this rate, she didn't care what she had to lose. She had always been losing anyway.
It clicked!
The memories of Mia dawned on Callan immediately after Orla's words. He remembered why Mia's face looked so familiar the first time they met in her father's house.
The reason he had her on his mind for long, trying to fathom if she was related to the whore he had a fling with, two years ago at Stallion clubhouse.
After losing a huge contract, he had been so drunk and horny that night. He just wanted to release some fluid and Mia was there to relieve him. He swore he didn't know she was a Barlowe. They didn't even introduce themselves. They just banged, that was all.
True, he had a one-night thing with Mia and that was about two years ago, but this accusation about seeing her behind Orla's back? He had never done that.
He didn't do it, but what was the point in defending himself when he had cheated on her with other women?
He heaved a long sigh.
He had failed Orla as a husband. His nasty deeds had finally caught up with him. Everything he had hidden was about to be revealed to his wife and he was scared of the outcome of his sins.
As she gleamed into his eyes with unshed tears gathering around her hazel eyes, he knew he had hurt the woman he had ever truly cared about. And it scared him so much that he would lose her.
He couldn't lose her now, especially when he had fallen madly in love with her and wanted no one else but her.
She was still staring at him, impatiently waiting for an answer.
Callan knew the time was now. If he talked about Mia, he'd have to spill his relationship with other women. His chest hurt as he looked at his wife, she was too fragile to take in all that betrayal. But he had to do what needed to be done for him not to lose her forever and love her purely.
"Orla," he stepped forward, his eyes intently fixed on hers. "I swear to you, it's not what you think."
Her face fell and her heart dropped, almost losing its beating pace.
It was true, Mia was right. Callan was a cheat, her sneaky link.
"You've been sleeping with my sister?" She asked, disbelief clouding her expression.
"It's not what you think, Orla. I can explain—"
"Damn you, Callan!" She didn't want to listen to more. Her head was aching, her stomach churning. She stared blankly at him, shaking her head in shame. "Why did you do this to me?"
Tears dropped, from tiny folds to fat folds. Her shoulders shook as she cried in front of her husband. She didn't deserve this betrayal.
"Orla, please let me explain to you. This is not what you think—"
"Don't you dare touch me, Callan? Don't dare," she shook her head in disapproval, slowly backing away from him.
There was nothing else to explain to her. She couldn't stand there, listening to more of his lies she turned her back on him and ran out of the bedroom, and possibly out of Callan's life.
He had hurt her too much. No one had ever hurt her this much.
As she ran into an empty room in the house, she saw her whole world crumbling right in front of her, and she couldn't do anything to save herself.
She'd been a fool for being vulnerable and letting him lie to her all along. She'd been a fool for completely trusting him and letting her heart stupidly fall for him.
All her life, she'd been lied to. Callan had never truly cared for her.
Those were her thoughts as she keyed the door to the room she ran into.
Helplessly slumping on the floor, she buried her head on her knees and the loud sound of her sobs filled the empty room.
They were just getting to love each other. Why did Mia show up now?
I feel so sorry for Orla. But did she overreact? She didn't even wait to listen to Callan's side of the story. But then, he'd been a cheat too.
Poor Orla, she's hurting again.