Chapter 22

Who Was That Woman?

I was in disbelief because the two keys didn’t match. I doubted myself then and wondered if I had wrongly accused Ivanna. Was Matthew seeing someone else, or did he have another trick with those keys?

I didn’t expect this or know if I should feel relieved or frustrated. My mind went blank as a strange feeling crept into me. I suddenly felt the need to turn around and was startled as Ivanna calmly stood behind me.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” She sounded like she had planned this whole thing.

My lips trembled as I looked at Ivanna and felt I could no longer read her. Of course, I was embarrassed when she exposed me. Still, I stood tall and locked eyes with her, saying, “What are you trying to say, Ivanna? Why did you lie to me? What’s going on between you and Matthew?”

Her calm demeanor caught me off guard, provoking my anger and embarrassment.

“I’ve never lied to you. I know what you’re referring to. You want to talk about that day I saw Matthew at the teahouse.” Ivanna remained composed. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. Although my words can be harsh, I’ll never take what you love.”

After a pause, she stared at me and asked, “Is our friendship that fragile to you?”

Meanwhile, Ava must’ve sensed the tension in our voices and crawled to be. She hugged my leg as her eyes showed panic. “M–Mommy!”

I quickly knelt and embraced Ava, reassuring her, “It’s okay, baby. Aunt Ivanna and I are discussing something. We’re not fighting.”

Ivanna came over and knelt too. Then she gently patted Ava’s head and said, “Your mommy and I will never fight, sweetheart. We’re best friends, after all. Don’t be afraid, okay?”

She looked at me and patted my shoulder before saying softly, “We’ll talk later. Just trust me.”

Ivanna calmed my daughter and me down, and I picked Ava up to return to the living room. I only wanted to know what Ivanna knew and what she kept from me.

The lunch she made us was lavish, and we tried to create a harmonious atmosphere while eating. We made Ava laugh non–stop to dispel the earlier tension. Ava grew excited and ran around the house while I kept tearing up.

Once Ava had eaten her fill and was exhausted from all the running, she was finally starting to feel fatigued.

Ivanna hugged her and asked, “Would you like to nap here? You can sleep on my big bed.”

Ava looked at me and cheered when I nodded with a smile.

Ivanna led us to the room, and I lay down with Ava as she hugged me. “Aunt Ivanna’s big house is awesome!”

I almost cried hearing my daughter’s words. I hugged her tightly and firmly promised, “I will get you a big house like this too!”

“Really?” She asked naively.

“Yes, of course!” I said firmly, clenching my teeth afterward.

Soon after, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep. Her sleeping face was so beautiful it made my heart melt, but her lips were still slightly swollen.

I covered her up, gently kissed her, and quietly got up. Then I left the room and saw Ivanna sipping red wine in the living room. Her eyes followed my every from her.

move until I sat-

She poured me a glass, and we clinked glasses in a silent understanding, both downing the wine in one 1. go.

“You start.”

“You start.”

We spoke simultaneously.

Then, we smiled at each other and thought perhaps we knew each other too well. I was the first to break the silence and got straight to the point, “Did you know Matthew cheated?”

“I know. I told you I saw him the other day, right?” Ivanna was straightforward this time, “He suddenly left, and I even got someone to check the footage from that day. I was scared that I’d made a mistake.”

After hearing that, I closed my eyes briefly as tears streamed down my face. I abruptly opened my eyes and looked at Ivanna, saying through clenched teeth, “Who was that woman?”