Chapter 5 The taste of sin.

Chapter Five

Selina hadn’t slept.

The moment she crawled into bed, every shadow in the room felt alive, every creak of the floorboards whispered Nathan’s name. Her husband’s presence loomed even when he wasn’t there. He had a talent for haunting silence itself.

She lay staring at the ceiling, tracing invisible shapes on the duvet as the night stretched endlessly around her. The events at the greenhouse played in her mind on a cruel loop, Alan's words, the sound of Nathan’s footsteps, the slow rattle of the locked door. It was a warning.

He knew.

When dawn finally broke, Selina rose before the sun. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and stepped onto the balcony. The garden below shimmered with dew. From here, she could see Karl’s small cottage again, but his door was shut, no movement behind the curtains.

For the first time, she wondered if he was still there at all.

A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts. She turned to find Rosa standing timidly in the doorway. “Good morning, ma’am. Mr. Nathan asked for you in the dining room.”

Selina’s heart skipped. Nathan never asked for breakfast with her; he preferred to eat alone. “Did he say why?”

Rosa shook her head. “He just said… to come quickly.”

Selina nodded, smoothing her robe, masking her fear beneath calm composure. She could feel her pulse fluttering at her throat like trapped wings as she descended the stairs.

Nathan was already seated at the head of the long mahogany table. He didn’t look up immediately; instead, he flipped a page of the newspaper, as though her presence was expected but unimportant.

“Good morning,” she murmured, taking her seat.

He nodded once. “Sleep well?”

“Yes,” she lied. “And you?”

A faint smile ghosted across his lips. “Barely. I was restless last night.”

Selina’s stomach tightened. “Oh?”

“I had a strange dream.” He folded the paper neatly, setting it aside. His eyes finally met hers. “I dreamed my wife was sneaking out of the house to meet someone in the garden. A man.”

Her fingers went cold.

“And in my dream,” Nathan continued casually, “she thought I wouldn’t notice.”

Selina managed a light laugh. “That’s a terrible dream.”

“Terrible,” he agreed softly. “The kind that makes you question what’s real.” He reached for his coffee, taking a slow sip. “Tell me, Selina… are you happy here?”

The question came out of nowhere. Selina blinked, trying to read his tone. “Of course I am.”

“Are you?” He leaned forward slightly. “Because you don’t seem like it. You used to talk more. Smile. Lately, it’s as if you’re somewhere else entirely.”

Her mouth went dry. She wanted to tell him she’d been lonely, that his distance had driven her into silence, but the words caught in her throat. What would that change now?

Nathan’s gaze softened for a moment   so fleeting she almost missed it. “I don’t want to lose you, Selina. Not to boredom. Not to curiosity. Not to anything.”

She stared at him, searching for sincerity beneath the surface of control. For a second, she thought she saw it   a flicker of something almost human. Then it was gone.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered.

He nodded once, satisfied. “Good.” Then, as if the tension had never existed, he returned to his breakfast.

Selina pushed food around her plate, unable to eat. When Nathan excused himself for a meeting in his home office, she released a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

As soon as he left, her phone buzzed.

Alan : Did he say anything?

Selina: He suspects. You were right.

Alan: Then we need to stay ahead of him.

Selina: How?

Alan: Meet me after lunch. The south terrace. Don’t let him see you.

Selina’s thumb hovered over the screen. Every instinct screamed that this was reckless   but then again, so was everything since Alan had entered her life. Recklessness had become her rhythm.

By noon, the house felt heavier. Nathan’s voice carried faintly through the hallway as he made phone calls in his office. Rosa passed Selina a stack of mail, and among the envelopes was one that made her pause.

A small, unmarked letter addressed to Mr. Nathan Allen.

The paper was thick and expensive, official. She turned it over, noting the faint seal of a private investigations firm. Her heartbeat stumbled.

So Alan hadn’t lied. Nathan really had hired someone.

Selina hesitated only a second before slipping the envelope into her apron pocket. She walked briskly to her room and tore it open. Inside was a single-page report. Her eyes darted across the neat black lines of text.

Subject: Karl Dawson

Occupation:  Groundskeeper

Background:Clean record. Employed six months.

Observation:Frequent interaction with Mrs. Allen. Unusual familiarity noted.

Recommendation:Continue surveillance. Potential risk of inappropriate conduct.

Selina pressed the paper to her chest, her hands trembling. He’d been watching. Every glance, every word, every step near the garden   it was all recorded.

The sound of footsteps outside jolted her. She stuffed the report into her drawer and shut it just as Nathan appeared at her door.

“Selina,” he said smoothly. “I’m heading to the city for a few hours. There’s a board meeting. Will you be here when I return?”

“Yes,” she said quickly.

He studied her for a heartbeat, then nodded. “Good.”

As soon as he left, Selina exhaled shakily. She waited until the car engine faded down the driveway before she slipped out the back door.

The south terrace was bathed in sunlight. Alan stood leaning against the stone balustrade, dressed casually but carrying the kind of confidence that always made her uneasy.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.

“I told you, I’m helping you,” he replied. “Did you check his desk?”

“I didn’t need to.” She pulled the report from her pocket and handed it to him. “He’s investigating Karl.”

Alan scanned it quickly, his jaw tightening. “I knew it.”

“What do we do?”

“Get ahead of him,” he said simply. “If he’s using a private investigator, we’ll use one too.”

Selina frowned. “To investigate my husband?”

“Don’t act so surprised,” Alan said with a quiet smirk. “Nathan’s not the saint you think he is. You’ve been too blind to notice what he hides.”

Her breath caught. “What are you talking about?”

Alan folded the paper, slipping it into his pocket. “You’ll see soon enough.” He hesitated, then looked at her more softly. “I need you to trust me, Selina.”

Trust. The word felt foreign now. Trust was what had destroyed her. Yet when Alan said it, something inside her wanted to believe.

“I don’t know if I can,” she whispered.

He stepped closer, his voice lowering. “Then let me prove you can.”

For a heartbeat, the space between them hummed   unspoken tension, heavy with things neither dared name. Then Alan stepped back. “Stay away from Karl for a while. If Nathan’s men are watching, any contact will destroy you both.”

Selina nodded reluctantly.

Alan glanced toward the garden, his eyes narrowing. “He’ll make a mistake soon. They always do.”

“Alan,” she said, voice trembling, “whatever you’re planning, don’t make it worse.”

He looked back at her, a dangerous calm settling over his face. “Sometimes, Selina, the only way to survive is to become the monster they think you are.”

Before she could reply, he turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the golden light, her heart twisting painfully in her chest.

That night, as Selina prepared for bed, she couldn’t shake his words. She stared at herself in the mirror, the reflection of a woman she barely recognized. Once, she had been innocent. Now, every secret had carved a shadow into her.

A knock echoed on her door.

Her breath hitched. “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Nathan’s voice answered. Calm. Controlled.

Selina swallowed hard and opened the door.

He stood there in his shirtsleeves, his expression unreadable. “Did you go anywhere today?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Strange,” he murmured. “Because I received an anonymous call this evening. Someone claimed they saw you at the south terrace… with Alan.”

Her stomach dropped. “That’s ridiculous   why would I   ”

“I told them the same,” Nathan said, smiling faintly. “But I thought I should hear it from you.”

Selina forced her voice steady. “You already have.”

He nodded slowly, then reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The gesture was tender   but his eyes weren’t. “Be careful who you trust, Selina,” he whispered. “Loyalty can be… deceptive.”

He turned and walked away, leaving her frozen in the doorway, heart pounding.

Selina’s trembling hand reached for the edge of her dresser. Her phone buzzed. A new message appeared on the screen.

Alan:He knows you met me. Someone’s feeding him information.

She stared at the message in horror.

Then another came through   short, sharp, and chilling.

Alan:Find out who. Before he does.