Chapter 4 Under Her Gaze

Elena arrived on a Sunday afternoon, Tara knew this because Ethan had said it to her twice as if repetition could soften the impact.

She spent the morning pacing, then sitting, then standing up to go over the same process

over and over again. She went further to change her clothes–twice, before settling for something neutral. Nothing too serious, warm or distant. She didn't wanna seem like a stranger trying too hard to make an impression or worse, mistaken for an impostor.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway made her heart skip a beat.

Ethan was already in motion, calm and controlled, but Tara noticed the fracture in it, the faint tightening in his shoulders, the jaw locking like a door he didn't intend to open. It landed with unsettling clarity. This wasn't business. This was personal.

The door opened.

Elena stepped in with a small suitcase and sharp eyes that took i n everything all at once.

She was taller than Tara expected. Neither fragile nor timid. Her gaze wandered from the room to Ethan to Tara with unsettling precision.

"This is her?" Elena asked.

No hello, no hesitation, no politeness in her voice rather authority perceived like it was her cologne.

Tara froze.

Ethan said her name gently as though calling her to order, "Elena."

Elena didn't look away from Tara nor blink her eyes like she was staring into her soul expecting to find something. "You didn't say she'd be... real."

The words stung Tara more than she expected.

"I'm Tara," she said, forcing steadiness into her voice. "It's nice to meet you.""Elena studied her for a long moment, then shrugged. "We'll see."

That was when Tara knew she Tara understood.

This definitely wasn't about winning a child over. This girl was already braced up for lies.

Dinner was tense.

Elena barely touched her food, instead she watched Tara with a focus that felt far too perceptive for a supposed sixteen year old. Every smile Tara offered was met with politeness, felt inspected, acknowledged, accepted but weighed carefully and never fully believed.

"So," Elena said suddenly, "how long have you both been married?

Tara glanced at Ethan. He met her gaze but didn't answer.

"For a few months now," Tara said.

Elena hummed in a way that screamed i don't believe you . "Funny. Our dad never mentioned you."

The room went still, more like the whole world took a pause.

Tara's chest tightened. "Your dad...."

"Wasn't great at secrets," Elena finished flatly. "Which makes me wonder."

She leaned back in her chair. "Why you?"

An invisible flood of silence made its way through them, making every unspoken

thought feel louder than words.

Ethan spoke then, his voice measured. "That's enough."

Elena's eyes snapped at him, "It's not."

She stood up, reached for her suitcase,then grabbed it. "I'll be in my room."

When she was out of sight, everywhere immediately became cold like her presence seized the functioning of the air conditioner."She doesn't believe this," Tara said faintly.

"No," Ethan replied. "She doesn't.

"And she never will."

He looked at her then, really looked. "Can you handle that?" he inquired.

Tara swallowed heavily like there was a sudden lump in her chest.

"I didn't agree to be or get loved," she said. "I agreed to be present."

She excused herself from the table which rather felt like an interrogation centre than a dining room.

That night, Tara lay awake again, but this time it wasn't the deceptive marriage keeping her up.

It was the realization that the one person this arrangement was meant to protect might be the one who unraveled it.