Twisted love

whispers of truth

(Katherine's POV)

present

Chapter THIRTEEN

Back at the apartment, the silence between Andrew and Oliver was deafening. I could feel it pressing against my chest, heavy and suffocating. It had been like this since we met at the cliff-tension crackling in the air between them like an impending storm. I'd hoped that meeting both of them at once would bring some clarity, but now, sitting here, I was more confused than ever.

I glanced at Andrew, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on a point far off in the distance. He hadn't looked at Oliver once since we'd walked through the door. Oliver, on the other hand, sat on the edge of the couch, his hands clasped tightly together, staring down at the floor as if it held all the answers.

"Is anyone going to talk?" I finally broke the silence, my voice cutting through the thick atmosphere.

Neither of them moved. Andrew shifted slightly but kept his eyes downcast. Oliver looked up, but only for a moment before his gaze fell again. It was like being in a room with strangers, not two people I'd once been so close to.

This wasn't normal.

I had felt the tension the moment we all met at the cliff. Something was off between them-something dark and heavy. It wasn't just awkwardness. It was deeper, more personal, and the more I watched them, the more I realized they were avoiding each other as if standing too close might cause them to combust.

"I asked you both to meet me today because something isn't right," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "The way you act around each other... It's not just the video. There's something more, isn't there?"

Still, no response.

I could feel frustration bubbling up inside me. How long had they planned to keep me in the dark? All these years, Andrew had been by my side, helping me pick up the pieces after everything fell apart. How could he have hidden this from me-hidden the fact that Oliver was his brother?

"Andrew, why didn't you tell me?" I asked, my voice quieter now, almost pleading. "You and Oliver... you're brothers. Why did you hide that from me?"

Andrew stiffened but didn't respond. His jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, his eyes flickered toward Oliver before snapping back to the ground.

I turned to Oliver. "And you-why didn't you ever say anything?"

Oliver inhaled sharply, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the couch. "It's not that simple, Katherine," he said, his voice low.

"Not that simple?" I repeated, feeling anger rising within me. "What's not simple about it? You're brothers. Why does it feel like you hate each other? Why do I feel like I'm caught between something bigger than I even know?"

Andrew pushed off the wall then, his eyes dark and unreadable as he finally looked at me. "Because it is bigger than you know," he said, his voice tight with restrained emotion.

My heart pounded in my chest. "Then tell me, Andrew. What is it? What are you hiding? Why do you both act like this?"

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His gaze flickered between me and Oliver, and for the first time, I saw something raw in his eyes-something like guilt.

Oliver stood up, breaking the fragile stillness in the room. His movements were sharp, agitated. "Maybe this isn't something you need to know, Katherine," he said, turning to face me, but there was pain in his eyes.

"Why not?" I demanded. "Why don't I get to know? I've been in the dark for too long, and I'm done with it. If there's something you're both hiding, I need to know."