The car ride back to the estate was quiet, suffocating, death. You name it. Heather stared out the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She wanted to ask Caius why he defended her, but she couldn't bring herself to break the silence. She didn't want to be here. She was scared she might snap and say something she couldn't take back, or worse, do something she couldn't undo. A few days ago, he saw Alex, but she hasn't been worried. He never wanted Alex and wouldn't want him now. Didn't even recognize him. Alex would just have to accept it as he grows older.
"How's the set?" Caius asked, his voice breaking the silence.
Heather blinked, her jaw tightened. Why was he asking her about the set? Couldn't he read the room? She didn't want to talk. She wasn't comfortable being with him, but still managed cause they didn't talk, now he was ruining her peace.
"Good," she said simply.
"Are you being treated right?" he pressed.
Oh, God. This man. He could be so clueless at times. Whatever and however she was being treated was none of his business. He should focus on his family and leave her alone. She didn't respond, too lost in her thoughts to bother.
"If I find out they're not treating you right, I'll fire them all and make sure they stay jobless"
"You won't actually do any of that," she said in disbelief.
What baffled her was the look in his eyes. It said otherwise. For a moment, her perspective shifted. Was he serious?
"If they're not treating you right, I'll make sure they regret it. No one messes with what's mine."
Heather's head snapped toward him.
"What's yours?" she repeated.
He didn't flinch.
"You know what I mean."
"Actually, I don't. I'm not "yours"." She paused, "And I don't need your help," she said quickly, "Besides, you have a family to look after."
Caius was silent, his gaze fixed ahead. Heather took the opportunity to distract herself, pulling out her phone. She quickly texted Penny: "Hey, how's Alex? Is he asleep?" Penny's reply came almost instantly, a thumbs-up emoji. Heather exhaled, relieved.
"You're part of my family," Caius said suddenly.
Heather turned her face to the window, her lips pressing into a thin line. He was beginning to annoy her.
"I'm not part of your family," she muttered. She wasn't interested in hearing that. The only family she had was Alex, Penny, and her father. Everyone else was far from being family. Caius's family was Lauren, their child, Evelyn… and Grandma Ellie. The only Caius family member she had seen. No other person was present on their wedding day, so she doubts he has any. Heather hadn't seen or heard from Grandma Ellie in years.
Caius looked like he wanted to say more, but the car slowed as they approached the estate. Heather didn't wait for the car to fully stop before opening the door and stepping out. She could hear Caius's footsteps behind her, but they stopped abruptly. When she turned, she saw him on a call. She gestured with her hands, silently asking if he was coming in. He nodded but stayed where he was.
Heather didn't wait. She proceeded inside. When she reached the camera room, she saw Dave sitting at the console, his face lighted up when he saw her.
"Heather bo Beather!" he exclaimed, grinning.
Heather groaned inwardly. She hated that nickname, but Dave had been part of her childhood. She couldn't hold it against him. He was one of the nicest people from her childhood.
"Hello, Dave. How's the family?"
"The family's great," he said, leaning back in his chair. "What brings you here?"
"Can you do me a favor, Dave?" Heather asked, her tone softening.
"Anything for you," he said with a nod.
"I need camera footage from two hours ago," she said.
"Mm-hmm… which part of the house?" he asked, already typing into the console.
"The kitchen," Heather replied.
Dave paused, glancing at her.
"What's wrong?"
"It's important," she said, avoiding his gaze. "But can you retrieve it?"
"Sure thing. But it's going to take a while. Your stepmother insists footages are wiped after an hour," he said, turning back to the screen.
That's the strangest thing she had ever heard. But strange wasn't far from Evelyn. Heather sighed, a small wave of relief washed over her because he can still retrieve it. Although, it was suspicious she told him to do that. What was she trying to cover up? Just as Dave began pulling up the footage, Caius walked in.
"How's it going?" Caius asked.
"I'm almost done," Dave replied.
Caius turned to Heather. "I have to go. Something came up. You'll be fine, right?"
Heather didn't look at him. "I've always been fine."
"I'll send a ride for you when you're done, so you can..."
"Caius," she cut him off. "I have a driver. It's all good. You can go. I don't need you." She didn't mind if he was here or not, she only needed a witness.
Caius hesitated for a moment before nodding and stepping out. Heather turned back to Dave, who was giving her a curious look.
"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dave shrugged, a small smirk on his face. It'd only be funny if they still had something.
"Everything good?" he asked, his tone teasing.
"Dave, just focus," Heather said, exasperated.
"If you need marriage advice, I'm your guy," Dave said with a grin.
Heather almost choked on a laugh. Poor Dave. He must not have heard about the divorce.
"We're divorced," she said, the words coming out more easily than she expected. Saying it out loud felt… freeing. Wow.
Dave's face fell. "That sucks."
It doesn't, actually.
"It's not that bad, trust me." she said smiling faintly. "This is the happiest I've ever been."
Dave still gave her a sad look, despite what she said. "I can't imagine myself without my bug."
Heather blinked. The nickname was the kind that was only cute when it wasn't said out loud.