The Beginning Of All Sins

Tyler didn’t hide the truth. In a straightforward way, he shared with Naomi what had happened to Olivia.

“Was it serious?” Naomi asked.

He looked stern. “She needed to stay in bed to keep the baby safe, so I took her outside for a bit of fresh air.”

“Tyler, do you think Gina was wrong to speak that way about her mom?”

Tyler looked at her, pausing for a moment.

Naomi smiled. “I don’t like it when people talk about Olivia that way. She’s my sister. But what Gina said wasn’t wrong. Her mom did hurt our family a lot. My mom took Olivia in when she lost her own mom.

“What do you think I should have done, Naomi?” he turned the question back to her.

“It felt like you cared for her so much that you forgot about how I felt,” she replied.

“Naomi,” Tyler’s voice got deeper, and his expression darkened.

Ho

Seeing his face change, Naomi, still smiling, asked, “Should I not have mentioned that?”

“So this is what you think?”

The atmosphere between them became tense.

She went silent too, her expression cold. “I heard from my mom that everyone knows. she’s your wife now,” she said.

With a stern face, Tyler replied, “Isn’t this what you wanted from the beginning? You shouldn’t act like this, no matter how upset you are.”

Naomi felt hurt by his words.

But he wasn’t finished. “So, you want me to stop caring for Olivia, to ignore everything she’s going through? She had to become a mom before even finishing college just for you, and you think I’m ignoring you?”

“Do you think I’m selfish, Tyler?” she asked, her voice cold and her eyes wide with shock.

Tyler knew he had been too harsh, but he stayed quiet, his expression solemn and unyielding.

Wanting to ease the tension, Naomi, trembling, admitted, “I’m sorry, Tyler. I’ve been selfish and didn’t consider Olivia’s situation.”

After a brief pause, she continued, “I’m just… scared. Now that she’s your wife…”

Her trembling grew worse. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Then, she threw herself into his arms, letting out all her bottled–up emotions. Tears streaming, she confessed, “I don’t feel safe at all, Tyler… I’m really scared that you might

fall in love with Olivia…”

Tyler placed his hands on her shoulders, not sure how much time had gone by. His face. showed no feelings. He looked down and didn’t say anything.

No one could tell what he was feeling at the moment.

After a while, he finally said, “Why would I? To me, she’s just your sister.‘

How could Naomi not notice the brief hesitation in Tyler’s voice?