Chapter 6: A Kitchen Full of Lies

KAYLOR POV

Tianah barely had the strength to move, her body weighed down by exhaustion and heartbreak. Seeing her like that—eyes hollow, shoulders slumped—sent a pang through my chest. She looked so… defeated. And Tianah was never one to break easily.

As soon as Tianah disappeared upstairs to freshen up, I found myself staring at the space where she'd just been, my heart heavy.

She looked like my mom, that day she received the divorce letter from my dad.

I'd never seen her like that before—never seen her so… small, that's what heartbreak does to you.

Tianah was the strong one. The one who always had an answer, a plan, a way to fix things. But now? She was drowning, and I didn't know how to pull her back to the surface.

Blair's voice broke through my thoughts.

"We need to do something.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Like what?"

"Like feeding her," Blair said, matter-of-factly. "The girl looks like she hasn't eaten in days. If she keeps this up, she's gonna collapse before she even makes a decision about Oliver."

She wasn't wrong.

I didn't see tianah eat yesterday, and this morning with the way she looking I don't think she has eaten anything either. If she wasn't careful, she was going to make herself sick.

"Alright," I agreed, pushing up my sleeves. "Let's do something.

We made our way to the kitchen, and I pushed the bowls of vegetables toward her.

Blair let out an exaggerated groan. "Ugh I thought you were going to order something, do you even know how to cook? if I get food poisoning from your cooking—"

"Shut up and chop the vegetables," I shot back, shoving a cutting board in her direction.

Blair rolled her eyes but took the knife, muttering something under her breath about slave labor.

I ignored her, moving to the freezer and pulling out a pack of meat. As I set it on the counter to defrost, I glanced at Blair. She was slicing carrots with a little too much aggression, her lips pursed like she was holding back a scream of frustration.

It was bothering me.

Oliver's words from last night echoed in my mind: you're no saint either Blair.

I leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "So…" I started casually. "What did Oliver mean when he said you weren't a saint?"

Blair froze mid-slice.

Her fingers tightened around the knife, and she let out a short, awkward laugh. "Pfft. Nothing. He was just being an ass."

I narrowed my eyes. "Blair."

She groaned, setting the knife down with a clank. "Why do you always have to dig?"

"Because I know you," I said simply. "And I know when you're lying."

Blair grabbed a piece of carrot and popped it into her mouth, chewing like it would distract me. It didn't.

She sighed. "Fine. But I swear, it's nothing."

I arched an eyebrow.

Blair huffed. "I'm not Serena, okay? I don't sleep around."

"That's not what I asked," I pointed out.

She threw her hands up. "God, Kaylor. You act like I'm hiding some deep, dark secret. I have nothing to tell." Then, as if to change the subject, she flicked her knife toward me. "Speaking of secrets—what the hell was that nonsense you were telling Tianah earlier? Any decision she make is the right one?"

I frowned. "What about it?"

Blair scoffed. "What if she decided to pull through with the wedding, you seriously think she should still marry him after what he did?"

I hesitated, then said, "I think that if she leaves, she might regret it later."

Blair stared at me like I had grown two heads. "Kaylor, that is some psychotic way of thinking."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Look, I'm not saying what Oliver did was okay. But men cheat, Blair. It happens. If we left every guy who cheated, we'd be hopping from one relationship to another forever."

Blair dropped the knife. "You cannot be serious right now."

"I'm just saying that no man is perfect."

Blair let out a short, humorless laugh. "So you mean to tell me that your Daniel has cheated on you before?"

I hesitated for a second too long.

Blair's eyes widened. "Wait… has he?"

I shrugged. "I've never caught him in the act, but there's always a possibility."

Blair let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. "Kaylor. That man is broke. The only thing he has to offer is being loyal. He can't afford to cheat."

I scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Blair smirked. "Exactly what you think it means.

I rolled my eyes. "You're so damn annoying sometimes, Blair."

Blair just shrugged, going back to slicing the vegetables. "All I'm saying is, you really know how to pick 'em."

Her words cut deeper than I wanted to admit.

Because maybe she was right. Maybe I did know how to pick them. And maybe I always picked wrong.

The worst part? I didn't even want to admit to myself that Daniel had been distant lately. That there had been late-night calls he didn't want me to hear. That my gut told me something was off.

But I ignored it.

Because if I admitted it, then I'd have to do something about it.

And I wasn't sure I was ready.

"Daniel is a good man," I said defensively. "He helps around the house, and he loves me."

Blair barked out a laugh. "That's the bare minimum, Kaylor. The least he can do since you're basically taking care of his ass."

I gritted my teeth. "Dating isn't about money, Blair. It's about love."

Blair snorted. "Oh yeah? Then why does the Bible say men should be providers? Or is God wrong, Kaylor?"

I exhaled sharply, waving a hand. "Let's just end this conversation. You never liked Daniel anyway."

Blair smirked. "Nope."

I shook my head, pulling the cheese from the fridge and placing it on the cutting board. Blair moved to the stove, heating up a pan while I diced the portion of cheese I wanted before moving on to season the meat.

For a while, we cooked in silence.

I diced onions while Blair stirred the pot, her earlier irritation fading as she hummed along to a song playing on her phone.

The kitchen filled with the warm scent of garlic and spices, the sound of sizzling oil breaking the quiet. Blair handled the rice, fluffing it expertly in the pot, while I worked on the sauce.

As I poured in the broth, she turned to me, grinning. "Damn. We might actually not burn the house down."

I rolled my eyes. "Have some faith."

Just as we were plating the food, Blair glanced toward the stairs. "Think she'll actually eat this?"

"She better," I muttered, wiping my hands on a towel.

Blair set the plates down on the counter, then cupped her hands around her mouth. "TIANAH! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

I smacked her arm. "Could you not scream like a wild animal?"

Blair snickered, but before I could argue, Tianah appeared at the foot of the stairs, dressed in a robe, her phone pressed to her ear.

"The bridal shower is in two days, Mom," she said, her voice tired but firm. "Don't worry about the wedding. Everything will go as planned."

Blair and I exchanged wide-eyed glances.

Two days?

Tianah ended the call with a quiet, "Love you, Mom," then set her phone down, stretching.

Blair didn't waste a second. "Two days? Are we talking about the same bridal shower? Because last I checked, it was supposed to be in two weeks. And after everything that happened, I figured the whole thing was off."

Kaylor smacked Blair on the back. "Calm down and allow her speak."

Tianah sighed. "I know I needed time to think, but when the wedding planner called earlier to confirm details, I just… made up my mind."

Blair blinked. "So… you're marrying him?"

Tianah nodded. "But that doesn't mean I've forgiven him, I just don't think I want to call the wedding off."

Kaylor gave her a small smile. "I understand, you seriously do not need to explain yourself to us especially to Blair."

Blair, however, looked like she was about to explode. "Sixteen hours, Tianah. Sixteen hours. That's how long it's been since you found out. Not that I was counting, but you're just… okay with it?"

Tianah shrugged. "It's not like the public knows , that's all that matters."

Blair groaned. "Oh my God. This is insane.

Tianah ignored her and sat at the table. "Thanks for cooking. It smells amazing, I really appreciate the effort.

Blair muttered something under her breath but sat down as well.

As Tianah dug into her food, she casually said, "I want to talk to Serena."

Blair choked on her rice. "You what? I strongly disagree with you on that, hell to the no"

Tianah sipped her water. "Not now. But maybe at the bridal shower."

Blair palmed her forehead. "Unbelievable."

Kaylor chuckled. "You're so dramatic, Blair . Put it at the back of your mind that you're not her mother so she's grown to make any decision she wants to make.

Tianah just smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Kaylor hesitated. "Where's Oliver?"

Tianah chewed her food slowly. "Guest room, maybe. Or he went out. I don't know."

Blair rolled her eyes. "That's the man you want to marry? Why isn't he here begging for your forgiveness?" She leaned back, shaking her head. "Your love lives is seriously making me consider becoming a nun."

Tianah laughed softly. Always the drama queen, when you're in love Blair you don't do this the normal way."

Blair only rolled her eyes and said, "So being in love makes someone stupid? Nah, I'll pass.

I just frowned. "You know what, Blair? When you fall in love, come back, and we'll have this conversation. But for now, zip it."

And just like that, the conversation shifted to other things.

But deep down, I just want Tianah to be happy. Right now, she's acting strong, but I can see through the facade.