I'm sorry. I just don't know what I did yet. It's the handwriting on the envelopes, isn't it? You looked at me like that morning over the kitchen table. I know it was messy. I saw the light on in the hallway when I got back, but you didn't say anything. Did you find the letter, or were you just waiting for me to trip up?
Stop obsessing over envelopes. It's just paper, Tess. I was thinking about how much the hallway light flickers, that's all. I didn't find a letter, I was just waiting for the coffee to brew. You're always making these weird scenarios out of a quiet morning. I had a decent sleep for once, and you just want to ruin it. Why do that?
Don't lie to me about your sleep. You weren't sleeping if I heard the floorboards creak at 3 AM. You're always so desperately trying to act like everything is fine while the air in this house is thick. It's pathetic. The light flickers because the wiring is old, not because you're being poetic. You saw something when I pulled into the driveway. Admit it.
The floorboards creak because this house is settling, Tess. You're looking for a conspiracy where there's just old wood. I was in the kitchen for water, nothing more. If I saw your car, it was because the headlights were on. I'm stressed about that project at the office and I don't have the energy for your interrogations. Stop being so dramatic. It's exhausting.
The office. Always the project. It's a convenient shield, isn't it? If you were just getting water, why was the sink still dry when I walked in? I saw your coat on the chair, and it was damp. You weren't just in the kitchen. I saw the mud on the boots too, the one you wore when you went out last Tuesday. You think I'm being dramatic? I'm just paying attention.
The coat was damp because it was raining, okay? I went out to the back garden for air. You're hovering over the mud like it's a crime scene. It's just dirt, Tess. I don't have time to explain every movement I make to you. If you're looking for a reason to fight, find one, but you're mistaken. I'm tired of this constant suspicion.
It wasn't even raining, Dev. The sky was clear for hours. You think I'm stupid? I watched out the window while I was trying to finish those reports. You weren't in the garden. The gate was locked shut when I checked earlier. So where were you? And don't tell me you're tired of me being the only one who notices when the pieces are shifting.
You were too busy with those reports to see what was actually happening. Maybe I just walked around the block. Does everything need to be a deposition with you? You're hunting for a ghost just to feel smart. It's always the same cycle with you—I do something small and you build a whole world around it. I'm not doing this again. I'm going to get some lunch. Leave the gate alone.
Go then, get your lunch. But don't think I didn't notice the gate latch was still hanging loose. You talk about walking around the block like it's some grand adventure, but your shoes were covered in that red clay. I saw the scratch on the paint, too, right next to the hinge. I'm not hunting for ghosts, I'm just tired of pretending this house is actually breathing.
Red clay is from the construction site down the road. I told you, I took a shortcut. You're obsessed with every scratch like it's a cryptic message. It's just a gate, Tess. It breaks. Things break. If the house is breathing, maybe move out. I'm tired of the atmosphere too. You're suffocating yourself over a loose hinge. I'm going out the door. Right now.
Fine, walk out. But don't expect me to be here when you get back with more excuses. The shortcut is nowhere near the rot under the floor. You think leaving for an hour fixes the fact that you were hiding something in the trunk? I saw the bag, Dev. You didn't even close it properly when you heard the key turning.
The bag was just gym gear. You're seeing things because you want to be the victim for once. It's pathetic how you twist a simple mistake into a thriller. I'm leaving because I can't breathe in this room when every shadow is deconstructed as a personal attack. Just stay here and rot with the floorboards. I'm done explaining myself to you.
Gym gear? That's what we're going with now? You haven't stepped foot in a gym in months. Go then. Slam the door. It'll be easier for you when I'm not pointing out the holes in your story. I know what was in that bag, and it didn't smell like sweat. It smelled like salt and something metallic. You're pathetic for thinking that works.
Salt and metal? Maybe I bought tools for the car. You're reaching now, Tess. It's exhausting how you invent smells just to keep your narrative going. I'm not pathetic, I'm just done being the only one reacting to your paranoia. I'm out the door. Don't wait for me. I don't know if I'm coming back for dinner.
Don't bother with dinner. The house is already cold enough. You think I'm inventing things? Check the toolbox later; your favorite wrench is missing, too. Go away. See how far the road goes when you're still lying to yourself. I saw the receipt on the floor, Dev. The one from the pharmacy. It was over before it even started.
The receipt was for my mother's medicine. You're digging through the trash like a scavenger. It's disgusting. The wrench is probably in the car, leave it. You want to find a villain so badly you don't have to look in the mirror. Fine, keep your pharmacy receipts and your cold house. I'm gone and the air is better out here anyway.
Your mother hasn't been alive for three years. We both know that. Don't use her as a shield when you're cornered. If the wrench is in the car, then leave it. And maybe the air is better out there because you don't have to look at what you did here. Just go. I'm tired of the weight of your secrets filling up every room.
You're so cruel when you think you've won. Fine, I bought it for a friend, okay? Stop pushing. If you want to believe I'm some ghost-story monster, go for it. I'm not finishing this conversation. I'm taking the keys. Stay here with your silence, it's clearly what you wanted anyway. Don't call me.
Take the keys. You won't need them if you're actually planning on staying. A friend? That's the best lie you've got? You're shaking while you say it. Go then, disappear. The silence is the only thing in this house that isn't lying to me. I'm done waiting for you to come clean. Just leave.
I'm not shaking, I'm cold. You want me gone? Fine. I'm gone. Enjoy your silence, it's the only thing you've got right today. I'm tired of being the target for your little games. Don't bother checking the driveway when I get out. I'm done..
You're always cold because you're empty. Go then, drive the car until the engine gives out. I won't check the driveway; I already saw the tracks leading toward the creek. You think you're leaving everything behind, but you're just taking the mess somewhere else. Close the door, Dev. The click is loud enough.
The creek? You're losing it now. There were tracks because the ground was soft, Tess. You see a tragedy in every puddle because you're so miserable. I'm closing the door now. Let the click be the last thing you hear today. I'm done with the creek and the accusations. Stay in your dark. I'm getting some air.
The air won't wash the smell off you. You can walk until your legs give out but the creek is still there, and so is what you left in the mud. Go get your air. I'll be here in the dark, waiting for the realization to finally hit you when you're halfway back home. We both know what happened.
You don't know anything. You're sitting in the dark making stories to fill the space. If that makes you feel better, then keep doing it. I'm not coming back for a lecture on what you think I did. The creek is just water, Tess. I'm driving away now. Don't look out the rearview mirror. I'm done with this.