Livia is admiring her new two-storey penthouse at Labar. Cornelia is running around, exploring their new home.
While she assumes that it must be her father-in-law's idea to send them all the way to the other side of the country, she has to admit that her husband has not spared any expenses in furnishing her new residence.
Kai is a meticulous overseer too, having managed the servants as they took all of Livia's and Cornelia's belongings from Sicaster and shifted them to similar places at the Labar penthouse so its new residents won't encounter much difficulty in locating their items.
Not only are Livia's cosmetics and skincare products at the exact same place they were at Sicaster, they are on the same vanity table.
Yes, the servants did move whatever furniture they could over.
They managed to do all of this after Livia's departure from Sicaster and before her arrival at Labar.
Of course, the servants are not miracle workers. To give them enough time to do that, Livia and Cornelia spent a few days at a resort at Ashford Island, cut off from the rest of the world.
It has been rejuvenating.
For that, Livia is begrudgingly grateful.
When she expresses her thanks to Kai, he just laughs. "I wanted a break from paperwork. Besides, I'm the twins' godfather. This is simply my duty. I'm also more familiar with Labar than you are."
"Oh?" Livia is surprised. "I didn't know that."
"Raylen and I attended the University of Labar. My sister too. And…" His voice trails off.
"And Delaney too, I assume," Livia adds.
"Yes. I am sorry, I shouldn't have brought her up."
"No, it's alright. I am curious about her as well. Can you tell me more about her?"
Kai looks conflicted—or pained—for a moment before he gives it. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, for starters, what sort of person was she like?"
"Hmm… Give me some time to gather my thoughts. I don't really know where to start. How about you tell me what Raylen told you about her first?"
"Well," Livia begins slowly, "he didn't say much. He told me how she had died. He also said she had been scrawny like a bag of bones. And that her grip on life had been tenuous. "
Kai grimaces a little as he raises his right hand to rub the back of his neck. "Yes, I suppose that is all accurate, but it doesn't paint a very flattering or complete picture."
"Then what do you think of her? Please give me a more complete picture."
Kai answers after a short pause. "She was witty and playful, but prone to bouts of melancholy. She was actually very introverted and disliked going out most of the time. At the University of Labar, she majored in philosophy. A very poor decision if you ask me. Not only are philosophy majors often jobless, I still believe thinking too much was what worsened her depression and existential crisis."
"What was her relationship with Raylen like?" It hurts Livia to ask, but she feels like she must know.
"Toxic."
"Toxic?"
"Yes, very toxic, especially when they entered their late teens and early adulthood. She was Raylen's childhood sweetheart. They were usually together, but in adulthood the relationship became more on-and-off. Laney died during one of their many splits. She had always been sick, and her sickness worsened in adulthood. Ray was… How should I put it? He was a flaky escapist with a bad temper. When he was with her, he was the most indulgent caretaker, but he also abandoned her for months at a time without any sort of warning."
"That sounds cruel."
"I suppose so," Kai agrees, "but it is difficult to completely fault him either. It couldn't have been easy to keep a depressed patient with a severe eating disorder alive. I think he bailed on her whenever he felt overwhelmed, and returned when he felt like he could cope again."
"Why did they stay together then? It doesn't seem like they were happy together." Livia is perplexed.
Kai smiles mirthlessly. "Because both of them thought they could 'fix' the other. They couldn't live without the other, but they couldn't live with the other either. They were two damaged souls fighting with and clinging to each other. Laney might have been sick, but Ray was no angel either. The Raylen you know is vastly different from the Raylen we knew. He matured a lot after Laney's death. Probably to…"
"Probably to what?"
Kai sighs. "Probably to become someone that, had Laney lived, she could and would have loved in a healthier way. At least, that is my suspicion."
Livia does not know what to make of this new information. It makes her feel like she was sleeping beside a stranger for the past four years. She has never even met the real Raylen that Delaney and Raylen knew.
It is disconcerting. More than disconcerting actually. She is disturbed.
Kai seems to read her mind. "The Raylen you know is not a mask. He is every bit as real as the old Raylen. The old Raylen simply got his shit together and grew up."
"I feel like I only know a small part of him. And I am his wife. I won't be soon, but it still feels so… strange."
"Think of it this way," Kai consoles, "Raylen saved the better side of himself for you. He did not want to subject you to what he had subjected Laney to."
Livia feels slightly comforted, but not by much. "I have one more question."
"Go ahead."
"Does she look like the reporter from Sicaster Broadcasting Company?"
"Yes, just skinnier. Or rather, the reporter—Janus Allister is her name, by the way, if you want to know—looks like Laney when she was healthier." Kai grimaces once more. "She was very skinny when she died, and I suppose that's the sharpest memory Raylen has of h—"
He stops suddenly before walking towards the open door behind Livia. "Hello, my little princess. How have you been?" Cornelia shows herself and runs towards him. He picks her up and returns to Livia's side.
Alisha follows her employers into the room, standing a respectable distance away. Cornelia looks glum and Livia is worried her daughter has overheard the conversation. There is no telling how long she was behind the door for. Luckily…
"Mama, when is the game going to start? I miss Papa and Lius already."