8 months ago, my sister (28F) moved back into town. A small backstory: She has not lived here in 10 years, as she originally left for college and never came back. We grew apart, we talked maybe once a year, and I haven’t seen her physically in 4 years. I’ve (31F) been with my husband (29M) for 8 years, married 3. She has met him twice in the entire duration of my relationship with him. He’s a quiet and serious man, who only opens up in front of me and a few of his select friends.
She was struggling to get a job here, so I thought I’d be a good person and ask my husband if he could maybe help her find a job at his company since they work in the same type of field. Fast forward to current times, they actually work in the same department now. He’s been acting more closed off towards me lately, but he claims everything is fine when I ask him what is wrong.
We had our traditional family Christmas meal yesterday, and at first he tried to get out of it. This is not something he’s ever tried to do, and I was very confused by this. After some convincing, he finally agreed to come along. My sister pulled him aside a few times, and they were in a very deep conversation, as if the rest of us didn’t exist. When I approached them every time, they both would jump a little and when I’d ask what they were talking about they would say “a work project that’s near deadline”.
I was feeling a little off about their behavior, but the one thing that got me the most was at one point he got up to go get himself another drink…she was sitting in a chair that was next to the kitchen door, so he had to pass her to go to the kitchen. When he was near her, she put her hand up / reached towards him, and he caressed her palm and lightly grabbed her fingers as he walked past her. She looked up at him with a big smile, he looked down at her and nodded his head. As soon as he was out of sight, she turned her head towards me and smirked at me.
When it was time for dinner, there was a main dining table that seats most of the guests. There was a second table that could seat an additional 4 people. She sat down at the side table, away from everyone else. I got my plate and sat down at the main table, but saw that he sat down at the side table with her. I told him there was a seat next to me, and he told me he wanted to sit where he was at. I decided to join them, and they went from actively talking to each other to just sitting in silence while we ate.
I later asked him what that hand touching was about, and he said “It’s just a high five”. I said it didn’t look like a high five, and he said that’s all it was. I’ve never had any reason to suspect him of cheating, but this has me feeling on edge. I’ve been battling with myself to investigate further…another thing is that he doesn’t focus that strongly when he and I talk, it’s always just short answers and light hearted. They were having some intense conversations, where he was hanging on her every word and giving her in depth responses. Would this make you feel like something is going on?
There were several instances where they were both on their phone texting at the same time as well, and glancing at each other sometimes. That could be nothing, but after everything else – it made me feel uneasy.
TLDR: I am starting to suspect my husband and my sister may be having an affair, or are beginning to think about doing so. I can’t decide if I’m being paranoid, or if there’s really something suspicious going on. I don’t know if I should talk to him (or her) more, set clear boundaries, or investigate further. What are some steps I can take?