Jenevive glanced up at the rearview mirror and caught Anita's lingering gaze.
For a second, they stayed like that—staring at each other, eyes filled with sorrow, fully aware of the weight and tension that lingered in the air, so thick it almost choked them.
Jenevive tore her gaze away and refocused on the road, ignoring the matter a bit longer. She turned the steering wheel and swerved into a different lane.
Anita, feeling helpless, stole a glance at Edward before he could even sense her doing it. But it wasn't like he would have noticed—after all, he had been leaning on the window and staring up at the sky ever since they got into the car. Dead silent.
Stroking her heishi bracelet, she looked out her own window, dazed by the blur of houses and people as the car glided down lane D3 of the estate.
She felt so confused and on edge. Edward had acted so oddly normal during the entire event at his house not so long ago. It was as if he was in denial—or suffering from short-term amnesia. From the moment he came downstairs, he was all smiles and festive about the party.
Anita, Mdachi, Jesse, and Jenevive had been taken aback and literally speechless by his behavior, but they had been too afraid to ask. They just watched him with empathy and pain that bored through their hearts.
Anita turned again and looked at Edward. He was still in the same position, in the same daze.
She wondered, with her brows furrowed, what might have been going through his mind at the time. Edward had always been a wonder—sometimes even to his own parents—but not like this. Never like this. This time, he was just so unreadable, unpredictable, and unbearably terrifying.
While still staring at him, Anita recalled the memory of the only time he had truly shown what he felt during that specific part of the event: the speeches about Hallington.
Though subtle, Anita had seen through his deceitfully charming smile and sparkling eyes—the pain that gnawed at him from the shadows of pretense. He had been recounting a joyous memory of him and Hallington, but all Anita saw was pain.
The car drove through the main gate, passing by another black one in the process, then swerved onto the road. It drove off toward a roundabout not too far away and joined another road. From there, it continued to Dhahabu Apartments—a luxurious and pristine building just opposite the estate's main gate—and down into the parking lot.
As soon as the car was parked and the engine turned off, Jesse hopped out of the passenger seat and shut the door behind him. He didn't even wait for the others, heading straight for the elevator at the northern corner of the building. He was long gone before anyone even realized he had gotten out of the car.
"Jesse?..." Jenevive called out in astonishment after unfastening her seatbelt, looking around as if Jesse were hiding somewhere in the thin air of the car—or rather, somewhere outside.
Anita looked equally stunned, despite the fact that she and Jesse had been sitting on the same side of the car. The irony.
Well, who knows? Maybe she was still in her daze at the time.
"He already got off," Edward clarified rather nonchalantly, breaking his long period of silence.
Anita and her mom didn't know whether to be more stunned that they hadn't seen Jesse leave—or that Edward had just spoken.
Anita paused midway through unfastening her seatbelt as she gawked at Edward. She hadn't really expected him to talk again so soon. I mean, it's not like she wanted him to stay a cold statue forever, but knowing Edward—and knowing what he had just discovered—who could blame him if he chose to stay silent for a while and reflect on his life?
"You guys really need to stop staring at me like that," came Edward's dry denouncement, his expression a contortion of discomfort.
He didn't wait for their reaction. Instead, he stretched his hand over his seat, grabbed his backpack from the boot, flipped it over his back, and adjusted the strap over one shoulder. With just a "See you in the house," Edward got out of the car and closed the door behind him.
"What did we do?" Jenevive turned to Anita softly, her voice half guilty, half confused.
"Nothing, Mama," Anita comforted, placing her hand over her mother's on the armrest. "He's just upset. Give him time—he'll come around."
"Okay," Jenevive resolved. "Let's join them now, shall we?"
Anita gave a slight nod and opened her door.
---------------
Stepping into the house, Anita and her mother found Edward seated on the sofa. He was hunched over an open A4 book on the table, focused intently on a page filled with scribbles as his finger traced across it.
His backpack, which was set just beside him, had its mouth gaping open, showcasing the outstanding, huge, aged tome. His packed clothes had to be somewhere behind that grimoire.
Tap!
The soft sound pulled Anita's gaze back to Edward. She stared at him—and at the finger that now rested on a particular spot on the page—as if it had finally found what it had been scouring for.
Edward looked up just in time for their eyes to meet. But his expression remained cold, unfazed, unbothered.
"I must apologize for my fit earlier—" Edward began, stepping in front of them and holding his hands before him. "It was truly—"
"No need," Jenevive interjected, raising a hand. "We understand. It's—"
"Good! Now let's get right down to business, shall we?" Edward cut in lightheartedly as he walked back to the couch.
He flopped himself onto it. "Do join me, please," he said, gesturing to the sofa opposite him.
Mother and daughter felt a lump rise in their throats, threatening to choke them. Their eyes widened, unsure whether what they felt was irritation, sympathy, pain, or anger at how Edward was behaving. Didn't he know he had the right to be angry about everything? Then why—why was he just so… unnatural? Why, for God's sake, was he terrifying them like this?
"Are you just gonna stand there and gawk? I mean, I know I'm charming," he said, leaning back against the cushion and resting his arm along the backrest. "But you can admire later," he added in charismatic cockiness, crossing one leg horizontally over the other.
Anita was now glaring at him, her hands firmly clenched. Steam was practically seeping out of her in high pressure. She hated what Edward was doing to himself—hated how he denied himself emotion, hurting himself even more.
Staring at her, Edward set his foot back on the ground, leaned forward with his arms resting on his laps, then intertwined his fingers. His face was filled with emptiness as his gaze fell on Anita's fists. It was as if he cared less about what she had to say or think about the matter.
He looked back into her eyes, his as desolate as before. "Wasn't this all about that?"
Instinctively, Anita found herself marching toward Edward, her eyes burning with rage and her teeth gnashing against each other.
"Stop it," Jenevive commanded, stepping in front of her daughter. She had her arms open, just in case Anita tried to dodge her and continue toward Edward. "…Just stop it."
Once she was sure Anita wouldn't react, and that she had calmed down, Jenevive stepped aside and stood beside her. Disappointment was evident on her face as she stared at Edward, her arms crossed.
"I know it's probably more than difficult finding out that the people you've recognized as your parents all your life are actually not—"
"It doesn't matter now," Edward muttered bluntly, raising his hand. "All I need—"
"Ahhhhhh!" Anita screamed angrily as she lunged at Edward.
Jenevive caught her just in time before she could land a blow on Edward's head.
Seeing how frustrated and serious she was, Edward had curled up and blocked his face with his hands in fear. His emotion showed through, not even trying to hide how petrified he was by Anita's sudden animosity. He looked at her through the space between his fingers.
With her body still hanging from her mother's arm, Anita began… giggling?
She looked up, and tears were seen streaming down her cheeks. What had sounded like giggles was now realized to be sobs.
She set herself down and walked toward Edward, composed and calm.
Jenevive stared in both awe and sadness.
Still in his curled posture, Edward watched her approach.
"From the dawn of time," Anita mumbled as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Till its dusk," they finished in unison.
And with that, a dam broke, and Edward began sobbing heavily as he loosened his posture.
Ding!... Dong!
Jenevive looked toward the foyer, her eyes glistening. Mdachi and his sisters must have already been brought by their mother for the sleepover.