Rhea lies on her bed staring at the ceiling, eyes burning, mind racing in tight circles.
"I'll fix it tomorrow," she mutters. "At uni."
She turns on her side, hugging the pillow Ling's shirt used to be on.
Then her eyes widen.
"…Tomorrow is Saturday."
She sits up abruptly.
"And Sunday."
Two full days.
No classes. No corridors. No accidental collisions. No excuses.
Her jaw tightens.
"I'll go to her mansion," she whispers instinctively. "Through the window. Like an idiot."
The image flashes too clearly—walls, height, Ling's stupid smile.
Rhea exhales sharply and shakes her head.
"No. I'm not doing that. I'm not her."
She grabs her phone again.
Not Ling.
Someone safer.
Someone impossible to miss.
Text — Rhea → Rina:
Where is Ling.
The reply comes too fast.
Text — Rina:
🙂
Why, sister-in-law?
Rhea groans out loud, dragging a hand down her face.
"Unbelievable."
She types furiously.
Text — Rhea:
She isn't replying. Don't joke. Please don't tell anyone. Just ask her to reply.
Across the city—
Kwong Mansion - Same Moment
Rina lounges sideways on the couch, phone in hand, grin spreading slowly across her face.
"Oh," she murmurs. "This is good."
She turns the screen toward Dadi without a word.
Dadi adjusts her glasses, reads, then chuckles softly—warm, knowing.
"So," Dadi says calmly, sipping her tea, "the child is worried."
Rina beams. "Very."
"She's scared," Dadi corrects gently.
Rina tilts her head. "Same thing."
Eliza looks up sharply from the table. "Why are you both smiling."
Rina locks her phone instantly. "Nothing."
Eliza narrows her eyes. "You don't smile for nothing."
Dadi hums. "Let them be young."
Eliza's gaze flicks between them. "Who texted."
Rina shrugs with exaggerated innocence. "Just… college drama."
Eliza stands. "Does this involve Ling."
"No," Rina says too quickly.
Dadi raises an eyebrow.
Eliza notices.
Her voice sharpens. "Rina."
Rina sighs theatrically. "Okay, fine. Someone asked about Ling."
Eliza's jaw tightens. "Who."
Rina smiles sweetly. "Someone you don't like."
Silence drops.
Eliza turns cold. "Did she reply."
Rina glances at her phone. "Ling hasn't even seen it."
Dadi smiles faintly. "Because Ling is pretending she's made of stone."
Rina nods. "A cracked stone."
Eliza crosses her arms. "Do not encourage this."
Rina leans back. "I didn't. I just didn't stop it."
Eliza exhales sharply. "If Rhea Nior is worrying over my daughter—"
"She is," Dadi cuts in gently. "And your daughter is hurting too."
Eliza looks away.
Rina types quickly.
Back to Rhea — Nior Mansion
Her phone buzzes.
Rhea snatches it instantly.
Text — Rina:
She's home. Alive. Stubborn. Very Ling.
Rhea exhales a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Her fingers hover.
Text — Rhea:
Please ask her to reply. Just once. Don't tell anyone I asked.
Three dots appear.
Disappear.
Then—
Text — Rina:
I won't tell. But I won't force her either.
Rhea presses her lips together, frustration and relief tangling painfully.
"…Figures," she murmurs.
She tosses the phone onto the bed and falls back, staring at the ceiling again.
Two days.
No Ling.
No answers.
Her chest tightens.
"This is going to be hell," she whispers.
And somewhere else, in a mansion just as quiet, Ling Kwong is awake too—
phone face down, hand bandaged, jaw clenched—
doing exactly what she's always done best.
Holding herself back.
Kwong Mansion — Ling's Room, Same Night
Ling sits on the edge of her bed, phone face down beside her, bandaged hand resting on her thigh. She hasn't moved in minutes.
Rina leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her cousin with a knowing look.
"So," Rina says lightly, breaking the silence. "Rhea texted."
Ling doesn't look up. "I don't care."
Rina raises a brow. "Didn't even ask what she said."
Ling's jaw tightens. "Ask her to stop texting."
Rina sighs, already typing. "You're impossible."
Nior Mansion — Rhea's Room
Rhea's phone lights up.
She grabs it instantly.
Text — Rina:
She says ask you to stop texting.
Rhea's eyes narrow.
Her thumbs move fast.
Text — Rhea:
Tell her don't show attitude. I'm not her enemy.
She throws the phone onto the bed, pacing immediately, arms folded tight across her chest.
"Unbelievable," she mutters. "She disappears and now she's offended?"
Kwong Mansion — Ling's Room
Rina reads the reply out loud with dramatic emphasis.
"'Tell her don't show attitude. I'm not her enemy.'"
Ling lets out a short, humorless laugh.
"Say this," Ling says coldly. "She's the one who decided I'm something ugly. I won't reply."
Rina stops smiling. "Ling."
Ling finally looks up. Her eyes are dark, controlled, hurt buried deep.
"I won't reply," she repeats. "I didn't block her. I just won't chase."
Rina exhales and types anyway.
Nior Mansion — Rhea's Room
The phone buzzes again.
Rhea snatches it.
Text — Rina:
She said you're the one who decided she's something ugly. She won't reply.
Rhea freezes.
Her throat tightens.
"…That's not what I meant," she whispers to the empty room.
Her fingers shake as she types.
Text — Rhea:
Tell her I was scared. Not disgusted. Tell her she's twisting my words.
She sends it, then immediately regrets the urgency in it.
She sits down hard on the bed, rubbing her face with both hands.
"Why are you like this," she mutters. "Why am I like this."
Kwong Mansion
Rina reads the message slowly.
Ling's expression doesn't change, but something flickers—brief, dangerous.
"She's scared," Rina says carefully. "That matters."
Ling stands abruptly. "No."
Rina frowns. "Ling—"
"She said what she said," Ling cuts in. "Fear doesn't excuse it."
Rina studies her. "You're lying."
Ling turns away. "Text her back."
Rina blinks. "You just said—"
"Text her," Ling repeats. "Exactly this."
Rina types as Ling dictates, word by word.
Nior Mansion
Rhea's phone lights up again.
She opens it instantly.
Text — Rina:
She said: I'm not twisting anything. I heard you clearly. Don't explain now.
Rhea's chest tightens painfully.
"…Don't explain," she echoes bitterly. "Of course."
She types back without thinking.
Text — Rhea:
Then don't pretend you don't care.
The message sends.
She stares at the screen, breathing uneven.
Minutes pass.
Nothing.
She throws the phone aside, tears burning but refusing to fall.
Kwong Mansion
Rina looks up from her phone. "She says don't pretend you don't care."
Ling's lips press into a thin line.
"I'm not pretending," Ling says quietly. "I care enough to stay away."
Rina's voice softens. "And if she needs you."
Ling's gaze hardens. "Then she shouldn't push me away."
Rina shakes her head. "You two are exactly the same."
Ling doesn't answer.
She picks up her phone, unlocks it, opens the chat—
Reads the last message again.
Her thumb hovers.
Then she locks the screen.
"Goodnight, Rina."
Rina watches her for a long moment before leaving.
Nior Mansion — Rhea Alone
Rhea lies back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, phone clutched loosely in her hand.
"…Stubborn," she whispers. "Cold. Idiot."
Her voice cracks on the last word.
She turns onto her side, eyes wet, anger and guilt tangled so tight she can't separate them.
Two days.
She doesn't know yet—
But neither of them is sleeping tonight.