The door creaked as Ayda slipped inside, her breath uneven, her boots leaving faint marks on the wooden floor. The dim lighting in the room cast elongated shadows, stretching like ghosts against the walls. Adel sat on the edge of the bed, her hands gripping the sheets as if she had been waiting.
Ayda stepped inside, her expression unreadable. She didn't bother closing the door fully behind her, as if too burdened by whatever she had just witnessed. Her usually sharp eyes widened with something close to hesitation, an emotion Adel rarely saw in her.
"What happened?" Adel asked, stepping forward.
Ayda exhaled sharply, shaking her head as she tossed her damp scarf onto the couch. "I saw them."
Adel frowned. "Who?.... who did you see?"
"Jaytee and Nora." Ayda ran a hand through her tousled hair, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I saw the way he looked at her. The way he hesitated before walking away. It was…" She trailed off, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was still trying to make sense of it.
Adel could already picture it, Jaytee's guarded nature, Nora's stubborn persistence. The inevitable pull between them. It didn't surprise her. And yet, hearing Ayda say it made it feel wrong, again.
"Did he…, did they…?"
"No," Ayda cut in. "He didn't kiss her. But it was close. Too close."
Adel let out a breath, more shaken than she wanted to admit. Jaytee had never been the type to let anyone in. If he was getting closer to Nora… it meant something.
"He reminds me so much of Rico…. My prayers are for him to fight it" Adel muttered, mostly to herself.
"Maybe," Ayda replied, shrugging. "But for how long?"
A thick silence fell between them. The weight of unspoken thoughts filled the air like a storm waiting to break.
Ayda crossed her arms and fixed Adel with a firm stare. "We don't have time for distractions."
"I know that," Adel said, there was sharpness in her tone.
"Do you?" Ayda challenged, stepping closer. "Because while you're standing here watching shadows, Rico is out there, waiting. Counting on you. Hoping that you come back with his son. You made a promise to him"
Adel flinched slightly at the mention of his name. Rico. The one person she had promised she wouldn't fail. The one person she had loved so much.
"I haven't forgotten," she said, her voice quieter now.
"Then act like it." Ayda's eyes flashed with frustration. "This isn't just about Jaytee or Nora. We have a goal. A plan. We can't afford to lose focus now. And….. you are just too calm…."
Adel inhaled deeply, guarding herself. "I understand."
Ayda studied her for a moment before nodding. "Good."
For a brief moment, silence settled between them again. The wind outside howled through the trees, rattling the windowpane.
Then, almost as if the thought had been simmering under the surface, Ayda spoke again, this time, her voice lower, more contemplative.
"Why does Jaytee hate you so much? Why is it so hard for him to believe you? Why does he make our purpose hard for us?"
Adel stiffened. It wasn't a question she hadn't asked herself before. But hearing it spoken aloud made it feel different. Real. And she for a fact had the answers to all.
She forced a laugh, but it was hollow. "He doesn't hate me."
Ayda arched a brow. "Doesn't he?.... You can't even have a normal conversation with him"
Adel opened her mouth to argue, but the words never came. Because deep down, she wasn't sure if she could deny it.
Jaytee never looked at her the way he looked at Nora. His eyes never softened, and his guard never wavered. When he looked at Adel, there was only wariness. Distance.
Hate? She swallowed, shifting uncomfortably under Ayda's gaze. "He has his reasons."
Ayda frowned. "But do you even know what they are?.... You told me we were here to pick him up. To convince him….. we are running out of time Adel!"
Adel hesitated. She thought back to the past, the stolen glances, the cold indifference, the way his entire demeanor hardened whenever she was near.
Something had broken between them long ago. Something she had never been able to fix. And now… maybe it was too late.
Adel turned away, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "It doesn't matter."
Ayda sighed. "Maybe not. But you should at least understand it."
The words lingered in the air, heavy with truth.
Adel knew Ayda was right. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to face whatever that truth might be.
Because whatever it was, it had the power to change everything.
And right now, she wasn't sure if she could afford that.
Ayda didn't press further. Instead, she moved toward the small table in the corner of the room, tapping her fingers against the surface absentmindedly. Her brows furrowed, deep in thought.
"You know," she said, her tone softer now, "Jaytee isn't the type to hate someone for no reason. He's smart. Calculated. If there's something between you two, there has to be a reason. I have to remind you over and over again that he,... Jaytee is your son… and the first of our kind to be born alive."
Adel exhaled, crossing her arms over her chest. "We've always been… complicated."
"Complicated?" Ayda echoed, looking unimpressed. "That's a polite way of putting it."
Adel gave her a sidelong glance. "It's the truth."
Ayda tapped her fingers faster. "And you've never thought about confronting him? Asking him outright?"
Adel shook her head. "It wouldn't change anything."
Ayda's expression darkened. "Or maybe you're just scared of the answer."
Adel's chest tightened, but she said nothing.
Another silence settled between them, this one heavier than before. Outside, the wind continued to wail, rattling the shutters.
What is the story Adel refuses to tell? What story is keeping a rift between a mother and her child?