Breakfast has been prepared, but one seat remains empty—Maria's. The silence around her absence becomes louder than the morning laughter.
Mandume sets his fork down with a furrowed brow, "I'll go get her."
He knocks lightly, then pushes open Maria's bedroom door.
"Do you want something?" Maria asks, already sounding annoyed.
"No… just… breakfast is ready," he says, trying to sound casual.
"I know. And if I wanted to eat, I would've been at that table long ago." She turns to him, eyes cold. "Do one thing for me, Mandume. Don't ever call me for food again. Got that?"
Mandume stands still, stunned. "What?!"
But she doesn't answer—she just disappears into the washroom. From behind the door, her voice cuts through his confusion.
"The door is behind you."
Mandume walks out, shattered.
"What's going on with Mom? I don't even know who to suspect anymore—Star or her…" he mutters on his way back to the dining room. They eat in silence, her absence lingering like a bad aftertaste.
Later, Star sits in her room, hunched over her laptop, editing her script. But her thoughts drift. Christine's words from earlier buzz in her head like a mosquito.
"Covering up for betrayal makes you one too…"
She closes her eyes, wrestling with guilt.
"Grandma's right. The truth is like oil in water—it'll rise eventually."
A buzz interrupts her thoughts—her father. He wants to see her tomorrow. The excitement lifts her spirits for a moment, but doubt quickly follows.
The house is shifting. Tension lingers in the walls. She feels it in every creak of the floorboards.
"I need to tell Grandma everything… before I'm swallowed in someone else's lies."
She gets up quickly and heads to Christine's room, but before she can knock—
A hand yanks her by the arm and drags her into a room.
It's Maria.
"What are you trying to prove, huh?" Maria hisses.
"What?!" Star blurts out, confused.
Maria raises her hand to slap her, but Star ducks instinctively, causing Maria to stumble.
"Sorry, ma," Star says, covering her cheeks with her hands. "I don't like people touching my face."
"You insane brat!" Maria growls, now livid.
"Oh, so you sneak a gun into my room, wipe off your prints, stuff it in my jacket, and when I nearly go to jail, you save me? What's your plan, Star? Only a lunatic pulls stunts like this!"
Star just stares at her, unbothered.
"You done?" she asks.
Maria blinks. "What?"
Star moves to leave, but Maria blocks the door.
"Have some respect. I'm still talking!"
"Respect?" Star scoffs. "After you messed with my life? After attempted murder? After brainwashing Mendu? After telling someone her father isn't her father? You want respect? Wow. Just wow."
Maria's face twitches. "Enough! Enough with your nonsense!"
"Oh, I get it—you're scared. The PTA president has secrets? Say it isn't so."
"I said enough, Star!" Maria shouts. "If you try to ruin me again, it'll cost you. Dearly."
"Yeah, I figured—cost my life, right?"
Maria's voice turns cold.
"No. That'd be too easy. The only way to beat someone like you is to let you destroy yourself. I'll make sure of it. You'll stay silent until I've transferred every property into my and my daughter's name. Or Mandume dies. And I'll make it look like you did it."
Star freezes.
"Yes, your dear boyfriend. So obsessed with you, so trusting. It'll be tragic when the love of his life becomes his killer."
Star stands like stone, paralyzed by the threat.
"You poked your blunt little nose into places it didn't belong. I let my guard down for twenty years, thinking David and Joan were my only problem. But no, turns out I've got a little rat sniffing around too."
Maria circles her like a vulture.
"If you love Mandume and want to spend your life with him, seal your mouth. Or…"
She smirks.
"…your dad's around, right? That'll make a nice combo. Want me to visit your mom up north while I'm at it?"
"No…" Star whispers.
"No?" Maria echoes mockingly. "Oh, sweetheart… that's not fair. I was just getting started."
She pats Star on the cheek and walks away, leaving her trembling in the shadows.