Star left in tears, her soul crumbling beneath the weight of Maria's threats. She held her breath until she reached her room, only to find Mandume sitting quietly at her study desk. Her heartbeat doubled. His presence was comforting, but it also echoed Maria's chilling words: "It will cost Mandume's life." Star blinked rapidly, forcing her tears back.
Before he could turn to face her, she wiped her cheeks, burying the storm inside.
"Grandma says we aren't free, you know?" she said softly, crossing the room toward her bed.
"I missed you," Mandume said, turning. "Where were you?"
"Just around…" Star answered vaguely, trying to steady her voice.
But Mandume saw through her act. "Star, are you alright?"
She flashed a fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine… Actually, I want to go for a walk. Shall we?"
"A walk?" he asked, puzzled. "Where to?"
She hesitated. Her past called out to her—the place she always ran to during her parents' worst fights. "The riverbed… or is there no one here?"
"The riverbed?" Mandume frowned. "That place is dirty and stinks."
"Yeah… but I want to go there," she said, her voice almost pleading. "Please, Mendu, please."
He sighed. "Okay. But we won't take long. That place is sketchy—we could get robbed."
"We'll leave our phones. We'll be each other's support. I mean, no one robs people anymore… just things," Star joked weakly.
They left together. Maria, watching from upstairs, noticed and quickly sent a threatening message to Star's phone—but Star had left it behind, as planned.
Meanwhile, Bonita sat in her room, overcome with a mix of guilt and longing. She stared at her phone.
"I wish I'd known Mom's real motive before agreeing to work with her. Tiffanie would still be here…" she muttered. She called Tiffanie, but no answer.
Lonely and agitated, she walked downstairs, only to meet Maria in the corridor. Bonita tried to walk past her in silence, but Maria grabbed her and pinned her against the wall.
"Is this how you treat me? Like I don't exist? For how long are you going to pretend I'm nothing to you?" Maria snapped.
"You're hurting me, Mom. Please…" Bonita winced.
"Yeah, this is how I feel right now. My own daughter, avoiding me like we're fighting over a man," Maria said bitterly.
"Mom, please don't talk about love. You don't know what that is," Bonita shot back and broke free, storming off.
Maria stood there, breathless and trembling with sadness—until she turned around and met Christine, standing silently just a few feet away.
"Mom…" Maria gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to see you and Angel at war. What's going on?" Christine asked calmly.
"It's nothing. She asked for something I can't afford," Maria replied quickly.
"What was it you couldn't afford?" Christine asked, eyes narrowing.
"Don't worry, Mom. It's not important," Maria muttered and tried to walk away.
But Christine's voice cut through the air like a whip. "So, are you going to tell me what you and Star are hiding? Because today… I'm convinced it's not just about a gun."
Maria spun around. "Mom, believe me—I don't know how that gun got into my room. Star had it. She framed me when the police came."
Christine's eyes darkened. "How? You've been acting strange. You don't eat with us. You mock Mandume. You disappear for hours. I invited you to David's prayer session as a desperate wife… and you rejected it like it was a joke. Maria, I have every reason to believe you're behind my son's disappearance."
Maria's face drained of color. "Mom, how could you say that? I love my husband! I want him back. But I can't just throw myself into prayers when I'm not prepared. I need to be ready before I make any moves."
"Prepared for what? A new life without him? A plan B?" Christine's voice trembled. "You should've at least stayed to observe. But now I know. I'm older. I'm wiser. And I will bring justice to David's disappearance—and you, Maria, are my first suspect."
Maria looked as though she had seen a ghost.
"And let me be clear," Christine continued, her voice a calm storm. "If you try to sabotage this investigation, I will make sure you leave this house with nothing—not even Angel. You aren't legally married to my son. So don't test me. Don't let twenty years of manipulation crumble to dust."
With that, Christine turned and walked away, leaving Maria speechless, cold, and cornered.