Eryx walked slightly ahead but paused when he noticed her hand. "What happened?" he asked, gently taking it in his. The skin was flushed and tender, the faintest shimr of irritation across her palm. "Did she do this?" His voice dropped lower, eyes darkening as he turned sharply toward the shop.
Lunara caught his arm before he could take another step. "It’s okay," she said quietly. "Just a little red from the tea."
But sothing in her voice made him pause. She wasn’t looking at him.
Eryx’s jaw tightened as he slowly turned back to her. He brought her hand up and rubbed it carefully with his thumb, his touch gentle despite the tension in his fra. "Are you mad at ?"
She finally looked at him, brows slightly drawn. "No," she said. "Not mad."
Then after a beat, she added, "Just... tired."
Eryx frowned slightly. "Tired of her?"
Lunara shook her head. "Tired of everything." She then forced a smile, obviously an awkward one, "What about the house? Did you do sothing?"
Eryx arched his brow before nodding lightly, "Hmm, but there is just a little minor issue that I need to settle to return it back to you." He caressed her hair and ford a warm smile for her.
Lunara looked at him, her lips parting like she wanted to say sothing, but the words tangled. "Minor issue?"
"Hmm, just a minor issue." Eryx opened the car door, waited as she sat down, then quietly shut it and moved to the driver’s side.
Once inside, he started the engine, the low hum filling the silence between them.
She stared out the window, her voice barely audible. "You always do this. Fix things. Handle everything like I’m so porcelain doll you can keep safe on a shelf."
Eryx didn’t answer right away. He reached over, placing a warm hand over hers. "I handle them because you’ve already had to carry more than anyone should."
She let out a breath not quite a sigh, more like the sound of soone trying not to crack. Her eyes burned, but she blinked fast and looked away. "You didn’t answer my question," she murmured. "Did you really take the house back?"
He nodded, watching her. "I did. There’s just so paperwork left before it’s officially yours again."
She suddenly let out a soft, broken laugh. "That house... I stood in front of it and begged. I threw away all my pride just to keep my mother alive for one more day. And now that she’s gone, I don’t even know what I’m feeling. Am I really sad? Or just... relieved that it’s all over?"
Eryx’s hand tightened around hers. "Lunara..."
"I hated her sotis," she whispered, the words spilling out. "And that makes feel like the worst daughter in the world. But what could I do? There were tis it was so hard, I blad her. Hated her... for making , for making herself live like hell. I hated that I had to beg the man who abandoned us. And now... I can’t even cry properly."
Eryx didn’t speak. He simply leaned over, resting his forehead gently against hers. The warmth of his skin, the quiet of that mont, it steadied sothing in her.
"I didn’t wait for her to die," she said, barely audible. "But the day she did... I felt sothing lift. And that’s the part I hate most. I was like, should I feel bad for feeling like that? Do you understand ?"
"You’re not a bad daughter," he said softly. "You were just a daughter who carried too much alone."
Lunara let her eyes close. At this mont her mind was currently blocked. She couldn’t receive any more words of comfort. "Can we go ho now?"
Eryx pulled back slightly, giving a small nod. "Yeah... let’s go ho." He held the steering back before suddenly rembered, "Lunara... Mom..." he hesitated but eventually continued, "She said, she needs to talk to you as there is sothing that you need to know."
Lunara just nodded, knowing that it was probably the one her mother had talked about, the thing she left with Regina.
"But if you’re still not ready to talk to her, you can just—"
"No, it’s okay, actually..." She pressed her lips into a thin line. "I’m curious about the things my mom left behind," Lunara finished quietly.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the seatbelt as she looked out the window. "She said she left her last gift to ..."
Then, with a bitter sneer, she added, "I really hope it’s actually a gift." Her voice was laced with sarcasm, sharp and tired.
Eryx didn’t say anything right away, just glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
Lunara exhaled slowly. "I know I sound awful. I just..." she paused, struggling to find the right words. "I don’t know. Sotis I think she stayed in that marriage because of . And the day I almost..." Her voice faltered. "That night, when everything snapped, I kept wondering why she didn’t leave sooner. Why didn’t we leave sooner? And I hate myself for even thinking that."
Eryx could only offer a warm grasp as he reached for her hand, his thumb brushing lightly across her knuckles.
"Maybe. I just... I want to believe she left sothing good for . Sothing she truly ant to give. Not out of guilt. Not out of regret. Just... love."
There was an unmistakable emptiness in her eyes when she said it, the kind that ca from missing soone and questioning every mory.
Eryx didn’t let go. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently, grounding her. "I believe she did."
Lunara didn’t respond right away. But she held onto his hand a little tighter, her gaze falling to where their fingers intertwined.
"I’m sorry," she whispered.
Eryx’s brows pulled together in quiet confusion. "Why?"
She looked up, eting his eyes. "I ntioned a mory I’ve been trying to forget... and I’m sure you’re curious about it." She paused, then offered a faint, almost apologetic smile. "I’ll tell you one day. When I’m ready to confront my own fear."
Eryx gave a small nod, his smile gentle, steady. "Okay."
They looked at each other in silence, not needing to say anything more.
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