As soon as the door closed, a tense silence fell in the room.
Mia (coldly):
— Are you going to tell me you believe her?
Cid (cautious):
— I don't know what to think, Mia. She seemed sincere…
Mia (interrupting him, ironically):
— Of course. The tears, the perfect speech, the kneeling act… it was real theater.
Cid (sighing):
— It's not fair. You don't know her like I do.
Mia (getting angry):
— What I do know is that she's putting on an act. And that she disrespected me. You want us to forget all that because she cried on the doormat?
Cid (firmer):
— That's not what I said. But we could at least take the time to think, like I told her.
Mia:
"Think about what, Cid? About whether she deserves a second chance?"
A heavy silence fell again. Then Mia looked away and bit her lip.
Mia (calmer):
"You know what? Forget it. We'll just finish cleaning."
They resumed cleaning, this time without a word. Each sweep of the broom seemed to mark the distance between them. Time stretched, tense and silent.
Once the house was clean, Cid leaned the broom against the wall and sighed.
Cid (hesitant):
"I'm going outside for a bit. Get some fresh air... Do you want to come?"
Mia barely looked up at him.
Mia:
"No. I prefer to be alone."
These words pierced Cid like a needle to the heart. But he simply nodded.
Cid (softly):
"Okay. See you later, then."
He left the house, closing the door behind him.
Mia stood still for a moment, her arms crossed. Then she grabbed her phone.
Mia (murmuring to herself):
"I'm going to call Rose. I need to talk to someone."
She quickly dialed the number, hoping her friend's voice could calm the storm raging inside her.