Unpredictable Connection

17. In the Quiet Corner

3rd person's POV:

For the next few days, no one saw Freen or Noey. Freen stayed home, barely answering texts, while Noey took an abrupt trip out of the city, having filed for a break from college.

Engfa sat with Nam and Heng in the campus café when Kate arrived, balancing a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Guys, we can't just leave them like this," Kate said, sliding into the seat. "They've been friends since chil—"

Engfa cut her off, sharp and tired. "None of them are kids anymore. We don't need to interfere."

Heng nodded slowly. "Still... I kind of agree with Kate. Freen's indifference lately—it's draining. She's shutting everyone out."

Nam exhaled and sipped her drink. "But she wasn't always like this. That accident—"

Engfa's eyes snapped to her, cold and angry. "That accident? I told her—if she wanted the truth, I'd tell her everything. But no. She chooses to be stubborn, acting like we're the villains for keeping things from her. The doctor said not to dump it all on her, but we could've eased her into it. Gently. Instead, she insists on remembering it all on her own—and makes us feel like we're caging her."

Nam fell silent, swallowing her words. Heng leaned slightly away from Engfa. The tension was sharp enough to slice through.

Kate set her coffee down gently. "I know. We all know. But what can we really do?"

Engfa stood abruptly, grabbing her bag. She threw a glance over her shoulder as she strode out of the canteen.

"Let her be. Let her do whatever the hell she wants. I'm done."

From the corner of the café, Becky and Irin quietly watched the scene unfold. Char was elsewhere—in the library, buried in her notes—when the door creaked open. She glanced up and saw Engfa enter. A soft smile briefly touched her lips, but the sour mood on Engfa's face wiped it away.

Engfa settled into a chair near the library window. Her book lay open on the table, but she wasn't reading. Her eyes stared blankly outside, lost in thought.

Char hesitated before approaching, then gently patted Engfa's back. "P'fa, can I sit with you?" Her voice was calm and soothing.

Engfa snapped without looking up, "It's empty—why are you asking?"

Char sat down quietly, sensing the tension but choosing not to react. She tentatively placed a hand on Engfa's shoulder. "Hey... ruining your mood won't fix anything. This isn't the Engfa I know. What's changed you overnight?"

Engfa's breathing steadied. The touch seemed to ground her. She still avoided Char's gaze. "Maybe I interfered too much. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten involved in her family's matters."

Char smiled softly, gently lifting Engfa's chin until their eyes met. "P'fa, you didn't. She's your cousin, and her parents asked you to be the one to tell her things they couldn't. It wasn't your choice, it was theirs—because of the tension between them and Freen."

Engfa closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Char leaned closer, voice soft but insistent. "May I know the story behind all this? Who is Serena? What really happened?"

Though Char already knew Serena was Freen's older sister, she asked because Becky had warned her never to reveal where she learned the details. Char only had half the story—from Becky's side—and she wanted to understand the other half: Freen's truth.

Engfa was taken aback. She hesitated, then turned her gaze back to the window.

Char gently reassured her, "You can tell me. I'm not here to judge, just to understand."