In the Adams house, Stella sat on the couch after her bath, her damp hair clinging to her skin as she stared blankly ahead, waiting. The air between the walls felt heavier than usual, thick with things left unsaid.
Mallory stepped out of her room, casually drying her hair with a towel. Her posture was relaxed, but there was a sharpness in her movements—like she was bracing for something. She met Stella's gaze for a brief second before dropping it, sensing the storm brewing in her friend's eyes.
Stella sat on the couch, her arms folded tightly against her chest as she watched Mallory dry her hair, the silence between them thick with unspoken words.
"How long has Gigi been sick?" Stella finally asked, her voice sharper than she intended.
Mallory didn't even flinch. "Since after your wedding. We found out two weeks ago."
Stella's jaw clenched. "So you just decided not to tell me? You let me live in ignorance while she was suffering?"
Mallory tossed the towel aside and leaned back, her expression unreadable. "What would that have changed? You were building a life with Simon. If I had told you, you would've come running back, ruined your marriage, and blamed yourself for something you couldn't control."
Stella scoffed, shaking her head. "So you thought you had the right to make that choice for me?"
Mallory sighed. "I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me?" Stella's voice rose, her grief bleeding into frustration. "You got to spend time with her. I didn't. I didn't even get the chance to be there for her." Her breath hitched as anger took hold. "Maybe if you had told us sooner, Simon wouldn't have—" She stopped, but the damage was already done.
Mallory let out a bitter chuckle, her lips curling in something close to disbelief. "So that's what this is about." She shook her head. "You're okay with losing Gigi, but not Simon?" Her voice dropped, sharp as a blade. "Grow up, Stella. Everyone loses people they love."
Stella's fingers dug into her palms. "That's rich, coming from someone who doesn't even know how to feel."
Mallory's gaze darkened, but she didn't raise her voice. "Just because I don't cry on cue doesn't mean I don't feel," she said, voice eerily calm. "I grieve in my own way. But unlike you, I don't drown in it." She stood up, towering over Stella. "You can sit here and be consumed by your pain, or you can pull yourself together. Because one person is already dead, and Grams—" Mallory's voice wavered just for a second before she steeled herself. "She doesn't have much time left."
Stella said nothing, her heart pounding, her throat tight.
Mallory held her gaze for a moment longer before turning on her heel and walking out of the room.
"What do you know about losing people? You were born an orphan," she spat, her grief twisting into cruelty.
The moment the words left Stella's mouth, the air in the room turned suffocating.
Mallory stopped in her tracks. Her grip on the doorknob tightened, knuckles turning white. When she turned around, her eyes were cold, unreadable.
Yeah, if only she knew.
A slow, bitter smile ghosted Mallory's lips. "So were you," she said quietly before walking out.
Stella's breath caught in her throat. She glared at Mallory's retreating back, but deep down, the words struck something raw inside her.
Neither of them spoke a word to each other when they reached the hospital. The weight of unspoken resentment settled between them, thick and heavy, as they sat in silence, pretending the other didn't exist.
Agatha and Elizabeth exchanged knowing glances. They had seen this tension between Mallory and Stella before—two forces constantly pulling and pushing against each other. One of them believed the world was cruel and unforgiving, while the other still clung to the hope that people could change.
The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitors. They all sat around Elizabeth's hospital bed, the weight of her impending fate pressing against their chests. Then, as if sensing the need to break the silence, Agatha smirked.
"So, let me tell you some embarrassing stories about your dear Gigi," she said, her voice light with mischief. "Fair warning, they are incredibly scandalous."
Stella let out a small chuckle despite the heaviness in her heart. "Please, go ahead. I'd love to hear them," she said, settling in.
Elizabeth squeezed both Mallory's and Stella's hands, her touch frail but filled with warmth. "Well, if she's telling my stories, I'll be telling hers too," she teased.
Agatha rolled her eyes and continued, "This was back in the 19th century, right after we stopped aging. We were, what, twenty-five?"
"Give or take," Elizabeth nodded.
"Well, your grandmother did something no respectable woman in that era would dare—she had five boyfriends at once and dumped them all on the same day."
Stella gasped. "You're joking."
Mallory, for once, looked genuinely stunned. "That's... impressive."
Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Oh, the chaos that followed was spectacular."
Agatha shook her head. "I was the proper one between us, mind you. I didn't approve of how she was living her life, and we had a huge falling out over it. We didn't speak for an entire year. I got married, started a new life, and then one day, I saw her again. And just like that, we realized how foolish we had been to waste all that time."
Elizabeth smiled, a touch of wistfulness in her eyes.
Mallory, who had been silent through most of it, finally spoke. "That's a great story," she said, tilting her head slightly. "But how much of it is actually true?"
Elizabeth let out a soft laugh, and Agatha frowned.
"I told you they were smart," Elizabeth said, shaking her head fondly.
Agatha sighed. "Fine. Some parts are true. We did fight—brutally, in fact. We hurt each other with words, held onto our anger longer than we should have. But now? Neither of us even remembers what the fight was really about."
Stella met Agatha's gaze, her expression knowing. "We understand what you're trying to do," she said quietly. "But our friendship has always been… complicated. We'll deal with it in our own way."
Agatha nodded, not pushing further.
Stella glanced at Mallory and offered a small smile. Mallory held her gaze for a moment before giving a barely perceptible nod.
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
They were cool now, Stella thought.