Lara was lying on her bed, her mind racing with impulsive, irrational thoughts. She feels consumed by anger, bitterness, and an overwhelming sense of betrayal. Her mind drifting towards thoughts of Christine.
"I sacrificed so much for her—years of my life, my dreams of becoming a doctor, my ambitions. I gave up everything to be by her side, always ensuring that no one could hurt her. Yet despite everything, Christine doesn’t even appreciate me, let alone love me in return."

It gnaws at Lara that she’s the one who's given up everything, and still, Christine acts as though she’s invisible.

She wasted so many golden years of her life following Christine, keeping her safe from Alex and everyone else. She has been silent taking care of Christine making sure no one can harm her. So much efforts but all in vain.

As her thoughts spiral, she hears Christine’s laughter. It’s light, carefree, the kind of laughter that used to make Lara’s heart skip. But now, it’s directed at someone else. Christine is on the phone with Robert, calling him her “bestie.” Lara clenches her fists. No, her giggles, her affection—it all belongs to me, she thinks. Lara can feel her pulse quicken, her anger boiling over. She feels like she's been abandoned, unloved, replaced. It pushes her to the edge.

Christine enters the room, still smiling, oblivious to Lara’s growing rage. She’s too caught up in her conversation with Robert, talking and laughing like everything is fine. Lara’s eyes dart to the mug Christine sets down, and without thinking, she grabs it and throws it across the room, shattering it into pieces.

Christine quickly tells Robert she’ll call him back, turning her attention to Lara. She stares at her, bewildered. “What’s wrong with you, Lara?”

Lara’s eyes flash with anger. “What’s wrong with me?” she hisses. “It’s you, Kay. You’ve ruined my life. Everything is because of you.”

Christine’s laugh cuts through Lara’s words, and that laugh—dismissive, unbothered—makes something snap inside Lara. “Seriously, Lara? Me? Ruining your life?” Christine shakes her head in disbelief.

That laugh is all it takes for Lara to lose control. She lunges at Christine, grabbing her by the throat with both hands, her eyes wild and unrecognizable. “Yes, you! I lost my chance at medical school because of you! I lost my sanity! I’m wasting my life and my parents’ money, all to be near you, to protect you! You’ve made me go insane,” Lara shrieks, tightening her grip around Christine’s neck. “I’ll kill you, Kay. I’ll kill you.”
Her face doesn't even look like a human anymore. She looked devilish.

Christine’s heart races as Lara’s hands squeeze tighter, but her body feels paralyzed. Her mind can’t process what’s happening. She stares at Lara, trying to comprehend—this is her friend, the person she once trusted, the person she thought she knew. Yet, here she is, being choked by the same hands that once cared for her. The pressure on her throat builds, but strangely, Christine doesn’t feel the pain. She felt suffocated, living with Lara was suffocating and while she was there trying to choke her grabbing on her neck tightly, this physical suffocation and pain did nothing to her. She lied there numb and expressionless, just staring at Lara's face. Maybe death would be peaceful than living around her. Maybe death would be easier than enduring Lara’s madness. Maybe it’s better to just let go, to surrender to the suffocating silence. Suddenly she couldn't hear any of Lara's shoutings, all she could see was black. It was such a peaceful silence around her. The kind of peace she felt when laying her head on her mother's lap.
For a brief moment, Christine welcomes the darkness.  But then, a memory of her mother’s voice pulls her back. No, she thinks. I can’t let Lara take everything from me.

With a surge of strength, Christine pushes against Lara’s hands, forcing her away. Lara stumbles back, crashing into the cupboard behind her. Christine gasps for air, her chest heaving, but she doesn’t look at Lara. She can’t. Tears well in her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall, not in front of Lara. She has to stay strong—she can’t show weakness now, not when her life feels like it’s hanging by a thread.

Lara, having come to her senses, stares in horror at what she’s just done.

She was about to kill the only person she loved. She thought about hurting Christine, how could she do it? The rage drains from her face, replaced by regret and fear.

She stared at her hands in disgust and started throwing punches on the wall punishing herself for the pain she caused to Christine. She didn't stop until she saw blood, dripping through her knuckles. A bit satisfied, she turns around.

She looks at Christine, who’s sitting there, quietly wiping away her tears. “I’m sorry, Kay,” Lara sobs. “I don’t know what came over me. Please, you know I love you. I love you so much, it’s driving me crazy. Please don’t cry. Please don’t hate me. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Lara’s words spill out like a desperate plea, but Christine remains still, her gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the walls of the room. Lara’s tears fall onto the floor, her sobs filling the silence. “I’m sorry, Kay. I’m so sorry.”

Christine stands up slowly, avoiding Lara’s tearful gaze. Without a word, she walks out of the room, her movements heavy with the weight of everything she’s just endured. She climbs the stairs to the terrace, her feet dragging, her mind numb. Once there, she leans against the wall, staring blankly at the sky.

She’s tired. Exhausted, really. She can’t keep living like this—constantly walking on eggshells, waiting for Lara’s next outburst. She feels drained, emotionally hollow. Her mind is a storm of conflicting emotions—fear, anger, guilt, confusion. It’s like she’s trapped in an endless cycle of chaos, and there’s no way out. Lara’s behavior has chipped away at her, bit by bit, until there’s barely anything left. She can’t even cry anymore. The tears have dried up, leaving her numb.

Is she becoming a robot? Is she losing her humanity in the process of surviving? She thinks about how she used to feel—laughter, joy, excitement—and wonders if she’ll ever feel those things again. Now, there’s only emptiness.

Maybe, she thinks, when the lockdown ends, she can escape. Maybe she’ll survive this. But for now, she’s stuck. Stuck with Lara, stuck with the suffocating silence that fills her mind. She doesn’t know how much longer she can endure it, but she’s determined not to let Lara win.

The future seems uncertain, a fog of fear and doubt. But she knows one thing for sure: she can’t go on like this. Not anymore.