The silence in the car was so thick that it almost rang in Estelle's ears. It wasn't peaceful silence, it was very disturbing, unsettling, pressing down on her chest until it was hard to breathe. She sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her head turned toward the window, watching the blur of streets and trees pass by. Every now and then, her reflection ghosted across the glass, showing how pale and tired she was, a reminder of how much of herself she had lost.
But eventually, she let her eyes move away from the glass and toward Blaise. His hands were steady on the wheel, his posture relaxed, his face calm as though he felt none of the weight suffocating her. He looked so focused on the road, so untouched by everything, that it twisted something inside her.
It felt strange.
