The afternoon was clear and bright.
Inside the expansive, modern house, Catelyn and her parents sat in the lavish dining room. Cutlery clinked softly in Cateyln's hand as she ate her Caribbean seasoned rice, fried lamb, and salad. Both apple juice and orange juice had been served, but Cateyln stuck with the orange juice to accompany her meal.
Tom sat opposite her, focused on his own plate, alongside Isadora Winters—a pretty woman in her fifties with flawless, aging skin, dark eyes, and dirty blonde hair loosely tied back. Dressed in a casual cardigan and a long skirt, Isadora watched her daughter eat.
"Do you like the meal, dear?" Isadora asked, her voice hopeful. She always held a soft spot for her daughter, even though Cateyln was rarely fond of her.
Cateyln paused, looking down at her food. Across the table, Tom's attention drifted from his plate over to Cateyln, waiting for her response.
"Yes. It's nice," Catelyn answered, looking up at Isadora.
Isadora's smile was bright, illuminating her entire face. Catelyn, indifferent to the warmth, simply continued with her meal. Tom smiled too, genuinely happy that she liked the food.
"Your mum made sure to cook this knowing you'd be coming," Tom said, looking directly at Cateyln.
"Thanks, Mum," Catelyn said. She only offered the acknowledgment because she knew her dad loved to hear her mum being appreciated. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as her gaze shifted from her mother to her father.
Content that his daughter was happy and showing good manners, Tom went back to his meal. As Catelyn and Isadora kept eating, Tom's thoughts drifted to Silas. Silas had been a part of this family for so long, sharing fond memories with his family. Tom was curious to know how he was doing.
"I haven't heard from Silas. It's been a while now," Tom remarked, hoping for an update.
Cateyln fell quiet. She knew she had to answer, but she hadn't told her dad about the breakup yet. She had kept it from him, not wanting to trouble him with the news.
"Silas is fine, Dad," Catelyn said smoothly.
"I see." Tom glanced at his daughter, then continued eating. Catelyn did the same, silently hoping he wouldn't press the matter any further.
Tom felt a wave of satisfaction knowing Silas was well. Silas and his daughter had been together for years, and he truly saw the man as a perfect match for her. Not looking up from his cutlery, Tom asked the inevitable question: "When are you two getting married? It's been years."
Cateyln swallowed hard. She didn't know how to break the truth to him—that she and Silas were no longer together, that the relationship was completely over.
"Dad, we're no longer together," Catelyn responded.
Tom's eyes went wide. His cutlery froze midair.
Isadora went entirely speechless as the conversation shifted to Silas. She knew Silas was a good man, and her gentle eyes fixed instantly on Cateyln. Unlike Tom, Isadora already knew about the split. Catelyn had bluntly told her during a phone call months prior. Isadora had been deeply shocked back then because Cateyln had been so rude about it, snapping over the line, "Look, Silas and I broke up. It's been a year now, and don't talk about him."
"Yes, darling," Isadora had murmured at the time, desperate not to make her daughter more annoyed. Even now, Isadora carried the shock of it, but she hadn't breathed a word to Tom. She hadn't wanted to ruin his mood entirely, reasoning that it was ultimately her daughter and Silas's business.
"What do you mean, you two broke up?" Tom asked, anxiety edging into his voice and tightening in his chest. He couldn't believe it. Silas and Cateyln weren't supposed to break up.
"Silas and I aren't together anymore, Dad. We did break up," Cateyln repeated, her voice casual, as if the matter didn't concern her at all. And in truth, it really didn't matter to her.
Cateyln could see her dad wasn't taking it well; confusion clouded his eyes. Isadora remained calm, saying nothing, watching everyone with the exchange of a mix of understanding and restraint. Catelyn disliked talking about the breakup. Her eyes darted to Isadora, who gave her a look of deep understanding, but Cateyln just looked away, irritation flashing in her mind and heart. The breakup always made her feel like she had ended things recklessly. To avoid it, she kept eating.
Isadora could feel the entire dining room turning glum and gloomy.
Tom stopped eating entirely, just watching Cateyln as she chewed. Why did they have to break up? And Cateyln looked completely unfazed by it, but Silas was such a fine man.
"Why did you two break up?" Tom asked, his tone serious and heavy with concern. Isadora leaned in slightly, wanting to know the answer to that question too.
"Silas isn't the right person for me. We're not compatible," Cateyln said clearly. A pang of sorrow hit Isadora, feeling sorry for both her daughter and Silas.
"That's it?" Tom asked, incredulous.
"Yes, Dad, that's it," Cateyln said.
Tom felt a deep sadness settle over him. In his mind and heart, he knew Silas was a nice person but now he didn't know anything anymore. His lips pressed into a thin, disappointed line. Isadora recognized that look on Tom's face; she knew how badly he wanted Cateyln to be with Silas, and she agreed that Silas had been perfect for her daughter but her daughter had her reasons which was understandable. Looking back at her daughter, she saw a sour expression taking over Catelyn's face.
Trying to lighten the heavy mood, Isadora spoke up. "I do hope you two get along in the future." She watched Cateyln, noticing her daughter's furrowed brow as she remained rigidly focused on her meal.
"Definitely," Cateyln responded, her voice completely devoid of emotion. They were still friends, technically. Silas and her—it didn't matter to her, and she knew that.
Isadora glanced at Tom, who had finally resumed eating, though his mind was clearly spinning.
"What actually led to your breakup, did you two fight?" Tom persisted. They had been together for so long that he needed to understand what had truly gone wrong.
Cateyln's grip on her fork tightened. She didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to explain a single thing. But the old man wouldn't let it go.
"It was a mutual decision. It just… ended," Cateyln stated flatly.
"Silas accepted ending the relationship?" he pushed curiosity laced in his tone.
"Yes," Cateyln said. She knew Silas had been deeply hurt by the breakup, and she could tell Tom hated the fact that Silas had just agreed to it.
Isadora quietly understood the unspoken tension, feeling a wave of pity for her daughter. Tom kept eating, analyzing Cateyln's words in his head. He felt sorry for her too, knowing how she had loved Silas deeply and now it was all over. He still couldn't comprehend it. He looked at Cateyln again—her brows were heavily furrowed now, anger radiating from her eyes as she stared at her meal. Tom felt a growing frustration; in his heart he knew, Silas was a good man, the one he had truly hoped would spend his life with his daughter, but now that future was gone.
"I do hope you two made the right choice in breaking up," Tom said finally. It was all he could manage to bring himself to say. The news left an unpleasant taste in his mouth.
Cateyln didn't respond. She just kept eating, wanting nothing more than to erase Silas from her thoughts. He had his life, she had hers, and she could live perfectly well without him. Yet, that thought brought an odd sensation—it made her feel hollow, not sad.
The family finished their meal in silence. Tom's mood had been thoroughly soured by the news, but he forced himself to eat anyway. Eventually, the heavy atmosphere lifted slightly, and the lunch came to an end.
Later in her room, Cateyln was resting against the headboard of her bed, mindlessly scrolling through her phone. The door opened softly, and Isadora stepped inside.
Seeing her daughter lying there, Isadora walked over and took a seat on the edge of the mattress. Cateyln glanced up, saw her mother, and immediately looked back down at her screen, acting as if Isadora wasn't even there.
"I want to talk about earlier. About Silas. May I?" Isadora asked, keeping her tone incredibly soft, careful not to spark her daughter's mood to being sour.
"You can," Cateyln said, her voice entirely nonchalant. Deep down, Cateyln was grateful that her mother hadn't exposed the breakup to her dad earlier, considering she had known about it for months.
"You are okay, aren't you?" Isadora asked.
"I'm fine," Cateyln replied. She knew exactly what her mum was asking—checking in on her mental, physical, and emotional state. Her mother genuinely cared for her well-being, and Cateyln recognized that.
"Good to know," Isadora murmured, relieved that her daughter was actually responding. There were many times when Cateyln wouldn't even answer her. "I think you and Silas… you two must have made a huge decision about being apart. But since it's behind us, I think focusing on what you want moving forward is better."
Knew that already, Catelyn voiced in her head, her attention finally lifted from her screen, her eyes locking onto her mother.
"You take things lightly, Catey. And I hope you two made the right choice in ending the relationship." Isadora assumed her daughter must have had her reasons. She reached out, placing a comforting hand on Cateyln's knee. Catelyn stopped scrolling, and the phone screen went dark.
Isadora's voice softened even further. "You deserve peace. Whether that's without him, or… if one day it's with him again. I just want that for you," she said, looking intently at Cateyln, whose gaze remained fixed on the blacked-out screen in her lap.
"Thanks, Mum," Cateyln said. A small speck of gratitude surfaced within her for the words, even if she couldn't bring herself to care about fixing the past issues in her relationship with her mother. She looked at Isadora directly.
"You should rest. I'll leave you be," Isadora said, standing up from the bed.
"Okay," Cateyln said.
As her mother left the room, Cateyln turned her attention back to her phone, her eyes scanning the webpage. But now, her chest felt suddenly hollowed out in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with being right with her break up.
Cateyln didn't know what to do with the heavy guilt pressing into her chest—the sharp realization that she was at fault, knowing Silas had been caring, genuinely caring. God, Silas was a good soul. He had been so patient whenever she was troublesome, so calm whenever she was stubborn.
The guilt weighed on her because she knew she had caused the breakup. For some dark, unexplainable reason, she had wanted to be harsh toward Silas, to hurt him and make him feel bad and a little miserable. She shoved the toxic thought away before it could take deeper root. She knew it would linger anyway, but eventually, it would disappear. Cateyln turned her phone back on and kept scrolling.