Patrick strode to the driver's side. I turned my head to watch the scenery blur past the window. From the back seat came Edith's bitter, self-mocking laugh.
"Patrick, why am I so pathetic? I threw away the best years of my life for a man who wasn't worth it."
Silence filled the car.
Edith seemed to steel herself. Her gaze burned into the back of Patrick's head, and when she spoke, her voice was solemn.
"The truth is, I came back for someone important. I thought seeing him again would be difficult, but it seems fate had other plans."
Patrick's voice cut through the air, cold as cracked ice.
"Maybe in that person's eyes, your return is nothing but trouble."
Edith's face went white. She stopped talking.
I'd just been savoring a flicker of sweetness over Patrick's loyalty when I noticed his hands on the steering wheel. His knuckles were bone-white, veins standing out like cords.
A heaviness settled over my chest for no reason I could name. Instinctively, I cracked the window open, desperate for a breath of fresh air.
The gap was barely an inch wide before Edith erupted into a violent coughing fit.
Patrick's expression tightened. He shot me a glare and slammed the window shut.