Psychotic Maniac

Chapter 25

Estella was a morning person yet she preferred the hue of the evenings and their welcome sign of each upcoming night. That time of the day was a regular reminder that no matter where she was, it was the time to head home, her favorite place. But the  her definition was changing slightly.

When Estella had opened the door of her house, a sadness enveloped her. A huge mess was cluttered in the foyer of her beautiful but somewhat hollowed house. It was untidy, things out of place, something Lilah could never stand with. So, at that moment, she knew something was wrong or perhaps everything. 

She reminisced each word her mother had said about having each other’s back. Or so she thought.

Glancing ahead, she waltzed down the hallway built between her kitchen and the living room, stopping only two feet away from her parents, (now her mother’s) room. 

A hurricane of dread crept inside her stomach, doing tiny somersaults.

“Mom, ” she knocked on the door twice when Lilah finally answered. 

“The dinner’s in the fridge, ” 

Her concern grew ten times higher and she flung open the door without caring about privacy. 

Lilah was perched on the bed, a small glass in her hand containing yellow liquid. The strong smell of alcohol came crashing into her senses. 

“Mom?” she rushed in, only to be stopped by the sight of a bottle of champagne sitting on the bedside table, almost empty. Estella not only remembered that it was one of Jay’s favorite brands and flavors but also how Lilah was against alcohol and her oath to never outweigh her pain or anything with it.

Searching Lilah’s face, Estella got scared even more. Her eyes were red, unsettled, and in pain. No wonder she slipped into alcoholism to ease her emotions.  

Lilah looked up, her eyes under the thick coating of tears trying to bring out emotion other than the emptiness she was slipping into. At least her lips managed to pull up a smile. 

“I went to the station again,” she said, though, Lilah had kept the information about the first time she had visited the police station to herself. Estella, however, decided to just listen to her. “The detective said the murderers of your dad are not likely to be found easily. They are planning to temporarily close the case until there’s a sign of any evidence that leads them to the culprit.” 

Intoxicated, Lilah was cackling at the end of the sentence, diving deeper into emotions while tears threatened to break free. 

Making a mental note to meet her lawyer later, Estella sat next to her, trying to sort out her next words. She was aware by this time that whatever came out of her mouth could trigger something she was not ready to face. Even when they were next to each other, individually they felt alone. At this point, Estella yearned for Edward. 

“No one can hide forever, ” she finally said.

The response never came back from her mother and she let the silence prevail further. Lilah had loosened up a little bit as she leaned toward her daughter and before Estella could open the conversation back again, her mother dozed off. 

Tanya’s warning bounced back. She had reflected on her worries about Lilah’s condition earlier but Estella did what she thought was best and it was space and time her mother needed to come to terms with her loss. However, variables had changed and it was time to take a few decisions for her mother this time. 

 
.......

“Dad?” Nora’s voice came from upstairs behind Edward, and the tension in the room thickened instantaneously.  “Edward, what is happening?”