The air in the room grew thick, as if the very walls were holding their breath. Tomas stared at Star, his eyes wide with disbelief, frozen in place. For a heartbeat, it seemed as though time had paused, the world outside slipping into an oblivion of silence. Then, the words broke through—her accusation.
"You think I don't know what you've done?"
Tomas stood frozen, the color draining from his face as Star's words echoed through the living room like a detonation.
"Twins" Louisa says full of confusion and curiosity.
"Yes, twins, Mom," Star began, her voice laced with venom. "Our dear, faithful Tomas—your so-called loving husband—has children outside this marriage. Twins. Two boys: Daniela and Danielo. He meets with them in secret…"
She paused only for breath.
"Their mother is—"
"Stop!" Tomas exploded, his voice cracking the room in half.
"You lying brat!" he bellowed. "Louisa, don't believe her! Why would I ever cheat on you? Sure, I've raised my voice. Sure, I've… crossed lines. But cheat? That's another level entirely! Where's your proof?!"
Star's lips curved into a smile as bitter as burnt coffee.
"Oh, now you want proof? Fine. Let's trade in evidence, shall we? If I'm falsely accusing you, go ahead—sue me. Press charges. Call the cops. Who knows, maybe you'll even get rich from it… Father."
Tomas, seething, lunged at her, hand raised.
But Star moved like lightning. She caught his wrist mid-air, her grip like iron. Her voice dropped, low and dangerous.
"Don't you dare. Not again. I respected you once. I called you Father. But now I see clearly—you've only fed off our kindness, our silence. I won't let you anymore."
She flung his wrist away with such force that Tomas stumbled backward and fell. His mouth hung open—not just from pain, but from sheer disbelief.
Star pulled out her phone. Calmly, coldly, she swiped to a photo.
"Mom, look." She turned the screen. "That's Frieda. Your friend. Sitting at a restaurant with Tomas and the twins."
A video followed—Star, speaking gently to the two boys. Their eyes, full of resentment.
"They're nine now. They hate their father so deeply it bleeds. And somehow… he blames us for that. But let me remind you, Mom didn't name me Star for nothing. I was born to bring light. So, let me give you a bit of it, Tomas. If you want to win your children back, start by earning the love of the one who called you 'Father' first. Until then, all they'll ever see in you is a heartless monster."
Tomas let out a bitter laugh, half-snarl.
"Well, listen to this little saint preaching to me! Save that energy, sweetheart—you'll need it when you're back on the streets. Star Shining, isn't that what they call you?"
Louisa's voice finally broke through, trembling.
"Tomas… You had children after we married? Was the betrayal that deep?"
He turned to her with twisted fury. "Yes! Louisa, yes! The 'leak' was so big, it flooded everything. And it's still leaking. Right here in this house—your child! You and your daughter are selfish beyond measure. Do you remember when you brought her to Windhoek? Since then, I've been invisible. She always came first. In everything. She drove a wedge between us! Did you really expect me to suffocate in my own home while your little girl played queen of the castle? I wanted to be free. I deserved to be free!"
Star's heart clenched. Despite everything, she saw something broken in him. She reached out, touched his hand.
"You don't want freedom," she said quietly. "You're just consumed by jealousy. And you let it own you."
"Get out!" Tomas roared. "Out of my house. Now! I don't want to see your face again!"
He shoved her toward the door, grabbed her bags, and hurled them outside.
Louisa sat frozen on the couch, tears streaming, unmoving even as Star was thrown out into the night. Her heart shattered with every echo of the door slamming shut.
Years of hoping, of praying, unraveled in an instant.
She remembered every fight. Every whispered plea for God to bring her husband back to her. She remembered the day Tomas, cold and merciless, told her, "You're just the maid in this house."
Now she believed him.
"I kept trying to understand," she whispered to the silence. "Maybe I really am just a maid…"
She wept. And wept. Until sleep claimed her on the couch, alone.
Outside, the night bit at Star's skin. She had nowhere to go. She didn't move—part of her still hoped Tomas would open the door again, say it was a mistake.
Her phone buzzed. Messages from Leila, asking if she was okay, if she needed a place to stay.
She thought of going.
Then thought again—what if Mom came looking?
So, she stayed.
Inside, Tomas paced like a trapped animal. His mind was chaos. Shame, fury, and humiliation choked him.
He remembered the words of the old seer he had once visited. Win the heart of the one who called you Father first, or lose them all.
His fists clenched.
Tomas didn't apologize. Not to anyone. Not even to God.
But the beast in him stirred.
He opened his cupboard and took out a gun.
Silently, he crept past Louisa.
He stepped outside.
Star sat on the stoop, arms wrapped around her knees.
"I'm sorry, Mom," she murmured into the darkness.
But when she looked up—it wasn't her mother.
It was Tomas.
He sat beside her.
Wordlessly, he pulled out the gun.
"My friend gave me this. Said it was for protection," he muttered. "Now I know it's for clarity."
Star's breath hitched.
"You're bold, Star," he continued. "I ruled this house. I was the king. But now the queen thinks she can dethrone me? I don't think so."
Star said nothing. Her body trembled.
"I'm not here to kill you," Tomas said. "Not unless I have to. But you have choices now. Three of them."
He circled her slowly.
"Option one: You stay here. But only if I kill your mother—tonight. In front of you."
Star gasped.
"Option two: You leave. Disappear. Never come back. Your mother stays alive. We all do. You give me peace."
He stopped, looking her dead in the eye.
"Option three: I kill you now."
The world fell silent.
Star's mind raced. Her conscience whispered what it always had: It was never going to be easy. But you must endure.
She knew what she had to do.
She had to leave.
To protect her mother.
To survive.
Tomas's face twisted with anger, but there was something else lurking in his eyes now—fear. He took a step closer, his hand rising slowly, as if weighing the power he once wielded over her. The room held its breath, and the silence became unbearable.
He was a monster in that moment, but Star—Star was not afraid anymore. She steady look at him.
Star locked eyes with Tomas, but she wasn't seeing a monster. No—she was seeing a man. A scared, cornered man.
"What are you staring at?" Tomas barked. "Make your choice, or I swear I'll do it!"
But Star didn't flinch. Her eyes didn't move.
"He's afraid," she thought. "Helpless. But why this? Why threaten the only people who've ever loved him?"
"Kill me," Star said, her voice low and clear.
Tomas froze. "What?"
"You heard me. Do it. Kill me," she repeated.
He stepped back, genuinely rattled. "Don't test me, Star. I'll do it."
"And I'm not joking." She exhaled deeply. "If this is what it takes to save Mom, then fine. Kill me. Take me out of the picture. Be the murderer you've convinced yourself you have to be. Just know this—Mom will finally be free from your prison."
Tomas stood still, the gun trembling slightly in his hand. "Think again, girl."
"Oh? Giving me a second chance now?" She narrowed her eyes. "You are my father, after all. Fine—I'll leave. But hear this: I will come back, and when I do, I'm taking Mom with me. That's a promise. You won't win this war, Tomas."
"Now you're talking. Go. Get out of my sight," Tomas growled. "Your life is already a mess. I don't need another illegitimate child ruining mine."
Star's face didn't waver. She took a step closer.
"You can play the bad father, the cruel husband, the monster. But I still see him—that restless man who couldn't stop staring at a one-month-old baby girl. That man had love in his eyes. That man was you, once."
Tomas turned away, jaw clenched.
"Get out. The only excitement I have now is getting my wife back from your shadow. And may your eye-reading 'gift' help you find a roof—and a father for your bastard child," he spat.
Star nodded slowly.
"You've proven your point. But remember this, Tomas—this 'bastard' will return. And you'll beg us both for forgiveness. Because one day, even your twins will ask you to stop showing up at their door. Not because of me, but because of you."
She began to walk away.
"And one last thing," she added, turning her head, "Getting me out of your life won't make them love you. It just proves you don't know what love is."
"Leave!" Tomas roared. "Don't you dare teach me how to live my life. Go die far!"
Star didn't reply. She just walked into the night, each step heavy with heartbreak—but lighter with freedom.
Star's back was to him now, her steps sure and deliberate. The silence in the room echoed with the tension of the moment, but there was something else too—something new. Hope. It lingered like the faintest light at the end of a dark tunnel.
She wasn't going to fight him anymore. She wasn't going to bend to his will. But in walking away, she was doing something far more powerful—she was taking control of her own future.
Tomas's voice, a low growl, followed her, but she didn't look back. She didn't need to.
The darkness he carried was his own. The future she would build—hers to shape.
Let me know if you'd like further refinements!