Edna goes back to Malik's house with her head feeling like it's housing a thousand monsters that have separated themselves into two parts and are now having a war. The headache, the thoughts, it's all making her lose her mind.
After she watched Keith order Kim away, she stood there with confusion on her face as she thought of what to do.
Keith molested Kim and even though Kim didn't make an allegation- not that Mister Jackson would let it go anywhere, but it's just insensitive for Mister Jackson to cover up for him and make her work for him too.
Edna drives back home with a tense feeling in her head. When she came, she was more disturbed by the fact that she might not be allowed to leave, but now she is dead worried for Kim, she doesn't know what that monster would do to her.
Malik isn't at the office, he has some meetings to attend. She knows that he told her that he won't be around much and she should text him if she needs anything or calls if it's an EMERGENCY.
She is sitting in sudden traffic and begin to think if Keith being around Keith is an emergency. She sees him in a new light now because he promised to take her life and she doesn't know if she is just being paranoid and all that.
An angry honk of a Jeep behind her and the yell of some curse words makes her step on the brake and she puts the thoughts of Kim and Keith away, somewhere at the back of her head, and she keeps driving.
She keeps it at a moderate speed and she doesn't slow down until she gets to Malik's house.
He doesn't have guards around the place 24/7 like his father so she drives into the garage and proceeds to shut the front door tight and lock herself up in her room.
She settles by the window her head pressed slightly against the wood of the window as she stares outside.
She is scared that if she lets her guard down, even for a little bit, she is going to be overridden by Keith and whatever minions his father has hired and they are going to bundle her back to the house, she doesn't want that at all.
Okay, maybe this is an emergency because she doesn't feel safe at all for one, and she wants Malik to know that Kim is in real danger too. He has got to do something about it.
With her eyes still serving as a surveillance camera as she dials Malik's number as fast as her fingers can go.
She bites her nails as she waits for him to pick up, and he does pick up.
" Edna? Is something wrong? Are you okay?" He asks.
" I gave Mister Jackson the document copy and he let me go. " She tells him.
" I told you, he wouldn't dare to do anything to you. " He sounds relieved.
" Keith now works there too."
" Wow, he finally got tired of doing nothing. "
" He has got Kim. She is now his secretary and assistant and she looks so scared of him." Edna voices out. " I'm scared, Malik, I think he is hurting her. "
" He has your whole office and even assistant to himself now? Why has Dad got to be so petty?" Malik sounds disgusted.
Right now, Edna is not caring so much about the carrier that she built over five years, she is more scared for Kim and what he might do to her.
" Malik, can you help her?" She requests. She knows that it's somehow too demanding because he has done so much for her, but she can't just keep quiet.
She holds her breath for him to give his verdict after her request.
"Edna, I swear, I am head deep in this meeting. " He sighs. " I will finish here and come back home then we can discuss this. "
" Okay, okay, I'm sorry for bothering you." She sniffs. No tears or anything, she just sniffs.
" Your secretary is going to be fine. " He tries to calm her mind down.
" Do you want me to prepare something for you?" She offers. " I could cook you something so that you will have to eat when you get back from the meeting. "
" You don't have to bother yourself, Edna. I pay Mary for that already. " He tells her.
She nods like an obedient child. At least Mary is going to be around, she is not going to be alone.
" Try and get some sleep, okay?" He tells her.
"Okay."
"Bye, Edna. I will be home soon. "
He hangs up the phone. She drops her back against the wall and rests her chin against her hand. Her eyes go to the window and she sights someone walking towards the house and she almost jumps out of her skin.
She puts her hand against her chest and breathes out in relive when she notices that it's not just Mary, Malik's housekeeper.
Her handbag is under her arm and her face is stiff, the way it has always been from the first time that Edna met her.
In her arms are bags and bags of groceries and she carefully walks to the front door.
Edna drops her phone on the bed and quickly changes out of her clothes into jogger pants and a cropped vest.
She walks down the stairs, being as fast as she can, but careful not to trip too, she doesn't want to keep the poor woman waiting.
She is surprised that she is already in when she gets to the door. She is shutting it with her foot and walking towards the kitchen.
Edna shakes off the shock on her face and walks to her to help with the bags, Mary looks surprised, but she doesn't say no. She is probably tired of saying no, Edna never stops helping.
" You really don't have to, Mrs. Edna. " She says.
" I have to. " Edna smiles. " These bags look so heavy. "
They both walk to the kitchen and drop all of the bags on the table. Edna hears a jiggle and notices the keys on the crook of Mary's index finger, that's how she got in, she has her keys.
Mary starts to take out things from the bag and begin to organize them in the fridge and cupboards.
Edna walks over to help her. The woman makes to protest, but she just sighs and lets her do her thing.
They work silently, their hands are quicker that way and within a few minutes, it's all done.
Mary takes the rest of the vegetables to the sink and begins to rinse them.
With nothing else to do, Edna pulls a chair and sits with her eyes on Mary.
The woman doesn't say much. She won't speak to you unless you speak to her and her answers are always short and straight to the point.
Even with all of Mary's body language suggesting that it's a totally bad idea, Edna still decides to kick start a conversation with this woman.
" So, how many kids do you have, Mary?" She heaves as she asks. She has this stentorian voice in her head that's telling her that she is going to get ignored.
Mary takes her time well, washing the vegetables and looking down at them with deep concentration.
" None of my own. " Mary answers after a long pause. " I have four of my sisters now with me. She is dead and I'm lucky to have them. "
Edna squeezes her eyes shut and curse at herself silently. She wouldn't have gone there if she had known that it was the case, she is regretting it now.
" I'm sorry. " She drops her hand in her hair. " That was way too personal and I shouldn't have asked. "
For the first time since they started talking, Mary turns to look at her. It's a brief happening as she looks away again.
" It's not your fault, so you don't have to be sorry for me. " She shrugs. " I have MRKH and that means I don't have a womb."
Edna feels her heart pounding painfully in her heart as she is frozen with shock as she listens to her.
" That's painful. " Edna whispers. " I'm sorry that has to happen to you. "
" We all have our misfortunes in life. " Mary casually says.
She sounds as if having a womb is so normal. Like something, someone would have as a result of a bad day. A flat tire, a tantrum-hungry child, or having it raining on a busy Monday.
Sighs, maybe Mary is right. Maybe everyone has their misfortune in life and hers is getting married to Keith.
" You don't have kids of your own, do you? " Mary asks.
" I don't. " Edna sadly answers. Yes, it's sad.
"Don't worry, they are going to come. " Mary confidently says.
Edna looks up.
" I got pregnant once. " Edna blurts. " She has never told anyone this." I had a miscarriage. "
Mary is done with the vegetables and she drying her hands with a towel as she looks at Edna. Not with pity or sadness, just her normal expression.
" Maybe it wasn't the right time. " Mary puts the towel back on the rack. " They will come when they feel that it's the right time. "
Edna nods, and that makes sense. It's true because she is glad that God never listened to her prayer and gave her a child with Keith. It would have been torture and unfair to the poor child to have a monster for a father.
She shakes her head as if to get the bad thoughts out of it, she doesn't want to keep thinking about her miserable life.
" Malik knows you about you?" Edna knows Mary knows what she means.
" He just knows that I have four children and he likes them a lot, even though he has never met them. " For the first time, Mary smiles.
Edna finds herself smiling too, she just can't help it. Mary's beautiful teeth and diastema give her a beautiful and contagious smile.
" Yeah, Malik is nice like that. " Edna admits.
" I hope he finds a good wife someday. " Mary looks up as if offering a prayer to God. " All these women have lost their minds and they would just end up hurting him. "
Edna feels Mary's protectiveness in those words. She feels the same way too and doesn't want him to get hurt too.
" Malik is smart. " Edna leans against her chin. " He will find himself a very good woman who loves him and who he loves. "
Mary nods in agreement and she picks up a knife to chop up the vegetables.
Edna slowly goes off thinking. She imagines who the lucky girl would be, the girl Malik will marry.
She knows that it's impossible, but she wonders what would happen if it were her - it's just a thought.
If she ever finds someone as good as Malik, she will protect his heart with her life and will never do anything to hurt him.