Chapter 9
1060 Words
Maya refused the offer at once.
“I’m so sorry, sir. I can’t take it.”
Marcus let out a quiet sigh, then nodded.
“Alright.”
He took out a card and placed it gently on the stall.
“My name is Marcus Blare,” he said. “I’m staying at Springs Hotel. I’ll be leaving tonight. Keep this just in case you change your mind.”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked away, not once pressuring her, not once looking back.
Maya stood still, his words echoing in her mind.
Marriage.
The thought alone made her uneasy. She wanted nothing to do with it. And she barely knew the man, nothing about him felt certain, nothing settled.
Still, she folded the card carefully and kept it.
On the other hand, Marcus did not show his disappointment, but it was there. Quiet, heavy.
He had not meant to take advantage of her. To him, it would have been a transaction, nothing more. And yet, he was not against marriage. He was simply cornered by it, pressed from all sides by his mother’s demands, forced to find a way out.
Maya would have been ideal.
With her own mission, her own wounds, it would never be a perfect marriage, and that was exactly why it would work.
Maya’s side
After selling her flowers, Maya headed back home. She found the old lady unusually cheerful.
She studied her for a moment.
“What is it? Why are you so happy?”
Nan laughed softly.
“Come, come. The doctor passed by today and gave me this small television. I once had one, but it got spoiled. It’s been so long since I last watched the news… everything.”
Maya smiled at her.
Nan looked happy, truly happy. Much like herself, she had been lonely for a long time. Her son was gone, and she had been left alone in the quiet.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Nan said warmly. “Come and help me fix it so we can start watching.”
Maya nodded and went inside to connect it for her granny. She adjusted the wires carefully, made sure everything was right.
Nan entered and sat beside her.
They watched the news together. Maya felt distant, as though the world on the screen belonged to someone else.
Just as the broadcast was about to end, the reporter added,
“And in our final story, the youngest daughter of Mark Holdings, Bella Holdings, has gotten married to Damson Anderson in a grand ceremony.”
Maya froze.
She had been eating the toasted sweet potatoes Nan had made, but the food stopped in her mouth, her breath caught, and the world went silent.
She looked incredibly hurt.
They had tried to kill her and her baby, and yet there they were, dancing, smiling, living as if nothing had ever happened.
Tears slipped quietly down her cheeks.
All the pain, all the anger she had buried for so long erupted at once.
Nan saw her then.
She recognized the names; Maya had told her everything before. She moved to her, words failing her, knowing there was nothing she could say to make it better.
Holding Maya tightly, Nan muttered through her own tears,
“I wish I hadn’t accepted this television.”
She hugged her closer.
“You didn’t deserve that. No one does. But in life, my child, things happen for a reason, to open our eyes. Pain gives us courage to take the next step.”
She brushed Maya’s hair gently.
“Cry it all out. It may not heal you today, but at least it will give you ground to know your next step… your next move.”
The words sank deep into Maya.
After a while, Maya stood up and wiped her face.
“I’m sorry, Nan, for crying like this. I thought I had healed a little, but seeing them together after treating me like that… I couldn’t hold it anymore.”
Nan looked at her, eyes filled with quiet pity.
“I should freshen up,” Maya said, her voice heavy.
As she untied her apron, something slipped from the pocket and fell to the floor.
A card.
Her breath caught as his words rushed back to her.
I can help you take revenge. I live at Silver Spring Hotel. I’m leaving tonight.
Maya’s head snapped up.
She looked at Nan abruptly.
“N—”
Nan called after her, but Maya was already moving, disappearing into the house.
She ran.
It was already past seven, edging toward eight. Her legs burned as she hurried through the streets, her heart pounding louder with every step.
She reached the hotel he had mentioned, slowing only when she stood before its entrance.
Then she froze.
Her mask.
She had left it at Nan’s.
People were staring. Her scars were exposed, raw under the lights.
Before she could gather herself, she saw it—the same black car, pulling away.
She exhaled shakily.
He had gone.
Disappointment washed over her, thick and heavy. She turned, ready to leave, ready to regret.
“Did you come looking for me?”
She spun around.
Marcus stood there.
“You—you hadn’t left,” she said, still catching her breath.
“I thought you might change your mind,” he replied quietly. “So I stayed a little longer.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Seems I was right after all.”
Grandma Nan grew restless as the minutes passed.
Where did she go?
Maya hadn’t been okay when she left. The news must have hurt her more than she admitted.
Questions filled her mind, but all she could do was pray that the girl would return safely.
Then the door opened.
Maya stepped inside.
Nan rose at once.
“Oh, Maya! I thought you had gone to harm yourself. You picked up a paper and just left. Don’t ever scare your old woman like that again.”
“I’m so sorry, Granny,” Maya said softly. “It was urgent. But… there’s someone I want you to meet.”
Nan frowned.
“You’re not alone?”
Maya nodded.
“No.”
At that moment, Marcus entered behind her, his tall frame nearly filling the small house.
Nan stared at him, confused.
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