The Lock Room
1995 Words
Three months had passed since Margaret became Mrs. Williams.
To everyone in the Williams Estate, she seemed like the answer to a family that had long been broken.
The once-quiet mansion was alive again.
Warm laughter echoed through the halls.
Fresh flowers decorated every corner.
Even the servants smiled more often.
Margaret had insisted on one thing from the very beginning.
"I'll cook for my family myself."
Although the estate employed one of the finest chefs in the city, Margaret preferred preparing breakfast and dinner with her own hands whenever she could.
"It makes a house feel like a home," she would always say.
The servants admired her.
They had expected a wealthy woman who would spend her days giving orders.
Instead, she worked beside them, thanked them for every task they completed, and treated everyone with kindness.
Before long, the entire household respected her.
---
The spacious kitchen buzzed with activity.
Maids washed vegetables.
Others polished silver trays while the chef quietly prepared desserts nearby.
Standing in the center of it all was Margaret, wearing a simple cream-colored apron over her elegant dress.
Her smile lit up the room.
"Elisa," she called cheerfully.
"Could you bring me the tomatoes?"
"Yes, Mom!" Elisa answered happily.
She hurried to the pantry before returning with a basket full of fresh tomatoes.
"And the macaroni too," Margaret added with a laugh.
"Oh! I almost forgot."
Elisa giggled as she ran back again.
Watching them together, one of the maids smiled.
"They're just like a real mother and daughter."
Another nodded.
"Miss Elisa hasn't laughed this much since Madam Victoria passed away."
The words filled the kitchen with quiet warmth.
---
Not far away, Selina quietly arranged the dining table.
She was careful.
Respectful.
Never wanting to cause trouble.
She was grateful to have Elisa as a sister.
The two girls played together, laughed together, and shared almost everything.
Still...
There were moments when a small ache settled inside Selina's heart.
She noticed how Richard always called,
"Elisa."
"Princess."
"My little girl."
But very rarely...
"Selina."
Richard never treated her cruelly.
He simply remained distant.
Whenever Selina needed something, it was usually Elisa who reminded Richard.
"Daddy, Selina needs new storybooks."
"Daddy, can Selina come with us?"
Only then would Richard quietly agree.
Selina never complained.
She simply smiled and accepted the little affection she received.
Deep inside...
She hoped that one day Richard would look at her the same way he looked at Elisa.
---
As dinner continued to simmer on the stove, Margaret casually wiped her hands on a towel.
Her eyes wandered toward the hallway outside the kitchen.
Earlier that morning, she had noticed a beautifully carved wooden door on the second floor.
It was always locked.
She remembered Richard's firm warning.
"No one enters that room."
"Only Elisa."
Curiosity quietly settled inside her heart.
She turned toward Elisa.
"Sweetheart..."
"Can I ask you something?"
Elisa nodded innocently.
"What is the room beside Daddy's bedroom?"
"The one that's always locked?"
Elisa didn't hesitate.
"That's Mommy's room."
Margaret looked surprised.
"Your mother's room?"
Elisa smiled gently.
"It used to belong to both Mommy and Daddy."
"After Mommy died..."
"Daddy couldn't sleep there anymore."
"So he moved into another bedroom."
"He said..."
"It holds too many beautiful memories."
Margaret listened quietly.
Elisa continued.
"Everything that belonged to Mommy is still inside."
"Her clothes."
"Her books."
"Her jewelry."
"Even our family photographs."
"Daddy says that room is where Mommy's memories live."
"So no one is allowed to touch anything."
Margaret lowered her eyes.
"And why are you allowed inside?"
Elisa's little face brightened.
"Because Daddy says..."
"If I ever miss Mommy..."
"I can go there and feel close to her."
Margaret forced a gentle smile.
"Your father loved your mother very much."
Elisa nodded proudly.
"He still does."
"He told me no one could ever replace Mommy."
"He only married again because..."
"...he wanted someone to love and protect me if anything ever happened to him."
For a brief moment...
Margaret's smile froze.
Then, almost instantly, it returned.
She gently stroked Elisa's hair.
"Your father is a good man."
"You're very lucky."
Elisa smiled innocently, completely unaware that every word she had spoken had awakened a silent curiosity in Margaret's heart.
Outside...
The evening breeze rustled through the gardens.
Inside the Williams Estate...
Dinner was almost ready.
The family gathered around the table, laughing together as though nothing could ever tear them apart.
But behind one locked door...
The memories of the past waited patiently.
And somewhere inside Margaret's heart...
A single question continued to grow.
What secrets was Richard Williams still protecting?
Night had settled peacefully over the Williams Estate.
The mansion, once filled with cheerful laughter during the day, now rested beneath the quiet glow of the moon.
Inside the master bedroom, only the soft hum of the air conditioner disturbed the silence.
Richard Williams sat against the headboard of the bed, his laptop resting on his knees as he finished reading a few business reports.
Beside him, Margaret lay quietly, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Although she appeared calm, her thoughts refused to rest.
She couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she had shared with Elisa earlier that day...
The locked room.
Victoria's belongings.
The memories Richard still protected.
A few minutes later, Richard closed his laptop with a quiet sigh.
He placed it neatly on the bedside table before switching off the lamp.
"Good night, Margaret."
"Good night," she replied softly.
Darkness filled the room.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Gathering her courage, Margaret slowly moved closer.
She rested her head gently against Richard's shoulder.
Richard didn't pull away.
Encouraged, she lifted her face, hoping for a kiss.
Richard looked at her in silence.
After a brief hesitation, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Margaret smiled.
She carefully wrapped an arm around him, hoping he would finally let down the walls he had built around his heart.
Instead...
Richard gently held her hands and moved them away.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Margaret's smile slowly faded.
It had been three months since their wedding.
To the outside world, they were the picture of a perfect couple.
At public events, Richard held her hand.
He smiled beside her.
He kissed her affectionately whenever cameras flashed.
Many women envied her.
"You're so lucky."
"Mr. Williams adores you."
Only Margaret knew the truth.
Their marriage had boundaries.
Before the wedding, Richard had made one condition perfectly clear.
There would be no physical relationship.
Their marriage existed for one purpose.
Elisa needed a mother.
Selina needed a father.
Margaret had accepted those terms without complaint because she wanted a safe and stable future for her daughter.
Still...
She couldn't help wishing that one day Richard might truly love her.
Unable to silence the question in her heart any longer, she spoke softly.
"Richard..."
He opened his eyes.
"Is it because of... her?"
Richard looked at her quietly.
He knew exactly who she meant.
After a long silence, he answered calmly.
"Get some sleep, Margaret."
"I don't want tonight to become another conversation about Victoria."
His voice wasn't angry.
It was simply tired.
Margaret nodded.
She turned onto her side, staring into the darkness as disappointment settled quietly in her heart.
Neither of them noticed that although they shared the same bed...
They were separated by memories neither of them could escape.
---
The following morning...
The Williams Estate came alive once again.
Servants moved busily through the hallways.
Some had left for their scheduled holidays, leaving only a handful of maids and staff to care for the enormous mansion.
Margaret walked slowly along the second-floor corridor.
As she passed Richard's bedroom...
Her eyes stopped.
The locked room.
Its polished wooden door stood exactly where she remembered.
Quietly, she walked toward it.
She reached for the elegant brass handle.
She turned it.
Locked.
She tried again.
Nothing.
After a disappointed sigh, she walked away.
---
Later that afternoon...
The gardens behind the mansion were filled with the fragrance of blooming roses.
A beautiful two-person garden swing rested beneath a flowering tree.
Margaret and Elisa sat together, gently swaying back and forth as a cool breeze danced through the leaves above.
Margaret smiled as she brushed a few strands of hair away from Elisa's face.
"You've grown so much in just a few months."
Elisa laughed.
"I'll be taller than Daddy one day."
Margaret laughed along with her.
"I'd like to see that."
For a while, they simply talked like any ordinary mother and daughter.
Then Margaret asked casually,
"Do you still visit your mother's room?"
Elisa nodded.
"Sometimes."
"Daddy gave me a key."
Margaret blinked in surprise.
"You have your own key?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Daddy has one too."
"He said only the two of us should ever enter."
Margaret lowered her eyes, hiding her curiosity.
After a brief silence...
Elisa smiled brightly.
"Would you like to see it?"
Margaret looked at her.
"My mother's room."
"You can come with me."
"I want to show you all our family pictures."
For a moment...
Margaret's heart skipped a beat.
She smiled warmly.
"I'd love that."
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