His Silence, Her Freedom.

CHAPTER 2

Daniel’s mother criticizes Maya’s breakfast preparation.

The morning light made the marble floors look like they were made of gold silk. The picture of me in the oven door made me look sleepy. I quickly put my hair up in a bun, and my hands were shaking as I set down the last plate of sliced strawberries and mango.

I shouldn't have mixed them up.

It sounded like her voice.

Still, I hoped that today she might not find anything wrong.

I had been awake since the time changed. The mansion was always cold and quiet when dawn came. You could just barely smell the roses in the yard. Even though the kitchen was clean and had chrome tools and white marble countertops, I felt out of place there. I felt like a visitor in a house that should have been mine.

The butter sizzled in the pan while I finished the eggs. The sound was loud in a room that was otherwise quiet. I took my time setting everything up, including a hotel-style breakfast. I had cut flowers and put them in a vase next to a pot of tea that was steeping. There were toasted croissants and fruit with honey on top.

She might stop looking at me like a stranger if she saw how hard I was working.

But then, click. Click, click.

The shoes she wore.

Hello, Mrs. Ross.

Someone was always there before her. It smells sharp and like flowers. I feel a chill in my spine.

"Maya." Her voice was like a knife cutting through the air.

I looked back. "Good morning, Mother."

The sun made the gold threads in her silk robe shine. She looked just like the matriarch. She was perfectly put together, and her face showed that she didn't like what she saw.

She walked up to it and said, "What is this?"

I smiled and said, "Breakfast." "I made you fresh fruit and your favorite tea." The eggs are still warm—

"Fruit?" She stopped at the table and raised one eyebrow. "Strawberry and mango?" "Do you think this is a kids' party?"

I opened my eyes. "I... thought the colors were happy."

"Happily?" She sneered and curled her lips. "Darling, this isn't art class." It's breakfast. For my child. You can't just put things together and say they look good.

When she spoke, something inside me was already weak. They were soft but pointy.

I said in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry." I'll do it again—

She looked at the tea and said, "Don't say sorry." "Learn."

She poured herself a cup, took a sip, and frowned. "You didn't warm the pot up first. A beginner.

The sting went deep. I thought I did everything right.

Steps could be heard in the hallway before I could answer. Take your time. Firm.

Daniel.

He always turned around when he walked into a room, and he did the same thing in the kitchen. My husband looked like he had never been through anything before. He was wearing a sharp blue suit and his watch was shining. I could just barely smell cologne on him, and it made my heart race.

He said, "Good morning," in a smooth, faraway voice.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Mrs. Ross said with a warm, happy smile. "Your wife cooked for you this morning."

I stood there and looked at him. They want a smile, a word, or any other sign that they like it.

He glanced at the table and then picked up his phone. He said, "Looks nice," while he was scrolling.

That's all there was. "Looks good."

I nodded even though my chest hurt.

But Mrs. Ross still had more to say. She said, "I guess she's getting better," as she bit into a croissant. "But she still needs to work on how she looks."

I held my hands tightly under the tablecloth.

I said in a quiet voice, "I'll do better."

Finally, Daniel looked up. "Try as she might, Mom."

Mrs. Ross laughed. "Daniel, trying isn't enough. To live in this house, a woman needs to be classy. "Trying looks cheap."

I took a deep breath.

He didn't stand up for me. Not really.

He just picked up his phone again.

"Maybe we should get some help," Mrs. Ross said next. "Someone who knows how to deal with things." I know a girl who is young, nice, and well-trained.

I stopped breathing.

I said softly, almost begging, "No." "That won't be needed."

Mrs. Ross seemed to be having fun. "You don't get to choose that, dear." Daniel does.

My heart was pounding. "Daniel?"

He sighed, still not looking up. "Go ahead, Mom, if it helps."

I looked at him. My husband. The man who said he would look out for me once.

"Are you okay with another woman running our house?"

At last, he looked up. His eyes were calm and hard to understand. "You hold this against me too much, Maya." It's only useful.

It wasn't just useful, though. It was another break in what little we still had.

Mrs. Ross's lips curled up in happiness. "I'll call Mrs. Vero after breakfast." Her niece can start next week.

She got up and smoothed out her robe. "Be honest with me, honey. I need to help you."

There was a heavy silence again after she left.

I looked at Daniel. "You let her make fun of me."

He shut his eyes for a short time. "Maya, she's my mom."

"And I'm married to you."

That wasn't an answer.

In some way, I broke down. "Can you even hear yourself now?"

His jaw got tight. "I'm not going to do that before I go to work."

He stood up, kissed me on the cheek like a robot, and then left.

The door closed. The noise kept changing.

I stood there in silence and stared at the table, which no longer made sense. The tea was no longer warm. The fruit shone like glass beads in the morning light. It was nice, but it wasn't full.

My hands were shaking as I picked up the plates. The china broke, and it was louder than it should have been.

After I cleaned the kitchen, I sat down at the counter and looked at myself in the window. Her eyes were red and her lips were shaking when she looked back at me. She used to believe that love could solve all problems.

It was too quiet.

I took my phone out because I needed a break. That picture of Daniel and me laughing on our wedding day in Lagos was still there. He put his arms around me. He said "forever" in his voice.

Where did that person go?

My phone buzzed right away.

Number Not Knew.

> You don't know me yet, but you will soon.

I made a face. Most likely a scam.

Then there was a different message.

You can't hide some facts forever.

I got a chill down my spine.

The third one then came.

You don't know who Dan is.

My heart stopped.

I stood there with my phone shaking in my hand. When it touched my skin, the screen lit up. I could only hear my heart beating in my ears.

That's not something someone would send.

Before I could answer, the screen lit up again with another text.

Check the file cabinet under his desk. The third drawer.

I got a cold.

I had already been to his study. The door was always locked.

My mouth got dry. "What are you?" I typed and whispered the words before I could think of them.

Not an answer.

Instead—

Get help.

The door knocked three times slowly.

The thick, electric air moved around.

When I turned toward it, the sound made my heart race. The whole house felt alive all of a sudden. The quiet was no longer calm; it was alert.

One more knock.

My footsteps echoed on the marble floor as I moved forward. The light got dimmer as a cloud moved across the sky.

My phone shook again in my hand.

> Do not open it.

I stopped.

This time, the doorbell rang very clearly.

"Mrs. Ross?" When I called out, no one answered. The whole house felt empty.

I saw a black car parked right next to the gate when I looked out the window. Windows that are tinted. The engine is on.

The message came back.

If you want to know the truth about your husband, don't let them in.

I took a deep breath.

One more knock. This time it's tougher.

Next to the door, I moved forward. My faint image shimmered in the smooth wood. It was the spirit of a woman who was trapped in a house that was too big for her heart.

The handle turned slowly.

I couldn't scream.

I wasn't going to touch it.

There was another person there.