Five Years, One Secret

Maya’s POV I should have walked away. That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I opened my eyes the next morning. For a moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling and trying to piece together the events of the night before. The curtains were slightly open, allowing the pale morning light to spill across the expensive furniture and the enormous bed beneath me. Everything about the room reminded me that I did not belong in a place like this. Then I turned my head. The man beside me was still asleep. My heart skipped. I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to understand how a stranger had ended up beside me. I barely knew anything about him. I didn’t know his full name, where he lived or what kind of life he lived. I only knew that he was the most handsome man I had ever seen, and that somehow, one conversation at Bremwell Hotel had turned into a night I knew I would regret. His dark hair was messy against the pillow, and the cold expression I remembered from the night before had disappeared while he slept. He looked almost peaceful. I quickly looked away. What had I done? I slipped out of bed, picked up my dress from the floor and pulled it on as quietly as I could. My hands were still shaking. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I had gone to Bremwell Hotel because I wanted one night away from everything that had been going wrong in my life. I was angry, hurt and tired of pretending I had everything under control. Then I met him. One conversation became another. One drink became two, and somewhere between my anger and the alcohol, I stopped thinking about tomorrow. Now tomorrow has arrived. I grabbed my bag and walked toward the door. My fingers had barely touched the handle when his voice came from behind me. “Leaving already?” I froze. Slowly, I turned around. His eyes were open. He was watching me. “I…” The words caught in my throat. He sat up against the headboard, his expression unreadable. “You’re not going to say goodbye?” I forced a small smile. “I think it’s better if I leave.” “Why?” I looked down at my bag. “Because last night was a mistake.” His expression changed slightly. “A mistake?” I nodded. “Yes.” For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he looked away. “Fine.” I don’t know why that single word hurt. Maybe because a small part of me had expected him to stop me. Instead, I opened the door. Before leaving, I looked back one last time. He wasn’t looking at me anymore. I wanted to ask his name. I wanted to know who he really was and whether I would ever see him again. But something told me that walking away was the only sensible thing to do. So I left. I walked out of Bremwell Hotel that morning believing the stranger would become nothing more than a forgotten memory. I was wrong. Six weeks later, I was sitting on the bathroom floor staring at two pink lines. My hands went cold. “No.” I looked at the test again. Two lines. My stomach tightened. “No, no, no.” I pressed one trembling hand against my stomach, even though there was nothing to see yet. I had only been with one man. One night. One stupid night. And now I was pregnant. Tears filled my eyes as his face came back to me. The stranger from Bremwell Hotel. I didn’t know his full name. I didn’t have his number. I didn’t know where he lived or how I could possibly find him. I had walked away without asking a single important question. Now I was carrying his child. I covered my mouth as a sob escaped. What was I going to do? I was still young. I had plans. I wanted to graduate, go to university and build a normal life for myself. Instead, everything I had planned suddenly felt impossible. The bathroom door opened. “Maya?” I quickly wiped my face. One of my classmates stood in the doorway. Her eyes moved from my face to the pregnancy test in my hand. She went silent. Then her eyes widened. “Oh my God.” I stood up immediately. “Please don’t tell anyone.” She stared at me. “You’re pregnant?” I couldn’t answer. She looked at the test again, then at me. I knew from the expression on her face that my secret was already slipping away. By lunchtime, everyone knew. Whispers followed me through the corridors. Some students laughed when I walked past. Others stared at me as though my pregnancy had become their entertainment. Then Victoria appeared. She leaned against the wall with a smile that made my stomach twist. “So it’s true.” I kept walking. “Leave me alone, Victoria.” She followed me. “You’re actually pregnant?” I said nothing. “Who is the father?” I continued walking. “Does he know?” I stopped. Victoria stepped closer. Her smile widened when she saw the fear in my eyes. “You don’t even know where he is, do you?” I turned toward her. “You know nothing about me.” “I know enough.” Her voice grew louder. Students nearby began turning toward us. Victoria didn’t care. “You ruined your life for one night.” My face burned. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I turned and walked away. Victoria watched me go. She wasn’t finished. Over the following days, the humiliation became unbearable. Teachers whispered when I entered classrooms. Students called me names. Even people I thought were my friends stopped sitting beside me. Eventually, I stopped going to school. I told myself it would only be for a little while. It wasn’t. Months later, I gave birth to a baby girl. I named her Lily. The first time they placed her in my arms, I couldn’t stop crying. She was so tiny. Her fingers curled around mine, and her eyes slowly opened as if she were trying to memorize my face. I kissed her forehead. “I don’t know how I’m going to do this,” I whispered. Lily made a tiny sound. I smiled through my tears. “But I’ll figure it out.” I didn’t know where her father was. I didn’t know if he remembered me. I didn’t know whether he would ever want to know about the daughter he had unknowingly left behind. But I knew I would never abandon her. Five years passed. Five years of working whenever I could. Five years of stretching every dollar until there was almost nothing left. Five years of pretending I wasn’t exhausted. That morning, I sat on the edge of my small bed and counted the money inside my purse. Three dollars. That was all I had. I looked at Lily sleeping beside me. Her face was pale, and her breathing was softer than usual. She had been sick again, and the hospital bill sitting on my table was still unpaid. I closed my eyes. I couldn’t keep living like this. I had worked three jobs, but somehow there was never enough. I needed another job. Anything would do. Cleaning. Cooking. Office work. I just needed someone to give me a chance. My phone suddenly rang. I reached for it. “Hello?” “Is this Miss Maya?” “Yes.” “You recently applied for a position at Smith Group.” My heart lifted. “Yes, I did.” “We would like to invite you for an interview.” I sat up straight. “When?” “Today. Two o’clock.” “Today?” “Yes.” I glanced at the clock. I barely had enough time to get ready. “Thank you. I’ll be there.” The call ended. I stared at my phone for a moment before looking at Lily. For the first time in months, I felt something I had almost forgotten. Hope. Maybe this was the chance I had been waiting for. I quickly got dressed, packed Lily’s things and kissed her forehead. “We’re going somewhere new today.” She opened her sleepy eyes. “Where?” “Mommy has a job interview.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around me. I held her tightly. I had no idea that the company waiting for me was owned by one of New York’s most powerful billionaires. I had no idea that its CEO was the same man I had spent one unforgettable night with five years earlier. I had no idea that Jackson Smith had spent years searching for the daughter he never knew he had. And I certainly didn’t know that the little girl sleeping beside me was the child he had been searching for. When I walked through the glass doors of Smith Group that afternoon, I tried to calm my nerves. Then I saw the woman standing behind the reception desk. My steps stopped. Victoria. For a moment, neither of us moved. Her eyes widened as she stared at me. Then her gaze dropped to Lily. Something changed in her expression. She looked back at me. “Maya?” My stomach tightened. Five years had passed since I had last seen her. But judging by the look on Victoria’s face, she hadn’t forgotten me. And somehow, I knew my past had just walked back into my life. I only didn’t know yet that Victoria wasn’t the only person from my past waiting for me inside Smith Group.