When Roses bleed

THE DAY IT ALL FELL APART

The thought hit Maya even deeper, leaving her chest heavy and tight and her mind spinning. For years she had buried the pain and the anger – or so she thought. The questions that had no answers started to pierce even deeper, making her hungry for answers. She had built herself into someone untouchable, someone the past couldn't even reach. And yet, here he was – Liam – standing before her with that same scar on his wrist, spinning memories she thought she had forgotten long ago.

Her hands grasped the tray tighter, forcing her fingers to steady. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to cry, to hide or even to snub him entirely, but the past always finds a way to return, no matter how much you try to ignore it. The feeling of seeing her best friend with another woman clinging to his arms made her even more jealous and kind of curious. She wasn’t bothered by the beauty or the fancy Gucci bag because clearly she could tell that she was more beautiful than her, but the thing that clung in her mind was the fact that Liam's supposed girlfriend seemed to already own a part of Liam's life she thought belonged, at least once, to her.

Maya's chest tightened, and anger flared, mingled with grief and a deep unspoken need for answers. She had survived ten years on the streets, clawing her way to the polished floors and golden lights of the Silver Crest, and yet one glance at him reminded her of the helpless little girl who had lost everything overnight.

"I need to know the truth. I need to know who did this to my father."I need to know why," she said to herself.

A thought quickly jumped into her mind: if getting close to Liam is all that it takes for me to find the truth, then so be it. I'd have to draw him closer to me like in the old days, not with anger or confrontation but with charm, patience and calculated seduction.

Her lips curved into a faint and confident but kind of evilish smile. It wasn't just a smile – it was a mask she swore to put on until she unveiled the whole truth. Maya tilted her head, rewinding all the scenes in her mind – from the way he entered into the restaurant, not knowing him, to the part where she set her eyes on him and recognised him from his blue eyes, blond hair and matching scars, and the way he whispered out her name. Seeing his face once again after so many years was all that mattered.

She plotted in her mind how her moves would be. She would start small. innocent conversation, gentle laughter, shared memories, and she would remind him of the old self he once trusted, the girl he once thought he could protect. And when his guard slipped, she would push further, close enough until she uncovered the truths he carried. Piece by piece.

Her Ticktock movement through the dining hall was measured, graceful, and deliberate. Every tilt of her head, every polite word she said to the customers. Maya watched Liam from the corner of her eyes – how he leaned slightly towards the woman beside him and how he spoke sexily and softly while touching her face. Attentively, hoping to hear even the smallest details that she could use against him when the time came.

The woman – his girlfriend – was a complication, yes, but also a tool. Her presence made him cautious and careful. That caution could be manipulated. Maya could appear harmless, trustworthy, even familiar. Perfect. He won't suspect me. "she murderer to herself softly ".

As the night started to approach, Maya lingered near the kitchen hallway, pretending to tidy things up while locking her eyes on Liam. He hadn't looked at her again since the time she was about to take their order, yet she felt the pull of recognition, the magnetic tension of their shared past and memories. Outside, the city lights flicked on the rain-soaked streets, and a distant car honked from afar. A reminder that life moved on – and the past could have a way into the present, if she dared.

Her mind raced with strategies. Patience, observation and subtlety. Every smile, every word, every gesture would be measured. Memory, shared history, the almost forgotten bond of the thorn bush – these would draw him even closer. Unaware that every interaction was a step towards truth hidden for a decade.

Her chest tightened at the thought of revenge, yet she pushed it down, refusing to let it guide her. This was not the time for anger. This was a dance in which Liam must remain unaware.She would play the role of the girl that he once knew, the friend he once trusted, the woman he might slowly remember – while the truth she sought stayed her prize alone.

She exhaled slowly, a faint smile brushing her lips. Seduction would be gentle, invisible in plain sight. Trust would be earned, not demanded. And when the moment came, Liam would never see the plan behind her gaze, the reason beneath her smile.

For now, she let the fire of determination burn quietly, hidden beneath calm eyes and controlled steps. The game had just begun. Maya would see it through – one calculated move at a time – until the answers she had sought for so long were finally within reach.

The night swallowed her as she stepped into the rain-slick city streets. Every instinct screamed caution, but another whispered opportunity.Every sense sharpened.Maya knew this was the moment when the last collided with the present. And she would not fail.

Maya's eyes burnt as she disappeared into the overcrowded street; the sound of her own footsteps was the only thing she could trust. She had spent years running from ghosts, from the hollow ache of unanswered questions.No more. This time, she would hunt them down like she planned – even if it meant dancing with the devil himself.

While crossing the road, another ghost crept into her mind – the one she tried hardest to bury.

Her mother. The only family she was left with. She hadn't even left a note the night she disappeared, just an empty room and a silence that stung worse than hunger. Maya had always known why; she didn't need anyone to explain anything to her. Every time her mother looked at her, she saw him – her late husband/Maya's father. The same dark eyes with the same attitude. A living reminder of everything she'd lost.

So she left.

And Maya learnt – painfully – that love could vanish without warning, just like life itself.