The Stranger In Me

Chapter 4:Where Silence Speaks the Loudest

Marie's Point of View

I sat on the cold stone bench in the quiet garden of St. Bernadette's Academy, my body slumped under the weight of exhaustion I could no longer hide.The world around me felt distant.

Children's laughter echoed faintly from the far end of the compound, carried by the evening breeze, but it didn't reach me not really. My chest tightened with every breath, my heart pounding like it was trying to escape the prison of my ribs.

My eyes burned,swollen,heavy,on the verge of spilling again.

My legs felt like wet cement-too heavy to move, too weak to carry me any further. Hunger clawed at my stomach, sharp and insistent. I hadn't eaten all day, and now even the smallest movement felt like a battle.

I stared ahead, but I saw nothing only thoughts.Endless, tangled thoughts;my future,my family,my dreams... or what was left of them.

Becoming a flight attendant at A&K Airline Company once felt so close-so real. Now, it seemed like a childish drawing left out in the rain, its colors blurred beyond recognition unreachable.

I considered calling Simon,running away.Not back to Mandela... but somewhere far, far away. Somewhere Sir Kelvin's shadow couldn't follow. Somewhere his voice couldn't break me. Somewhere his hands-

I shut my eyes tightly.No I couldn't,because of Mia.Sweet, fragile Mia.

She wasn't broken-no, never that. She simply spoke in a different language. One of hands, expressions, and quiet understanding. And in that world, she shined brighter than anyone I had ever known.

Who would sit with her at night and tell her stories?

Who would help her with her assignments, patiently guiding her small fingers as she wrote in her notepad?

Who would understand her silent laughter... her silent cries?

Sir Kelvin?The thought almost made me laugh.

Alberto Kelvin-the powerful CEO of A&K Airline Company. A man who could command boardrooms but couldn't sit still long enough to understand his own children.

I wished, just once, I could tell him,show him and teach him that being a father wasn't about wealth or authority-it was about presence.

But who was I?Just a girl from a struggling home. A daughter of a woman who worked tirelessly in a small, worn-out restaurant just to keep a roof over our heads.

I didn't belong in his world.Even working for him felt like borrowed privilege and I wasn't ready to lose it.

"Madam... are you okay?"The gentle voice pulled me back.

I turned slightly to see Miss Clara, Mia's teacher, standing beside me with concern etched across her face.

"Yes... I'm fine," I replied quickly, forcing a small smile while discreetly wiping my eyes. I adjusted my scarf, making sure it covered the bruise on my cheek.

"It's past five already," she said softly. "Aren't you heading home?"

My heart skipped.

"Five?" I gasped, jumping to my feet. "Oh my God-thank you, ma!"

I didn't wait another second.

I ran barefoot.My heels dangled from my fingers as I sprinted out of the school gates toward Presidential Way, my breath uneven, my heart racing like I had stolen something precious.

A taxi screeched to a stop beside me.

"Alberto Street, The Palms Estate-Gate 3," I said breathlessly.

The ride felt too slow,everything felt too slow.

---

By the time I reached The Palms Estate, the sky had begun to dim into evening.

I stepped inside quietly, greeting the staff with a tired nod before making my way toward the kitchen, where I found Nanny Ann.

She turned immediately, her sharp eyes softening when they landed on me.

"Marie... you're home late. Where have you been?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Nanny Ann," I replied, my voice low. "I went to Abi's school."

Her brows furrowed. "But she came back over an hour ago with her siblings. Did Kelvin ask you to-"

"Shhh..." I interrupted gently. "Please... I can't explain. I'm just doing my job."

I paused, swallowing hard. "Let me go and see my baby girl."

I turned toward the staircase and collided with something solid.

A cup slipped;dark liquid splashed and time froze.

Coffee spread across Sir Kelvin's white Balenciaga T-shirt, staining it like spilled ink.

I stepped back, stunned.My scarf slipped from my head and just like that,the bruise was exposed.

---

Sir Kelvin's Point of View

I arrived home earlier than usual,five minutes before the children.A rare occurrence.

I expected Marie to return with them-perhaps meet them on the road, or arrive shortly after,but she didn't.

Mia was the first to run to me.She wrapped her small arms around me in a tight embrace, her warmth catching me off guard.

"My love... how are you?" I asked softly.

She smiled brightly, then reached for her notepad. After scribbling quickly, she held it up.

"Aunty Marie told me to always give Daddy a big hug because he needs it more than I do."

The words hit deeper than I expected.Something shifted in my chest.

Marie... had been teaching my child to love me better than I knew how to love her.

"Yes, my love," I whispered. "Don't stop... Daddy needs it."

Mia smiled again,then Nikki and David walked in.They paused when they saw me.

"Good afternoon, Dad," they said flatly before heading upstairs.

"You're welcome," I muttered, though I doubted they heard.

Guilt followed me like a shadow.Later, I decided to do something I hadn't done in years.Join them for dinner.

But the moment I sat down, everything fell apart.My voice rose,Mia ran away in fear,Nikki's words cut deeper than any blade and David's silence said even more.

I failed them again.I went to Mia's room to apologize.She didn't speak-just wrote.

"Where's Nanny Marie?"My chest tightened.

"She'll be here soon," I said.

She wrote again."Has she left like Mum too?"

That question... broke something in me,after settling her, I tried speaking to the others.

They shut me out,completely.Defeated, I went downstairs.

The coffee in my hand had gone cold-bitter and lifeless.Like everything else,then I saw her through the window.Marie.

Sneaking in quietly, as if trying to avoid me.I moved toward the kitchen and then,we collided.

The coffee spilled across my shirt.She froze,her scarf slipped and there it was.

The mark,my mark.Red,swollen,unmistakable. For the first time in a long while I had nothing to say.

No authority,no anger,no control,just silence and the slow, steady drip of coffee hitting the marble floor.