His Silence, Her Freedom

CHAPTER 3

Daniel sides with silence, not Maya

"Daniel," I say, shaking with every word, "why does your mom know Claire?"

He stops. For a brief moment, it looks like he's looking for air. Then he looks away. "Maya, put it down."

Put it down.

Two words that cut better than any knife.

Mrs. Ross's steps are getting closer. "I'm just trying to help," she says, but her voice is full of poison. Daniel, it sounds like Claire is really worried about you. She said she would call back later. She is a very nice person.

Under a lot of stress. It means "burns." I stand at the door and watch her come in. Her pearls shine like she's sleeping in the sun, and her posture is perfect. The smell of her perfume fills the room, and I've come to think of it as harsh.

"Did she call?" My voice is trembling. "Why does she need this number?"

Mrs. Ross turns away from me. She smiles at Daniel instead. "I gave it to her." She meant to send you that soup recipe you liked, dear.

Daniel wipes his face with his hand. "Mom, could you—"

But I keep going. "You gave someone else our address?"

Finally, Mrs. Ross looks at me. "Yours?" Hi, Maya. Daniel's dad gave everything in this house. What we mean is his. "The walls are only for you."

It hurts to take a breath. "You went too far."

Her lips are bent. "Not nearly enough."

Daniel's voice comes in. It's not loud, but it's clear. "That's enough, both of you."

I looked at him. "You're telling me to stop while she's making fun of me in front of you?"

It's not a response. His quiet gets louder until the room is empty.

The quiet is hard for me to get over.

I look at him and wait for him to say something, like apologize or defend himself.

He walks up to the bar, picks up his phone, and scrolls through it like we're strangers in an airport lounge.

I laughed for no reason. "Is that it?" Not even going to say no?

Finally, he looks up. "What?"

"Claire is having a problem!"

He says in a soft, almost begging voice, "Maya, please don't make a fuss."

Something.

Like how my pain is the story and his betrayal is the plot.

Mrs. Ross lets out a big sigh. "Be honest, Maya; jealousy doesn't look good on you." Claire is just a school friend.

I lost it. "Why does she text your son that I'll never be like she was to him?"

For a moment, the room stops moving.

Daniel lifts his head. Mrs. Ross's eyes got very small. "You looked at his phone?"

I point to the counter and say, "He put it right there." "I wasn't paying attention; it—"

"You got into his personal life," said Mrs. Ross moves a little closer, and with each click of her heels, she makes her point. "It's not surprising that he needs comfort elsewhere."

Daniel's shoulders got stiff, but he didn't say anything.

Nothing at all.

My voice is breaking. "Do you agree with her?"

It's done. "I don't think this is the right time."

He said that.

The room leans. The edges of my vision are blurry.

Mrs. Ross smiles, feeling like she has won. "Poor Maya. You've always been too emotional. You know men hate that.

I hold on to the counter to keep my balance. "You've been trying to get rid of me since the wedding."

"I've been trying to keep my son from making a mistake."

Daniel touches his temples with his fingers. "Please, Mom."

She looks at him. "Daniel, tell her the truth. Tell her you've been feeling down. She deserves the truth.

The silence lasts longer this time. My heart beats loudly in my ears.

Finally, Daniel speaks in a low voice. "Maybe we moved too quickly."

It's a breath, but it blows up inside of me.

Mrs. Ross smiles, happy. "There, you see?"

I can feel something inside me break—a thin thread that has held me together for years.

"I'm done making breakfast for people who think I'm not important," I say quietly as I dry my hands on a towel. "Claire can send you her soup recipe." She might be able to feed you too.

"Maya—" Daniel starts, but I laugh so hard that I stop him.

"No." Don't Maya me. You had a lot of chances to speak up for me, but you didn't. "You always do it."

Mrs. Ross's voice follows me down the hall. "Keep track of where you put your things."

I stop and don't look back. "I think I finally got it back."

That same day, later

There isn't enough noise in here.

Daniel is at work, and Mrs. Ross is in her garden, which is still blooming even though she spilled poison there.

I walk through the kitchen with light steps, thinking about what I should have said and what I can't get back.

After a while, I see it: a little satin box on the counter that is half-open and waiting for me.

Inside is a ring. Not mine.

The diamond shines harshly as it reflects light from the window.

There is a folded note at the bottom of it. I pick it up when I'm ready.

For when you want to start over.

The writing is feminine, roundabout, and sure of itself. Claire's.

My hands shake as I drop the note. The room is spinning. She has been here. In my house. Getting close to my things.

My heart is racing, so I grab my phone and call Daniel. But I can hear Mrs. Ross's voice through the door before I can press the button.

"Oh, you got it." She was told to leave it for Daniel to look at.

I turn around. "You let her in?"

She shrugs. "Why not?" I feel like she's family.

"In reality—" My words turn into a laugh that makes me breathless. "Do you really hate me that much?"

She keeps smiling. "Don't be mean, sweetheart. That's too bad.

I walk toward her. "Because of you, your own son's marriage is falling apart."

"I'd rather end it now than let it go to waste."

My voice cracks. "And you like Claire better?" The woman who broke into another woman's kitchen?

Mrs. Ross's face looks like it's softening out of fake pity. "She's tough." "Burnt toast won't make her sad."

Something inside me is getting stronger.

I carefully close the ring box, as if I were hiding something inside. "Then she can have him."

She blinks when she sees how calm I am. "What did you say?"

I look her right in the eye. "She can have him." "That's all."

I put the box on the counter and started to go up the stairs. Every step is a small fight against the rules. For the first time, I'm not scared even though my heart is racing.

Night

Rain is making the windows wet. Daniel comes back, and his suit is wet around the shoulders. He looks tired.

He starts with "Maya," and his voice drops a little. "Your mother said you were angry."

"Mad?" I laugh quietly. "That's the word for it."

He walks over to her. "Hey... Claire came by early on to give something back. It wasn't what it looked like.

"What was it then?" I want to know. "Because it looked like you were planning to spend the rest of your life with her."

He opens his mouth and then closes it again. "It's hard to put into words."

"Complicated," I say again. "We talked about everything." Now all I get are lies and silence.

He uses his hand to smooth his hair. "I don't want to fight."

"I don't either," I say in a low voice. "But I don't want to live like this anymore."

He grabs my hand when I try to leave. "Please, Maya." "Don't go."

I begged, "Please say something." "Anything." Say that she doesn't mean anything.

He thinks about it for a second, but that's long enough to break my heart.

He hears the answer without saying anything.

Mrs. Ross's voice can be heard from the bedroom. "Daniel, it's time for dinner!"

He slowly pulls my hand away, and his face shows that he feels bad. "Talk to you later."

Soon. Always after that.

I stand by the window and watch the rain fall on the glass like tears. I don't want to cry. I can't hear him walking toward the dining room behind me. Toward her.

The picture of me has red eyes and a straight back.

A spark appears in the pain.

If he doesn't, I'll fight for myself.