Unspoken Secrets

The city hadn’t quite woken up when Maya stepped out of her apartment, her heels clicking faintly against the marble floor. Dawn light painted the streets gold, but her heart thudded with the dull weight of fear she couldn’t shake. She wasn’t supposed to live like this,, always watching, always worrying that one slip would shatter the quiet life she’d built for herself and her son.

Five years of careful distance. Five years of silence.

And now Ethan Blackwell was back in her world.

She pressed her lips together as she entered the elevator, clutching her tote bag tightly. Inside, buried under paperwork and her laptop, was the photo that had fallen out of her son Liam’s backpack the night before a drawing of their little family, with a stick-figure father drawn tall and bold beside them. She’d stared at it for minutes, heart pounding.

Ethan didn’t know. He couldn’t know.

When the elevator doors opened at the top floor, she squared her shoulders and slipped into the polished world of Blackwell Enterprises. The air smelled faintly of coffee and cologne, and the faint hum of conversation echoed through the glass halls. Maya greeted a few colleagues with a polite smile, pretending her stomach wasn’t twisting itself in knots.

Then she saw him.

Ethan stood near the conference room, his suit impossibly crisp, his expression carved from steel. The early light slanted across his face, catching the sharp edge of his jaw. For a moment, Maya froze trapped by the sight of the man she’d once loved and lost. The man whose child she now raised in secret.

He turned then, as if he could sense her. Their eyes met, and time stilled.

“Maya,” he said, his tone calm too calm. “Good morning.”

She swallowed. “Good morning, Mr. Blackwell.”

He smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Join me in my office in ten minutes. We have a few things to discuss.”

Her palms went clammy. “Of course.”

When he disappeared into his office, Maya released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She leaned against the wall for a second, her pulse racing. Every encounter with him felt like walking a tightrope one wrong step, and everything she’d protected could come crashing down.

Inside his office, Ethan stood by the window overlooking the skyline. He wasn’t sure what angered him more the way she’d returned to his company without explanation, or the emotions she stirred just by breathing the same air.

He’d tried to convince himself he didn’t care anymore. That whatever they’d had was buried with the ashes of their past. But every time she looked at him with those guarded brown eyes, something in him twisted.

When she entered the room, he didn’t turn immediately.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said quietly.

She flinched. “I’ve been busy.”

“You always were,” he murmured, finally facing her. “Too busy for answers.”

Maya’s breath caught. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he said, stepping closer, “five years ago you left without a word. No calls. No explanations. And now you’re standing here in my office like you never left. Tell me why.”

Her throat tightened. “It wasn’t that simple.”

“Try me.” His gaze bore into her, sharp and demanding.

She looked down, fingers twisting in front of her. “People change, Ethan. Circumstances change.”

His jaw flexed. “You’re deflecting.”

“Maybe I’m protecting myself.”

His voice softened then, dangerous in its sincerity. “From what? From me?”

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. “From the past.”

For a long moment, silence filled the room heavy, electric. The unspoken truth sat between them, trembling on the edge of her lips. She wanted to tell him everything about the night she left, about the tiny heartbeat that changed her world, about the little boy who had his eyes.

But she couldn’t. Not yet.

When she didn’t answer, Ethan exhaled sharply and turned away. “We’ll keep this professional,” he said. “But don’t mistake my silence for indifference.”

Her heart squeezed painfully. “I wouldn’t.”

As she turned to leave, his voice stopped her again.

“Maya.”

She froze.

“Was there ever someone else?” he asked, his tone casual, but the muscle in his jaw betrayed him. “After you left?”

She blinked rapidly. “Why does it matter?”

“It shouldn’t,” he said after a pause, “but it does.”

Her heart raced. For a moment, she considered lying. But she forced a shaky smile instead. “You don’t have to worry, Ethan. My life isn’t your concern anymore.”

And then she walked out before he could see the tears she was fighting back.

That evening, Maya sat on the edge of Liam’s bed, brushing his dark curls as he yawned. The apartment smelled like pancakes and soap, the quiet hum of cartoons fading in the background.

“Mommy, are you tired?” he asked sleepily.

She smiled faintly. “A little. Long day.”

He squirmed under the blanket, looking up with his wide hazel eyes Ethan’s eyes. “Did your boss shout again?”

Maya chuckled softly. “No shouting today. Just… talking.”

Liam frowned. “You look sad.”

“I’m not sad,” she lied. “Just thinking.”

He yawned again, snuggling closer. “You always think too much.”

Her smile faltered. Out of the mouths of babes.

When he finally drifted off, Maya lingered by his side, tracing the outline of his tiny hand. He was everything she’d everwanted,d, the reason she keptgoing, and, the reason she’d left Ethan all those years ago.

If Ethan ever found out the truth…

No, she couldn’t risk it. Not yet. Not when his world was full of reporters, cameras, and people who would tear her son apart for headlines.

She kissed Liam’s forehead gently and whispered, “Mommy’s got you. Always.”

Across town, Ethan sat alone in his penthouse, the city glittering below him. He poured himself a drink he barely tasted, the echo of Maya’s voice still ringing in his head.

She was hiding something. He could see it in the way her eyes flickered away fromhis and, the tremor in her voice when he mentioned the past. He remembered every detail of the night she’d left: the unanswered messages, the brokenengagement, and, the hollow silence that followed.

He’d built an empire since then. But success didn’t fill the emptiness she’d left behind.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration tightening his chest. He’d told himself he was over her. That he could face her like any other employee.

But that was a lie.

He could still taste her laughter, still remember the way she used to trace circles on his palm when she was nervous.

And now, she was bac—secretive,, guarded, and achingly familiar.

His phone buzzed. A message from his assistant:

“Sir, I found something. Maya Bennett took a three-year break from employment before joining our company. There are records of hospital visits and...”

Ethan’s blood ran cold. “Hospital visits?”

He straightened, eyes narrowing.

The message continued:

“Records sealed. Private patient file. No family listed.”

His grip tightened on the glass until it cracked. He didn’t know what itmeant,t but his instincts screamed it was something big. Something she didn’t want him to find.

He looked out at the night sky, his reflection staring back from the glass window.

Whatever Maya was hiding, he would uncover it.

He had to.