chapter 4

The dining room felt quieter after Will left.

Maya remained in her seat for a while; the food in front of her had gone cold.

She wasn't hungry anyway.

Sophia.

The name echoed in her mind.

She had met Tuns of Sophia throughout her life.

Yet something about the way Will reacted bothered her.

Maya leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

The image of his phone flashed through her mind.

Not because of the name, but his face.

There was a brief hesitation before he answered.

The way he had ended the conversation.

The way he had walked out.

Almost as if staying in the dining room had become more uncomfortable than taking the call.

A chair scraped lightly against the floor.

Maya opened her eyes.

Cassie was clearing the table.

“Madam, should I bring you some tea?”

Maya watched her for a moment.

Then she asked casually,

“Cassie, do you know anyone named Sophia?”

The plate in Cassie’s hand paused.

Just for a second.

Then she continued stacking the dishes.

“No, Madam.”

Maya said nothing.

But suddenly she wasn’t sure why the answer unsettled her.

Cassie, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Madam…” Cassie lowered her eyes.

Maya watched her quietly.

“Cassie, you’ve been in this house longer than I have.”

She paused.

“But over the years, I’ve learned how to read people.”

“I’ve known you long enough to tell when you’re hiding something.”

Cassie’s fingers tightened around the dishcloth.

“Madam, I don’t understand.”

“You do.”

Maya’s voice remained calm.

“Every time I mention that name, you look like you’re carrying someone else’s secret.”

Silence.

“Now, I’m asking you again.”

Maya held her gaze.

“Do you know anyone named Sophia?”

“Some questions are better left unanswered, madam.”

Cassie didn’t wait for a reply. She turned and walked out of the dining room.

Maya didn’t call her back, nor did she press further.

She had gotten what she needed.

Cassie knew something.

That much was certain.

What Maya didn’t know was how much.

Or why everyone seemed determined to keep it from her.

Later that night, Maya returned to Will’s study, determined to find whatever she had missed.

She pulled open the desk drawer.

Then paused.

The photograph was gone.

Maya stared at the empty space for a few seconds.

She knew she hadn’t imagined it.

She knew exactly where she had left it.

Slowly, she closed the drawer.

Nothing else moved, just the photograph.

So Will had noticed.

The question was when.

Before she entered the study this afternoon?

Or after?

Maya’s gaze moved across the room.

The study no longer felt like a place where Will worked.

It felt like a place where things were hidden.

Maya left the study a few minutes later.

Still puzzled about why the photograph was gone.

Someone else had removed it, and Maya didn't need to guess who.

She closed the door behind her and headed to her room.

The hallway was quiet.

Then a voice stopped her.

Will's voice.

She slowed her steps.

His bedroom door wasn't fully closed, and Maya had no intention of listening.

Yet the tension in his voice made her pause.

“How many times have i warned you not to call here?”

A woman’s voice answered from the other side.

But she couldn't make out every word, only fragments.

“…..you promised….”

Will ran a hand through his hair.

“This isn’t the right time.”

The woman said something else.

This time, Will’s voice hardened.

“Stop bringing that up.”

Maya frowned.

She had never heard him sound like that before.

Another pause.

Then the woman laughed softly.

“How long do you think you can keep hiding it?”

The hallway suddenly felt colder.

Maya took a step closer.

Inside the room, something crashed onto the floor.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

Then Will said quietly: “If Maya finds out, everything changes.”

Maya froze.