Chapter 3 - The Ghost of the Past
The revelation echoed off the dining room walls, turning the air instantly frigid. Maya stopped breathing. The maroon top she wore felt like a straitjacket. She looked from her mother’s tear-streaked face to Nia, who was staring down at her own lap with a look of absolute shame.
"My father?" Maya choked out the words, the concept alien to her. Her father had passed away five years ago, revered as a pillar of the community, a loving husband, a dedicated church man. "Don't bring him into this. Dad loved you. Dad was a good man."
"Was he?" Evelyn countered bitterly, a sad, humorless smile touching the corners of her mouth. "People are complex, Maya. They carry monsters in their pockets while wearing halos on their heads."
Marcus swallowed hard, his braids shifting as he nodded slightly. "That’s why I was so weak, Maya. I didn't think I was doing anything unique. I thought it was just... what we do."
"Shut up!" Maya screamed, finally losing the restraint she had held onto by a thread. She grabbed the half-empty wine glass from the table and hurled it against the far wall. It shattered into a thousand glittering shards, dark red liquid splattering across the cream-colored wallpaper like fresh blood.
Nia flinched at the sound, curling back into herself. "Maya, I’m sorry. I tried to end it. I swear I did."
"When?" Maya demanded, stepping forward, towering over her sister. "When did it start? Before we got engaged? After? While we were planning the damn wedding?"
Nia wiped her nose with the sleeve of her cream silk shirt, her lower lip trembling. "It started... right after Dad’s memorial service. You were away on that business trip in Chicago. Marcus came over to help mom fix the roof. One thing led to another. We were grieving. We were lost."
"Grieving?" Maya laughed, a harsh, grating sound devoid of all humor. "You fucked my fiancé because you were sad about a dead man who apparently had a history of cheating too? Is that the family recipe? Is infidelity just inherited in our bloodline?"
Evelyn flinched at the harshness of the words, stepping back. "Watch your tone, Maya."
"No, you watch your mouth, Mom!" Maya yelled, tears finally spilling over her lashes, hot and angry. "You sat there and covered for him? You knew?"
Evelyn hesitated, her silence serving as a devastating confession.
Maya looked at Marcus. The man she had picked out china patterns with. The man she had trusted with her deepest vulnerabilities. He looked up, his eyes swimming with guilt, but there was something else in his gaze—something that made Maya's blood run completely cold.
"It wasn't just once, was it?" Maya whispered.
May you like
Marcus opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his phone buzzed violently on the dining table, flashing a text message from an unknown number.
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