Chapter 2: The Woman Who Wore Two Faces
Vanessa cried for exactly eleven minutes.
I know because I sat on the bottom staircase counting them.
At first, she stood in the living room with her hands pressed against her chest.
Then she began shaking her head.
"Marcus, I cannot believe you're treating me like this.""
Dad didn't move.
"You're upset because I heard you?""
"I'm upset because you're attacking me over a misunderstanding.""
"Tell me what I misunderstood.""
Vanessa wiped her eyes.
"Maya has been difficult lately. She's becoming disrespectful. I was trying to correct her behavior.""
Dad looked at me.
"Maya, have you been disrespectful?""
I shook my head.
"No, Daddy.""
Vanessa sighed dramatically.
"See? This is exactly what I mean. She always makes herself the victim.""
Dad's jaw tightened.
"Enough.""
That single word silenced her.
He picked up my backpack and handed it to me.
"Go upstairs, sweetheart.""
I hesitated.
"Are you angry with me?""
His expression changed immediately.
He crouched in front of me.
"Never.""
"Are you going to leave?""
His eyes softened.
"Not tonight. Not tomorrow. I'm right here.""
I hugged him.
He held me for a long time.
When I finally went upstairs, I could hear Vanessa talking again.
Her voice was low, but the walls weren't thick enough to hide everything.
"You embarrassed me.""
Dad answered.
"You humiliated a ten-year-old child.""
"She's not my responsibility to the extent you think she is.""
"She's my daughter. That makes her part of my responsibility.""
"Marcus, I married you because I wanted a husband, not because I wanted to become a full-time mother.""
I stopped on the stairs.
Dad didn't answer immediately.
Then I heard him say, "I never asked you to replace her mother.""
Vanessa's response was almost too quiet to hear.
"Sometimes I think you never got over that woman.""
I returned to my bedroom.
I didn't want to hear what Dad would say next.
That night, he came upstairs carrying a plate of pancakes.
It was almost nine.
"Breakfast for dinner," he announced.
I managed a small smile.
"You're making pancakes at night?""
"Rules are meant to be broken occasionally.""
He sat beside me on the bed.
I ate slowly while he watched.
"Can I ask you something, Daddy?""
"Anything.""
"Did I make Vanessa angry because I drew her in the picture?""
Dad looked down.
"No, sweetheart.""
"Should I have drawn just you and me?""
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Then he took my hand.
"You can draw whoever you want. You can love whoever you want. You don't have to earn your place in this family.""
I thought about my mother.
"Mom used to say that.""
"I know.""
"She said I never had to earn my place in her heart.""
Dad's eyes became wet.
"She was right.""
He kissed my forehead.
"Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll have a proper conversation.""
But the conversation never happened the way I expected.
The next morning, Vanessa was already in the kitchen.
She had prepared eggs, toast, and fresh orange juice.
When I entered, she smiled.
"Good morning, Maya.""
I stopped.
Yesterday's words were still echoing in my head.
Dad sat at the table, reading something on his phone.
"Morning, sweetheart," he said.
Vanessa placed a plate in front of me.
"Would you like some eggs?""
I nodded cautiously.
"Thank you.""
She touched my shoulder.
"Of course.""
Dad glanced up.
"Good. I'm glad we're all being kind to each other.""
Vanessa smiled.
"Absolutely.""
For a few minutes, everything seemed normal.
Then Dad's phone rang.
It was his office.
He stepped into the hallway.
The moment he disappeared, Vanessa leaned toward me.
Her smile vanished.
"Listen carefully.""
I stopped chewing.
"Yes?""
"What happened yesterday stays between us.""
I looked toward the hallway.
"But Dad heard—"
"Your father has enough problems. You don't need to make things worse.""
She reached across the table and took my drawing from the chair beside me.
I had brought it downstairs because I wanted to show Dad that I had added our names.
Vanessa folded it once.
Then again.
"Please don't.""
She dropped it into the kitchen trash.
I stared at the bin.
"That's mine.""
"Then you should have kept it in your room.""
I stood up.
She grabbed my wrist.
Not hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough to make me freeze.
"Do you understand me?""
I nodded.
She released me.
"Good girl.""
Dad returned a moment later.
"Everything okay?""
Vanessa smiled.
"Perfect. Maya and I are getting along wonderfully.""
I looked at the trash.
Dad noticed.
"Where's your drawing, sweetheart?""
I opened my mouth.
Vanessa answered first.
"She decided she didn't like it anymore.""
Dad looked at me.
I lowered my eyes.
He didn't press me.
But something about his expression suggested he had noticed more than I thought.
That afternoon, after school, I went to my bedroom and found the door slightly open.
Vanessa was inside.
She stood beside my dresser, holding a small wooden box.
It belonged to my mother.
Inside were her wedding ring, a silver necklace, and several photographs.
"Why are you touching that?"" I asked.
Vanessa turned.
"Cleaning.""
"That's my mom's.""
"Everything in this house needs to be organized.""
I hurried toward her.
"Please put it back.""
She closed the box.
"You don't need to keep all these things.""
"Why?""
"Because holding onto the past is unhealthy.""
I reached for it.
She moved it out of my reach.
"Don't be dramatic.""
"Please!""
She placed the box on top of the wardrobe.
"You can have it when you're old enough to understand that dead people don't come back.""
I felt my face burn.
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I went downstairs.
Dad was in his office.
The door was open.
He was looking at photographs on his desk.
One showed him and Mom on their wedding day.
Another showed me sitting on Mom's lap.
He looked up when I entered.
"Hey, princess.""
I walked toward him.
"Can I ask you something?""
"Of course.""
"Why doesn't Vanessa like Mom?""
His smile disappeared.
He took off his glasses.
"What makes you ask that?""
"She says I shouldn't keep Mom's things.""
Dad slowly leaned back.
"Did she say that today?""
I nodded.
He looked toward the hallway.
"Where is she now?""
"Upstairs.""
He stood.
"Stay here for a minute.""
I watched him leave.
A few seconds later, I heard his footsteps climbing the stairs.
Then Vanessa's voice.
"Marcus, what are you doing?""
Dad answered.
"I want to see the box.""
There was a pause.
Then the sound of something being placed on a table.
When Dad returned, he was carrying my mother's wooden box.
He handed it to me.
"Keep this somewhere safe.""
I hugged it.
"Thank you.""
He crouched.
"And Maya?""
"Yes?""
"If someone tells you to hide your memories of your mother, you tell me.""
I nodded.
He kissed my forehead.
But when he returned to his office, he didn't close the door.
I heard him speaking to someone on the phone.
"Daniel, I need you to look into something for me.""
Daniel was Dad's attorney.
"Yes," Dad continued.
"It's about the financial arrangements I made before my marriage.""
I stopped moving.
"Especially the trust established for Maya.""
I didn't understand what a trust was.
But I heard Dad say one more thing.
"No. Vanessa was never supposed to have access to it.""
Then he lowered his voice.
"That's why I need to know whether she's been trying.""
My fingers tightened around the wooden box.
May you like
Why would Vanessa care about money that belonged to me?
And why had Dad suddenly become so worried?
