Chapter 2: The Room Upstairs
I stood there staring at that card until the letters blurred.
Do not disturb.
Like I was a stranger.
Like I was someone they needed to keep away.
I heard footsteps behind me.
“Maya.””
Marcus.
I didn’t turn around.
“How long?””
Silence.
I placed the card on the counter.
“How long have you known about this?””
“Maya…”
“How long?””
He exhaled.
“A few days.””
I closed my eyes.
A few days.
He had known.
He had watched me get excited.
He had watched me talk about seeing his friends.
He had watched me choose my outfit.
And he said nothing.
“You knew,” I whispered.
“I didn’t think it would become this big.””
I turned around.
“This big?””
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
“Yes.””
I laughed once.
“You removed your wife from her own birthday party.””
“It’s not like that.””
“Then what is it like?””
He looked toward the living room.
“Maya, my family has been through a lot.””
I stared at him.
“What does that have to do with me?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than any answer.
“My sister thinks tonight should be about the people who have been with me since the beginning.””
“And I haven’t?””
“That’s not what I said.””
“It’s exactly what you said.””
Marcus lowered his voice.
“She just wanted one night without tension.””
I felt my eyebrows pull together.
“Tension?””
“Yes.””
“What tension?””
He didn’t answer.
That was when I understood.
There was a story.
A story I had not been told.
“Tara told you something about me.””
Marcus looked away.
“Maya…”
“What did she say?””
“It doesn’t matter.””
“It matters if you’re hiding me because of it.””
He rubbed his face.
“I don’t want to argue.””
I looked at him.
“You know what’s funny? Neither do I.””
I picked up the card again.
“Did you make this?””
“No.””
“Did you approve it?””
Another silence.
I nodded slowly.
“Right.””
I walked away.
“Maya, where are you going?””
I looked back.
“Upstairs.””
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
And somehow that made me feel worse.
Because he was relieved.
I walked up the stairs slowly.
Every step felt heavier.
Our bedroom door was open.
The room looked exactly the same.
Our bed.
Our photos.
Our books on the nightstand.
The life we built.
But suddenly it felt like a hotel room I had accidentally entered.
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.
It was a message from Daniel.
*Are you okay?*
I stared at it.
Then typed:
*Did you know?*
The reply came quickly.
*Know what?*
My fingers froze.
I looked toward the door.
Then typed:
*That I wasn’t allowed downstairs.*
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally:
*No. Maya, I swear I didn’t know.*
I believed him.
Because Daniel had always been kind to me.
But that only created another question.
Who did know?
A knock came at the door.
I didn’t answer.
The door opened anyway.
Tara stood there.
“You’re making this worse.””
I looked up.
“Excuse me?””
“You’re acting hurt, and people are noticing.””
I stared at her.
“I am hurt.””
She sighed.
“You always do this.””
“Do what?””
“Make everything about your feelings.””
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“My feelings?””
“Yes.””
She stepped inside.
“This family has history, Maya.””
“I’m aware.””
“No, you’re not.””
She walked closer.
“Marcus had a life before you.””
“And?””
“And some people were there when you weren’t.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Why do you hate me?””
For the first time, Tara looked surprised.
Then she smiled sadly.
“I don’t hate you.””
“That’s not what it feels like.””
She looked toward the hallway.
“You don’t know everything.””
“Then tell me.””
She shook her head.
“Marcus should have done that.””
My stomach dropped.
“What does that mean?””
Tara turned away.
“Maya, stay upstairs tonight.””
“Why?””
She paused at the door.
“Because some truths are harder to hear when everyone is watching.””
Then she left.
May you like
And for the first time that night, I wondered if I had been invited to Marcus’s birthday party…
or if I had been brought there to discover something everyone else already knew.
