Maya's POV
I tossed my phone across the room. The screen cracked like my heart as it struck the wall and fell to the ground. I didn't care, though. While I was crying uncontrollably upstairs, I was unable to read any more texts about David purchasing engagement rings for Jessica.
It was 3:47 AM when the clock on my bedside table lit up. Hours had passed while I lay here, gazing at the ceiling and repeatedly repeating what Ethan had said.
"She is the most amazing virtual mother ever."
"Then, we would appear to be a true family."
"Some women aren't suited to be mothers," Jessica said.
Every memory was like a kick to the gut. However, something inside of me had changed between 2 AM and now. There was something new beneath the pain, but it was still there. Something strong, cold, and hard.
Anger.
Not the kind of rage that involves yelling and hurling objects. the silent type, the dangerous type. The kind that, for the first time in years, causes you to stop crying and begin thinking clearly.
I looked around my bedroom after sitting up in bed. Our sleeping quarters. David used to tell me he loved me in that room. where we collaborated to plan our future. where we had dreams about starting a family.
What a farce.
I walked to my closet after getting out of bed. There was a box behind my winter coats that I hadn't opened in a decade. My recollections of college. I took it out and used it to sit on the floor.
My computer science degree, old textbooks, and pictures of me with my friends were all in there. One particular image caused me to gasp for air. It was me at graduation, holding my diploma and smiling so big my face hurt. I looked really young. So assured. So prepared to face the world.
How did that girl end up?
I was fully aware of what transpired. She forgot she had dreams of her own after falling in love with David Park. After becoming pregnant, she decided that being a mother was sufficient. She made everyone else happy for ten years while gradually vanishing.
However, somewhere in there was still that girl. She was now irate and prepared to fight, and I could feel it.
I grabbed another picture. This one showed Alex Stone and I at a computer lab, collaborating on a project. We were both laughing at something on the screen, and Alex had his arm around my shoulders.
Alex Stone. That tech company was founded by a friend of mine from college. who consistently claimed that I was the most intelligent person he had ever met. who, after I graduated, asked me to be his business partner.
I had said no because I was getting married.
I pondered the consequences of saying yes.
On the floor, my broken phone buzzed. It still functioned somehow. That unknown number sent another text.
"I am aware that you are awake. I am aware of your thoughts. In an hour, meet me at Coffee Corner. You need to know the truth about everything."
My hands began to shake. Who was this person? How could they have been so familiar with my life? Did it matter, though? My life had already been ruined. Could they tell me anything else?
While I dressed in silence, I checked to see if David was still snoring in his study. He claimed to have "important work projects" and had been sleeping down there more frequently lately. I now understood the true cause. Most likely, he was texting Jessica.
I stole my car keys and slipped downstairs. I paused as I went by Ethan's room. As I did every night, my heart yearned for me to enter and give him a forehead kiss. However, my mind informed me that he no longer desired those kisses. Now he wanted Jessica to put him to bed.
The longest twenty minutes of my life were spent driving to Coffee Corner. The possibilities were racing through my head. Who might this individual be? What truth were they talking about?
With the exception of one person seated in the back booth, Coffee Corner was deserted. A long-haired black woman in a business suit. Despite her familiar appearance, I was unable to identify her.
"Maya," she said as I approached. "I appreciate you coming."
With my heart racing, I took a seat across from her. "Who are you?"
She gave a sorrowful smile. "A person who is concerned about you. Someone who couldn't remain silent after witnessing this train disaster for months."
"I don't understand."
"My name is Sarah Kim. David's business employs me. in human resources."
My blood froze. She was aware of office relationships, according to HR. concerning Jessica and David.
I muttered, "How long?"
"I'm so sorry, Maya. For more than a year, they have been together."
More than a year, David fell in love with someone else while I prepared his favorite meals, washed his clothes, and tried to be the ideal wife.
"There's more," Sarah said gently. "For months, Jessica has been organizing this. She has been questioning Ethan about you, knowing your shortcomings. You cry too much, she told him. You're not fun, she told him. She has been purposefully turning your son against you."
The room began to spin. "Why would she do that?"
"Maya, because she wants your life. She wants your son, your house, and your husband. However, she doesn't want to be the villain who destroys a family. She is thus giving the impression that the family was already shattered. As if you don't belong."
I was ill. "The engagement ring?"
Sarah gave a nod. "Last week, David bought it. Next month, he intends to pop the question to Jessica. following the signing of the divorce papers."
"What divorce papers?"
Sarah took a folder out of her purse. "David requested that the company's lawyer draft these. He intended to give them to you as a surprise this weekend."
With trembling hands, I opened the folder. My name was on divorce papers that were inside. documents that granted David complete custody of Ethan, the house, and the majority of our money.
Sarah said, "He thinks you'll just sign them." "He believes you're not strong enough to fight."
I gazed at the documents. As if I were nothing, my name was written there. As if a decade of marriage had no significance.
I questioned, "Why are you telling me this?"
"For the past three years, I have watched you drop Ethan off at school every day. You volunteer for every school function that I've witnessed. I've seen you look after everyone but yourself. Maya, you deserve better."
Sarah squeezed my hand as she reached across the table. "They underestimate your strength. You simply forgot."
I glanced down at the divorce papers once more. when it was stated that I would receive nothing. That I would leave the life I created with nothing.
Something broke inside of me.
"They're wrong," I muttered.
"What?"
For the first time in years, I felt like myself when I looked up at Sarah. The resilient college student who refused to be intimidated.
"They're not correct about me. I'm not weak. I won't simply sign these documents and go away."
Sarah grinned. "What are you going to do?"
Alex Stone was on my mind. regarding my degree in computer science. About the dreams I abandoned.
"I will remind them of Maya Chen's true identity."
I tucked the divorce papers under my arm and got to my feet. "I'm grateful, Sarah. For everything."
"Maya, hold on." Sarah took hold of my wrist. "One more thing. Something that transforms everything."
My heart pounding, I sat down again.
Sarah showed me a chain of text messages on her phone. David and Jessica dated yesterday.
David: "Last night, Maya had a suspicion. She was behaving strangely."
Jessica: "Don't worry, sweetie. Everything will be ideal after we get rid of her. She lacks the intelligence to understand the true situation."
"What if she doesn't sign the papers?" asked David.
Jessica: "Yes, she will. She is pitiful. She is desperate to keep you happy, so she will do anything you ask of her. even if it means sacrificing her own son."
"I feel bad about Ethan though," David said.
Jessica: "Avoid it. It will be better for him without her. I will be a far better mother than she ever was. And he won't even remember her when we have our own children."
My eyes turned red. They intended to obliterate me entirely. to erase my existence from Ethan's mind.
However, Sarah's next display chilled me to the bone.
"Maya, take a look at the next message."
Jessica: "Maya's old college belongings contained something that I discovered. Something that, if she tries to fight us, could ruin her. It will never occur to her.