2
"Is that how they taught you to treat ladies?" the man asked coldly, still gripping his wrist.
The man Maya had brought flowers for stiffened immediately. "S–sir… Marcus… do you know her?"
Maya, still trembling, slowly looked up at the stranger. He was tall, impeccably dressed in an expensive suit, his sharp features strikingly handsome. Yet there was something far more intimidating than his looks the authority in his presence.
"I don't know her," Marcus replied, his voice hard, "but you are not entitled to treat any woman the way you just did."
His grip tightened slightly. "Do you understand?"
"Yes… yes, sir," the man stammered, nodding in fear.
Marcus studied him for a brief moment before adding, "I believe you work at my company."
The man's eyes widened. "Sir, please "
"You're fired," Marcus said flatly.
The man dropped to his knees, begging desperately, but Marcus had already turned away. "Get lost."
The man scrambled to his feet and fled without another word.
Maya had watched everything unfold. She hadn't heard a single word, yet the expressions, the gestures, the fear in the man's eyes told her all she needed to know. She wondered if they knew each other but more than anything, she felt grateful that a stranger had stood up for her.
Marcus turned to face her. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked gently.
Maya nodded and signed her thanks.
Marcus let out a slow, controlled breath. "So that idiot has been harassing a pregnant, deaf woman," he muttered, anger flickering in his eyes.
Marcus reached into his pocket and pulled out some money, offering it to her.
Maya shook her head immediately, refusing without hesitation.
To her surprise, Marcus smiled slightly and signed back, It's alright. You should take it. Let it be as though I paid for the flowers.
Maya froze.
Her eyes widened as she stared at his hands. He knew sign language.
For a brief moment, she forgot how to breathe. It had been so long since someone anyone had spoken to her in her own language without struggle or pity. Her chest tightened with emotion.
But she still shook her head gently, then signed her thanks.
Marcus studied her pale face and the way her shoulders sagged with exhaustion. "Let me at least give you a ride," he offered softly. "You don't look well."
Maya's expression changed. She quickly signed, My husband wouldn't like that.
Marcus nodded, respecting her words without question.
She bowed slightly in gratitude, then turned and walked away.
As she left the restaurant, her mind wouldn't stop replaying the moment his hands, his fluency, the ease with which he understood her. How could a man like him know her language?
But she forced the thought away and continued home.
When she reached the house, she paused.
The door was open.
Her heart skipped. She wondered if Damson had returned early but it was far too soon for him to be home.
A chill crept down her spine as she slowly stepped inside.
Maya's eyes landed on her mother-in-law.
Damson was in the house too, seated beside her.
Relief flickered across Maya's face. She stepped forward quietly and signed a greeting, her movements gentle and respectful.
Damson noticed. "Yes, Mother," he said casually, answering her before Maya could even finish.
The woman's lips curled in irritation. "So she still hasn't returned to normal?" she scoffed. "Is she still useless?"
She waved her hand sharply in Maya's direction. "And what is she doing with those fingers again? Honestly, that's exactly why I hate coming to this house. She annoys
"She's a freak," the woman snapped. "A burden."
"That's why I was against this marriage from the beginning," the woman continued mercilessly. "She lost both her parents, has no wealth, no background she's nothing."
Her voice grew sharper. "After her parents died, I wanted to send her to an orphanage. But you insisted she stay with us."
"Mum " Damson began, finally looking uncomfortable.
She cut him off immediately. "Yes, her parents were my best friends," she said coldly. "But not her."
"Thank God I was wise," the woman added with a bitter laugh. "I wouldn't have spent a single penny on her education anyway."
Maya stood there quietly, her hands trembling at her sides every word unheard, yet painfully understood through their expressions, their tone, their cruelty.
And Damson said nothing.
Maya watched their lips move.
From the sharp movements of her mother-in-law's mouth and the cold look in her eyes, Maya sensed they were saying cruel things about her.
Why is she still standing there? the woman asked Damson, her lips forming the words clearly.
Damson glanced at Maya, then flicked his hand at her impatiently shooing her away like an unwanted bird.
Maya froze.
Pain settled deep inside her.
Even if she couldn't understand my language, Maya thought, she would have smiled at me… like she used to.
What really happened to them? she wondered silently.
Moments later, Damson's mother turned and walked out without once trying to interact with Maya. Her face remained twisted in disgust until the very last second.
Damson followed her without looking back.
Maya was left alone.
She swallowed and began cleaning, washing the dishes, wiping the counters, putting the house back in order, as though scrubbing could erase what had just happened.
While cleaning, her eyes caught an envelope on the table.
She picked it up.
Bills.
Her heart sank.
Rent.
She sighed softly, the sound trapped in her chest. Rent has come too soon, she thought.
Pulling out her phone, she checked the previous payments.
Every payment… was hers.
She was the one paying for the house they lived in.