Chapter 2 - The Woman at the Glass Door
The moment I saw my aunt, my entire body went numb.
Denise Williams stood outside the salon wearing a bright red designer coat.
Her hair was perfectly styled.
Her makeup was flawless.
And the smile on her face was the same one she always wore before doing something cruel.
She lifted one hand and waved.
Like she had come to pick me up from school.
Like she hadn't spent years making my life a nightmare.
"Maya?"
Arthur's voice sounded distant.
I couldn't answer.
I was staring at the woman who had locked me in a basement for asking about my mother.
The woman who took every dollar I earned cleaning offices.
The woman who told me I was worthless.
She pressed her palm against the glass.
Then she pointed toward the door.
Jordan looked at Arthur.
"What should I do?"
"Nothing," Arthur replied.
He stepped between me and the entrance.
Denise's smile disappeared.
She began pounding on the door.
"OPEN UP! THAT'S MY NIECE!"
People walking along the sidewalk turned to stare.
I covered my ears.
"Please don't let her in."
Arthur glanced over his shoulder.
"She won't get near you."
My knees weakened.
Jordan quickly moved a chair behind me.
"Sit down, Maya."
I sank into it.
Outside, Denise was shouting loudly enough that I could hear her through the glass.
"THAT GIRL IS MENTALLY UNSTABLE! SHE RAN AWAY FROM HOME!"
Arthur took out his phone.
He made one call.
"Marcus, I need you at the flagship salon. Immediately."
Then another.
"Cancel my meetings. All of them."
Denise was still screaming.
"ARTHUR BENNETT! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!"
My head snapped up.
She knew him.
She knew his name.
Arthur turned toward the glass.
For the first time, I saw real anger in his face.
"Of course she knows me," he muttered.
He walked toward the door but didn't open it.
"What do you want, Denise?"
She leaned close to the glass.
"My niece. Open the door."
"She's twenty years old."
"She's not well."
"Then why is she afraid of you?"
Denise's eyes flickered toward me.
For a moment, the mask slipped.
Her expression was vicious.
Then she smiled again.
"Arthur, darling. This is a family matter."
Arthur's voice dropped.
"You lost the right to use that word a long time ago."
My heart hammered.
What did he mean?
How did they know each other?
Denise glanced at the locket in my hand.
Her entire expression changed.
"GET THAT NECKLACE OFF HER!"
I instinctively hid it against my chest.
Arthur noticed.
His face hardened.
"Interesting."
"Arthur, you have no idea what you're doing!"
"I know enough to keep that door locked."
Denise stepped backward.
She pulled out her phone.
Within seconds, she was speaking angrily to someone.
Arthur returned to me.
"Maya, I need to ask you something."
I shook my head.
"I don't want to go back."
"You're not going back."
"You don't understand. She knows people. She always finds me."
Arthur lowered himself into the chair opposite mine.
"Then tell me how she found you today."
I wiped my eyes.
"I don't know."
"Did you have a phone?"
I nodded.
"A cheap one. She gave it to me."
"Where is it?"
I reached into my torn shirt pocket and handed it over.
Arthur examined it without opening anything.
Then he placed it on the table.
"Jordan, put that somewhere secure. Don't switch it on."
Jordan took the phone.
Arthur looked back at me.
"How long have you been trying to get away?"
I stared down at the marble floor.
"Since I was sixteen."
He swallowed.
"Four years?"
"I tried before that, but she caught me."
"What happened when she caught you?"
I rubbed my wrists.
"She told me nobody would believe me."
My voice cracked.
"She said I was an unwanted child and that nobody was looking for me."
Arthur pressed his hand over his mouth.
I watched his eyes fill.
"That's a lie," he whispered.
I looked at him.
"How do you know?"
He glanced toward the pendant against his chest.
Then back at me.
"Because I knew a woman named Evelyn Carter."
My breath caught.
"How?"
His eyes closed briefly.
"I loved her."
The salon became silent.
Jordan stopped moving.
I stared at Arthur.
"What?"
Arthur's voice trembled.
"Twenty-one years ago, Evelyn and I were engaged."
I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me.
"Engaged?"
He nodded.
"We were going to get married in the spring. She told me she was pregnant."
My fingers tightened around the locket.
"What happened?"
His expression darkened.
"She disappeared."
"Just disappeared?"
"I received a letter saying she'd left me. It said she'd terminated the pregnancy and wanted nothing to do with me."
My stomach twisted.
"My aunt told me my father died before I was born."
Arthur nodded slowly.
"And I was told my child never existed."
I stared at him.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, I whispered the question burning inside me.
"Are you saying you might be my father?"
Arthur's eyes filled again.
"I'm saying we need to find out."
Something inside me wanted to run into his arms.
Another part wanted to scream.
For twenty years, I had believed I was alone.
Now a stranger was telling me my entire life might have been built on a lie.
Before I could speak, the salon doors rattled.
Denise had returned.
This time, two uniformed police officers stood beside her.
"That's her!" she shouted, pointing at me. "She's the runaway!"
Arthur stood.
Jordan went to the door.
"Mr. Bennett?"
Arthur straightened his jacket.
"Let the officers in. Denise stays outside unless they need her."
The officers entered.
The older one looked at me.
"Miss Williams?"
I nodded.
"Your aunt says you've been missing for several days and may be in danger."
I couldn't breathe.
Denise smiled through the glass.
The officer continued.
"She also claims you're unable to care for yourself."
Arthur stepped forward.
"She's an adult. Is she under a court order?"
The officer glanced at his partner.
"No order has been shown to us."
Arthur pointed toward me.
"Then ask her whether she wants to leave with that woman."
The officer approached gently.
"Miss Williams, do you feel safe going home with your aunt?"
I looked through the glass.
Denise was watching.
Her smile was gone.
For the first time in my life, I forced myself to speak clearly.
"No."
The officer nodded.
"All right."
Denise began screaming again.
But something had changed.
Nobody was listening to her anymore.
The older officer asked whether I wanted to report what had happened to me.
I looked at Arthur.
He didn't answer for me.
He simply waited.
"Yes," I whispered.
The officer took out a notebook.
Then his partner's radio crackled.
He listened.
His expression changed.
He turned toward Arthur.
"Mr. Bennett?"
"Yes?"
"We've just received information about a vehicle parked behind this building."
Arthur frowned.
"What vehicle?"
The officer looked directly at me.
"A black SUV registered to Denise Williams."
My chest tightened.
He continued.
"There's someone inside it."
I stopped breathing.
"Who?"
The officer hesitated.
"A woman. She's weak, but she's alive."
I grabbed Arthur's arm.
May you like
And for reasons I couldn't explain, the first word out of my mouth was:
"Mom?"
