I stayed in bed longer than usual.
Not because i was tired.
But because i did not know what kind of face to wear today.
The house was quieter than normal, no clinking dishes, no hurried footsteps. Even Sarah was not up before me.
But the silence did not bring peace, It made everything worse.
It reminded me of Onyeka's words.
"This house doesn't belong to girls who forget their place."
I was trying so hard not to forget.
But it was getting harder to remember, too.
When I finally stepped out of the staff quarters, the morning sun greeted me like a spotlight, harsh, unforgiving.
I went straight to the garden, hoping to find comfort in the flowers.
Instead, i found Chinedu.
He was by the stone bench, sleeves rolled up, fingers buried in the soil like he was trying to ground himself.
He looked up when he heard me.
"You are avoiding me," he said.
I did not lie. "I am."
He nodded, wiping his hands on a cloth. "Because of Onyeka?"
"Because of everything." I said.
He took a slow breath. I'm sorry she spoke to you that way.
It is not just about what she said, i looked at him. It is about what you did not say.
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You did not deny it."
"Deny what?"
"That there's something between us."
Silence stretched between us, thick and trembling.
Finally, he said, "Is there?"
My heart slammed in my chest. "You tell me."
He took a step closer, Tomiwa i did not plan for this.
"Neither did i."
"But i feel it," he said. "And I know you do too."
I did not answer.
Because my silence was already screaming yes.
He walked me back toward the mansion, slow and careful, like we were walking on glass. When we reached the back entrance, he stopped.
"I need to show you something."
"Now?"
He nodded. "It won't take long."
He led me to a room i have never been in before his private office, dark wood panels, leather chairs, a shelf filled with books i have never be allowed to touch.
On the desk sat a photo frame, facedown.
He picked it up and showed me.
A woman smiling, soft eyes, full cheeks.
"She was my mother," he said. "She used to work here. Just like you."
I blinked. "She was a maid?"
He nodded. "She fell in love with the man who owned this house."
Realization hit me like thunder.
"Your father?"
"Yes."
He placed the frame back down gently. "But love was not enough, when she got pregnant with me, he choose his wife instead, she was sent away, i never saw him again.
My throat tightened. "i did not know."
"Now you do." He turned to me. "So when i see you standing where she once stood loving in silence, afraid to speak i see her, and i see myself."
Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.
"I'm not her," I whispered.
"I know." He reached out, brushing a tear off my cheek. "But maybe you are the chance to make things right."
He kissed me.
Not like a prince.
Like a man who knew the cost of desire.
His lips were warm, desperate, searching.
And i kissed him back with every fear, every ache, every lie i had swallowed since the day i entered this house.
Afterward, i sat on the edge of his desk, breathless, hair a mess, lips swollen from the truth.
"We can't do this," i said.
"I know."
"But we will anyway, won't we?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Back in the kitchen, i was met by Sarah's smirk.
"Late start, huh?"
I ignored her.
She tilted her head, "You have got something on your collar."
I looked down and saw a smudge of lipstick.
Not mine.
Onyeka's.
I froze.
Sarah did not miss it.
"I hope whatever you are playing at is worth it," she said.
I tried to walk past her, but she grabbed my wrist.
"I have seen girls fall for men like him, they never land on their feet."
I pulled away. "Maybe I'm not like the others."
Her eyes darkened, "That's what they all say."
Later that night, a note appeared under my pillow.
No name, no signature.
Just one sentence:
"Meet me at the fountain by midnight."
I did not ask who it was from.
I already knew.