On Sunday, Elias was noticeably calmer. Having told part of the truth, he seemed to have lifted a weight off his shoulders. During breakfast, he himself started talking about Olivia.
«You know, I think you two should meet. She’s a good person. We just didn’t work out in the marriage.»
Maya almost choked on her coffee. «Meet her?»
«Well, yeah. Since we sometimes work together and now we’re helping her family, it’s silly to pretend you don’t know her. She’s also worried that I have a new family and we cross paths all the time for work.»
«I’ll think about it,» Maya said.
After breakfast, Elias went to the store, and Maya was left alone with her thoughts. She understood that her husband had told her far from everything. He hadn’t mentioned that Olivia was at the office every day, that the guard mistook her for his wife, or that they were working together on an important project. Why was he still hiding something? And most importantly, could she trust a husband who, even when telling the truth, didn’t present it completely?
Maya decided to give herself a little more time to think. Maybe it was worth trying to talk to Olivia directly, or perhaps it was better to wait until Elias told her everything himself. The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was her mother.
«Maya, how are things? You haven’t called in a while.»
«Everything’s fine, Mom,» Maya lied.
«Working? Living? And Elias? Is he being good to you?»
«What are you talking about, Mom? What do you mean, ‘good’?»
«I can hear in your voice that something’s wrong. A mother’s heart is never wrong.»
Maya almost cried. How she wanted to tell her mother everything, vent, and get advice, but she couldn’t. Until she sorted out the situation herself, she couldn’t involve anyone else in her doubts. «Everything’s normal. I’m just a little tired.»
«Well, I won’t push it, but if anything happens, call me right away.»
After the conversation with her mother, Maya felt even more alone. It turned out she couldn’t talk to her husband, her mother, or her friends. All her doubts and fears were locked inside.
On Monday, Maya went to work, but her mind was occupied with everything except the children. She mechanically gave lessons, read stories, and played educational games, but her thoughts constantly returned to Elias and Olivia. During her lunch break, she decided to visit the AGC office one more time, not to spy, but just to observe their interaction once more, now knowing part of the truth.
At the building entrance, she was again greeted by the guard, Harrison. «Trying to get to the director again?» he smiled. «How many times do I have to explain?»
«Perhaps you’re mistaken,» Maya cautiously suggested. «Maybe that woman is just an employee?»
Harrison laughed. «What employee? Ms. Olivia has been working here for several months now. She comes every day. The director takes her everywhere with him—to meetings, to construction sites—and just recently he brought her flowers to her office. The vase is still right there. What employee acts like that?»
Maya’s heart dropped. Flowers in the office and joint trips to construction sites looked far more intimate than mere work relations. «I see,» was all she could manage to say.
Just then, Elias and Olivia entered the building. She held a folder with documents, and they were talking seriously about something. Elias pointed to some blueprints, and Olivia nodded.
Maya made up her mind. She stepped out of the shadows. Her husband turned and froze in surprise. «Maya, what are you doing here?»
«I decided to bring you lunch,» she lied, holding up a bag from the cafe she had bought on the way.
Olivia looked at her curiously. Up close, she was even more beautiful, with fine facial features, expressive brown eyes, and impeccable makeup.
«Olivia, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Maya,» Elias introduced them, obvious tension in his voice. «Maya, this is Olivia Price, the architect. We’re working together on the project.»
«Nice to meet you,» Olivia extended her hand. «Elias has told me so much about you.»
«The pleasure is mine,» Maya replied, shaking her cool hand.
An uncomfortable silence followed. Elias clearly didn’t know what to say.
«I should go,» Olivia broke the silence. «Mr. Elias V. Hayes, the documents are ready. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow.» She turned to Maya. «It was a pleasure meeting you.»
Olivia headed toward the parking lot, and Maya was left with her husband.
«Why did you come here?» he asked.
«I wanted to meet her. You suggested it yourself.»
«But not like this. I thought we would meet in a relaxed setting. Talk normally.»
«Was it uncomfortable?» Maya looked intently at her husband’s face.
«Just unexpected,» Elias replied. «Come on, let’s go up to the office. I’ll show you where I work.»
They walked past the startled guard. Elias’s office turned out to be spacious and bright. Large windows overlooked the city park. The massive desk was covered with documents and blueprints, and photos of construction sites hung on the walls. On the windowsill, there really was a beautiful vase with white roses.
«It’s beautiful in here,» Maya said, nodding toward the flowers. «Who gave them to you?»
Elias blushed slightly. «It’s a work gift from the team when we signed the Parkside Boulevard project contract.»
«From whom?»
«From… from the whole project team.»
Maya knew he was lying. Teams don’t give such elegant bouquets. It was a personal gift, most likely from Olivia. She walked up to the desk. Among the papers, she noticed a photograph. Elias and Olivia stood together in front of a building under construction, both wearing hard hats and smiling at the camera. But now, Maya saw more details. Olivia was leaning slightly toward Elias, almost touching his shoulder. The pose looked quite intimate.
«What’s this?» she asked, pointing to the photo.
Elias looked and blushed slightly. «A work moment, when we launched the Parkside Boulevard project recently, about three months ago.»
«Elias,» Maya said, «I think you’re still hiding something. Olivia doesn’t just work with you on this project, does she? The guard downstairs said he sees her every day and has for several months.»
Elias sighed heavily and sank into his chair. «Yes, she works here. She’s a very good architect, a top-level specialist. When we launched the Parkside Boulevard project, I offered her a permanent collaboration.»
«Why didn’t you tell me?»
«Because I knew you would worry. The ex-wife at work every day. Any woman in your position wouldn’t be thrilled.»
Maya sat down opposite him. «Elias, I’m not ‘any woman.’ I’m your wife, and I want to know the truth, even if I don’t like it.»
«Fine,» he said after a pause. «Yes, Olivia has been working with us for four months. Yes, we cross paths every day for work. Yes, I’m helping her with family problems. But there’s nothing romantic between us except for work and an old friendship.»
«Friendship? We were married for three years. We can’t become enemies just because we divorced.»
Maya pondered his words. They had logic, but something still bothered her. «And why does the guard think she’s your wife?»
Elias looked at her in surprise. «How do you know that?»
Maya realized she had given herself away. «He told me himself when I came by last week.»
«You came by last week? When?»
«On Wednesday. I wanted to surprise you, but the guard wouldn’t let me in.»
Elias rubbed his forehead. «Harrison… he simply doesn’t know I got married a second time. When Olivia started working with us, I didn’t tell everyone the details of our past. I decided that the fewer rumors, the better.»
«So your employees don’t know I exist?»
«Of course they know, just not everyone.» Maya felt a new pang of hurt. It turned out that Elias was hiding their marriage so well at work that even the guard thought Olivia was still his wife.
After the conversation in the office, Maya felt even more confused. On the one hand, Elias had finally told her about the collaboration with Olivia. On the other hand, it turned out he had hidden the fact of his second marriage from his colleagues.
That evening, when Elias went to shower, she picked up his phone. Her conscience troubled her, but the desire to know the truth was stronger. In the list of recent calls, she saw the name Olivia. There were incoming and outgoing calls, practically every day, sometimes several times a day.
Maya opened the messages. The correspondence was varied. Yes, there were many work messages: «documents ready,» «meeting postponed by an hour,» «must discuss project changes.» But there were also more personal ones: «Thank you for the support. You’re right as always. I don’t know what I would do without you.»
And at the very end, Maya saw messages from the past few days.
Olivia: «Thanks for the help with Celeste. She’s getting discharged tomorrow. Max is so happy. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.»
Elias’s reply: «Don’t rush the money. The main thing is that everyone is healthy. Give Max my love.»
Olivia: «He’s asking when Uncle Elias is coming to visit. Maybe this weekend?»
Elias: «We’ll see. Right now, Maya doesn’t know anything about the situation.»
Olivia: «I understand, but maybe you should tell her. She’s not an outsider.»
Elias: «Eventually. I’m not ready for that conversation yet.»
Maya closed the phone, feeling a mixture of relief and offense. On one hand, the correspondence confirmed that there was nothing romantic between her husband and Olivia. They were genuinely helping a sick sister and her son. On the other hand, Elias was discussing with his ex-wife what he couldn’t discuss with his current one.
When Elias came out of the shower, Maya was sitting on the bed, looking guilty. «What’s wrong?» he asked.
«Elias. Please forgive me. I checked your phone.»
He froze, towel in hand. «Why?»
«I wanted to make sure you were telling the truth.»
«And what did you find there?»
«The correspondence with Olivia. About work and about her sister, and about how you’re not ready to talk to me about all of it.»
Elias sat down next to her. «Maya. If there’s no trust between us, then there’s no marriage. You need to trust me.»
«I’m trying to. But you hid so much, and you even discuss our relationship with her.»
«I don’t discuss our relationship. I was just explaining why I couldn’t immediately tell you about a complicated situation.»
«Why couldn’t you?»
Elias reflected. «Because I was afraid. Afraid that you would misunderstand. That you would think I still felt something for Olivia. I only feel friendship and gratitude because she didn’t make a scene during the divorce.»
Maya looked into his honest eyes. «Elias, I’m ready for the whole truth. Tell me everything.»
Elias got up from the bed and walked over to the window. He was silent for a long time, gathering his courage. «Okay,» he finally said. «I’ll tell you everything from the beginning.»
He turned to Maya. «When Olivia and I divorced, I thought I would never see her again. But last year, I was offered a huge project, a residential complex on Parkside Boulevard. I needed a good architect, and everyone I knew was busy. Dixon suggested I reach out to Olivia. I knew she was a good specialist and was looking for work at the time.»
«At first, I refused. But then I realized that personal relationships shouldn’t interfere with business.»
«And you asked her?»
«Yes. We met, discussed the project. Olivia agreed, but on the condition that our personal relationship was in the past. Just work, strictly professional.»
«And that’s all? Just work?»
Elias sighed. «At first, yes. But then it turned out her sister had serious health problems. Celeste is raising her son alone. Her husband died in an accident. The doctor said she needed surgery, and there was no money.»
«You loaned her money?»
«Yes. I couldn’t say no. Especially since Olivia never asks for anything. She only reached out for help at the most critical moment.»
«And the boy, Max?»
«When Celeste was hospitalized, Olivia had to ask a neighbor for help, pick up the boy from daycare, and take him to doctors. I helped several times, driving him to the doctor when Olivia had meetings.»
«And you grew attached to him?»
«He’s a good boy, and he looks a lot like his father, who apparently looked strikingly similar to me. Everyone noticed it. Max also saw the resemblance, so he was drawn to me.»
Maya nodded. Now everything was becoming clear. «And why didn’t you tell me anything?»
Elias sat next to her. «Because I was afraid of your reaction. Imagine: your husband works with his ex-wife every day, gives her money, and helps with her kid. How does that look from the outside?»
«It looks like the act of a good person.»
«And I thought it looked like a betrayal of our marriage.»
Maya took his hand. «Elias, betrayal is when you deceive or lie. And helping people in trouble is nobility.»
«But I lied. I hid important things from you.»
«Yes, you did hide things. And that hurt. But now I understand why.»
Elias embraced her. «Forgive me. No more secrets.»
«Do you promise?»
«I promise.»
The next day, Maya received an unexpected call from Olivia. «Hello, Maya. It’s Olivia Price. We met yesterday.»
«Good afternoon,» Maya replied, surprised.
«Could I meet with you? Talk heart to heart?»
«About what? About Elias?»
«About our situation. I feel like problems have arisen between you because of me.»
Maya hesitated. «I don’t know.»
«Let’s meet at a cafe. I’ll explain everything that’s bothering you.»
They agreed to meet at Benny’s Corner Bistro at two in the afternoon. Olivia arrived exactly at the appointed time. Today, she was dressed simply in jeans and a light blouse. Without her business attire, she looked younger and more open.
«Thank you for agreeing to meet,» she said, sitting across from Maya.
«I’m listening.»
Olivia ordered coffee and began. «I know what you think of me—the ex-wife who’s constantly around your husband—but things aren’t what they seem.»
«And what are they like?»
«Elias and I divorced five years ago. Yes, it was painful, but we were able to remain friends. We didn’t have children. There were no property disputes. We simply realized we weren’t right for each other as spouses.»
Maya remained silent, listening.
«When I started having problems with work, Elias suggested a collaboration. I’m an architect, he’s a builder. We complement each other well professionally.»
«And the family problems?»
Olivia sighed. «My sister Celeste became seriously ill. She needed surgery, and there was no money. Elias loaned us the money without asking any unnecessary questions. And when she was hospitalized, I started picking up my nephew from daycare.»
«Max,» Maya said.
«Yes.» Olivia looked at her in surprise. «How do you know his name?»
Maya blushed. «I saw you two with him at the park.»
«You followed us?» Olivia frowned.
«When?»
«Last week. I was following you.» There was an awkward silence. Then Olivia laughed. «You followed us? Wow! And what did you think?»
«That Max was Elias’ son,» Maya confessed honestly.
«Elias’ son?» Olivia laughed even harder. «Oh my goodness, how you must have suffered. Max is my sister’s son. His father died in a car accident two years ago.»
Maya felt completely foolish. «He just looks so much like Elias.»
«Yes, there’s a resemblance,» Olivia agreed. «Celeste always said that Max reminds her of my ex-husband. Maybe that’s why Elias grew so attached to him.»
«He is attached?»
«Of course. Elias loves kids, and Max is crazy about him. He constantly asks when Uncle Elias is coming to visit.»
Maya felt a heavyweight lift from her soul. Everything turned out to be much simpler and more honest than she had thought. «Olivia,» Maya said, «why didn’t Elias tell me anything? He hid that you were working together.»
