Olivia stirred her coffee with a spoon. «Because of me. I asked him to.»
«How?»
«When we started collaborating, I told Elias I didn’t want to cause problems in his new family. I asked him not to publicize our communication.»
«But why?»
«I had a bad experience. An acquaintance of mine got married, and his wife raised a real scandal when she found out that we sometimes talked, even though there was nothing between us and never could be.»
Maya nodded. She understood Olivia’s logic. «And when your sister got sick?»
«Then again, I asked Elias not to tell you anything. I was ashamed that I had to ask my ex-husband for money, and I was afraid you would think I was taking advantage of his kindness.»
«So all of this was because of me?»
«Partially, but also because of me. I didn’t want you to see me as a woman who can’t manage her life without help from her ex-husband.»
Maya reflected on what she had heard. It turned out that all of Elias’s secrets were caused by a desire to protect her feelings and not create problems.
«Olivia, and how is your sister now?»
«Much better. She’s already back at work, although the doctors told her not to overdo it. The operation was successful.»
«And Max?»
«Max is happy that Mommy is home, although I think he misses his walks with Uncle Elias.»
«With Uncle Elias?»
«Yes, sometimes Elias would join us at the park. Max adores him. Plus, I have a friend, Dominic Foster, a child psychologist. He’s helping Max cope with the loss of his father. We met recently, and the relationship is developing very well.»
«I’m happy for you two.»
«Thank you. See? Each of us has our own life. Elias has you, and I have Dominic. Our past is in the past.»
Maya felt increasingly foolish with every passing minute. She had fabricated problems out of thin air, driven herself to the brink of a nervous breakdown, and in reality, there was no problem at all.
«Olivia, I’m so embarrassed by my behavior.»
«Don’t be. Any woman in your place would have worried.»
«But I followed you. That’s awful.»
«Forget it. The main thing is that everything is clear now.»
That evening, Maya waited for Elias with the firm intention of telling him everything about her surveillance, the meeting with Olivia, and her fears. When he came home, she immediately started.
«Elias, I need to tell you something, and you have every right to be mad at me.»
«What did you do?» he asked cautiously.
«I followed Olivia. Two days in a row.»
Elias sat on the couch and looked intently at his wife. «You followed her? Why?»
Maya told him everything: about the guard, her suspicions, and the child she mistook for his son. She spoke honestly, without trying to justify herself. Elias listened in silence. When she finished, he didn’t say anything for a long time.
«You thought I had a son?» he finally asked. «And that I was hiding him from you? Maya, if I had a son, do you think I could hide it? From the first day we met, I would only talk about him.»
«I understand that now. But why didn’t you just ask me directly? Why did you decide to spy?»
Maya lowered her eyes. «I was scared, scared to hear the truth.»
«What truth? That I don’t love you enough to trust you with important things?»
Elias hugged her. «Silly girl, I hid everything precisely because I love you. I didn’t want you to suffer because of Olivia. And in the end, you suffered even more.»
«Yeah, that turned out silly. Forgive me.»
«I’m the one who should apologize. For the distrust, for the spying.»
«Well, I forgive you, but let’s agree. No more secrets between us, okay?»
They embraced, and for the first time in a long time, Maya felt peaceful.
The next day, Elias came home with an unexpected proposal. «How about we invite Olivia and her family over?»
«Seriously?»
«Of course. Since we work together and now we’re helping her sister, it would be strange to keep our distance, especially since Max constantly asks if he can visit Uncle Elias.»
Maya considered it. She liked the idea. She wanted to definitively close this painful chapter, to meet Olivia’s family normally, without suspicions and fears. «You know what? That’s a great idea. We can host lunch on Sunday.»
«Excellent. I’ll call Olivia and suggest it.»
On Saturday, they prepared for the guests together. Elias bought groceries while Maya tidied the apartment. She prepared her husband’s favorite dishes. Her mood was high. She could finally behave naturally, without making assumptions or tormenting herself with suspicions.
«What if I don’t like her sister?» Maya suddenly worried.
«You’ll like her,» Elias said confidently. «Celeste is a really good person, a strong woman, raising her son alone after her husband’s death.»
«Tell me about her.»
«Celeste is three years younger than Olivia. She works as a bookkeeper for a small company. She got married young, at twenty, and kept his last name. Her husband was a good man, a truck driver. Max takes a lot after his father in personality: cheerful, outgoing.»
«And what happened?»
«An accident on the highway two years ago. The truck skidded on ice and hit a tree. Celeste almost lost it then.»
Maya imagined the pain of the young woman who lost her husband, and her heart clenched with compassion. «How did she cope?»
«Olivia helped a lot. She moved in with her for several months and watched Max while Celeste worked. Then, gradually, life returned to normal.»
«And the recent illness?»
«Doctors say the stress was too much for her body. But everything’s fine now. The surgery helped.»
Maya felt growing respect for Olivia’s family. These women went through serious trials and didn’t break.
On Sunday at 1:30, the doorbell rang. Maya opened it and saw Olivia holding a bouquet of flowers. Next to her was a short woman with short brown hair and kind eyes. And between them, a boy in a bright red t-shirt fidgeted.
«Hi,» Olivia said. «This is my sister Celeste, and this is Max.»
«Nice to meet you,» Celeste extended her hand. «Thank you for inviting us.»
Max hid behind his mom’s leg but watched Maya curiously.
«Come in. Make yourselves at home,» Maya invited them.
Elias came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. «Hello, everyone. Max, how’s it going?»
The boy immediately perked up. «Uncle Elias, do you have toys here?»
«Of course we do,» Elias smiled. «Maya works with kids. She has a whole collection.»
Maya showed Max a box of educational toys she sometimes brought home from the center. The boy immediately immersed himself in studying the building blocks. The adults settled at the table. Celeste turned out to be a very pleasant conversationalist. She told funny stories about Max, asked about Maya’s work, and thanked Elias for his help.
«I don’t know how we would have managed without you,» she said, «with the money for the surgery and with Max.»
«No need to thank me,» Elias waved it off. «In difficult situations, we have to help each other.»
«You have a wonderful husband,» Celeste told Maya. «There aren’t many people like him.»
Maya looked at Elias and felt a wave of tenderness. Yes, she really had a wonderful husband, a man who wouldn’t abandon friends in trouble, helped another man’s child, and cared for the vulnerable. And she had almost destroyed their relationship with her silly suspicions.
«And have you known Olivia for a long time?» Celeste asked.
«Actually, we only met this week,» Maya confessed, «although I had heard about her.»
«Of course,» Olivia smiled. «Maya very delicately followed me for several days.»
«Followed?» Celeste was surprised.
«She thought Max was Elias’s son,» Olivia explained.
Celeste laughed. «Of course, everyone says Max looks like Mr. Elias. Even I noticed it. My late husband looked strikingly similar to Elias, almost twins.»
«And does Max know that Uncle Elias is Auntie Olivia’s ex-husband?» Maya asked.
«He knows,» Celeste replied, «but it’s not important to him. He just sees a good uncle who plays with him and buys him ice cream.»
Max ran up to the table at that moment. «Mommy, Uncle Elias is going to be my new daddy!»
An awkward silence fell. Celeste blushed. «Max, don’t be silly.»
«But I want a daddy, and Uncle Elias is good.»
Elias knelt beside the boy. «Max, I have my wife, Auntie Maya, and you have your mom, but we can be friends. Want to?»
«I want to!» Max cheered. «And Auntie Maya will be my friend too.»
Maya looked into the boy’s honest eyes and felt her heart fill with warmth. «Of course I will be. I want very much to be your friend.»
«And Auntie Olivia has a friend too, Uncle Dominic,» Max added. «He teaches me how to draw cars.»
«Max, that’s great,» Celeste said.
«Yes,» the boy smiled. «Uncle Dominic is good, and Olivia loves him.»
Olivia laughed. «Out of the mouths of babes. Dominic is a wonderful person.»
Celeste smiled. «Yes, Dominic is a special person, thanks to him.»
«That is great,» Maya said sincerely. «I’m really happy for you all.»
After lunch, the women stayed in the kitchen doing dishes while Max and Elias built a block tower on the rug.
«Thank you for today,» Celeste said. «Max loves being in a big crowd so much.»
«And have you thought about getting married again?» Maya cautiously asked.
Celeste sighed. «I’m thinking about it more and more, but I’m afraid. What if it doesn’t work out? Max gets so attached to people.»
Maya smiled, watching this family, and realized how wrong she had been in her suspicions. Instead of a threat to her marriage, she saw people trying to put their lives back together after difficult losses.
«Celeste,» she said, «would you be interested in working at our development center? We really need a bookkeeper’s assistant right now.»
«Seriously?» Celeste brightened.
«Completely. The salary is small but stable, it’s close to home, and most importantly, it’s a supportive team.»
«I need to think about it, but the idea of working at a children’s center really appeals to me.»
«Think about it. If you decide to, give me a call.»
Laughter came from the living room. Elias and Olivia were clearly having fun with Max, discussing something.
«They really remained friends,» Celeste noted. «That’s rare.»
«Yes,» Maya agreed. «Now I understand it.»
«And you’re not jealous?»
«There was a time when I was, but now I understand that it’s silly to be jealous of the past. Elias and Olivia had their time. It passed. And now Elias has another life with me.»
«Wise,» Celeste approved, nodding.
Just then, Elias and Olivia entered the kitchen. «What are you two whispering about here?» Elias asked.
«Maya offered me a job at her center,» Celeste said.
«That’s an excellent idea,» Elias cheered, «and Max will be close to his mom.»
«Yes, and he’ll meet other children,» Maya added.
Max lifted his head from the blocks. «There are people there to play with?»
«Of course,» Maya assured him. «Lots of kids of different ages.»
«Then Mommy has to take the job,» the boy declared. Everyone laughed.
«Well,» Celeste said, «I will seriously consider your offer.»
Toward evening, the guests prepared to leave. Max didn’t want to say goodbye to his new friends, but his mom promised they would meet again.
«Thank you for the wonderful day,» Olivia said, hugging Maya goodbye. «It was very important for me to meet you normally.»
«For me, too,» Maya replied. «I’m sorry for all that nonsense with the suspicions.»
«Forget it. The main thing is that we know each other now.»
Celeste also said goodbye warmly. «I’ll think about your offer. Working in such an interesting place is very tempting.»
«I’ll wait for your call.»
