Conrad
I am making a late dinner for Maya and me. She would be due in from her class soon. I haven’t heard much from her today, which is unusual. I have had two texts, her letting me know she was fine. No, how is your day? Or do I miss your texts? It made me wonder if something was wrong. I would find out when she returns home. I hope her class went well. I will feel better knowing she can defend herself. It also gives her a chance to bond more with my mom.
I hear the front door open. Joshua dropped her off and would have brought her back home. I smile and rush through to greet her because I missed her.
“Hey, angel.” I smile.
“Hi.” She replies but doesn’t look at me and heads straight for the bedroom.
What the hell? Have I done something wrong? I rush after her.
“Maya, what is wrong? You seem upset.” I ask concerned.
She turns to me, “You lied to me! Were you ever going to tell me?” she snaps.
“Maya, what are you talking about?”
“You are still going to stand there and lie to me? I thought we didn’t have secrets. I had the right to know about the photos and videos Conrad since they were of me. How could you pay him?” she whimpers.
Fuck! How did she find out? I know my dad wouldn’t have told her. The only other person who it could have been was Callum, but how did he contact her? He doesn’t have her new number; she would have told me if she had seen him.
I sigh, “Maya, I am sorry. He told me if I told you, he would release them. How did you find out?”
“And you listened to him? You should know better by now. You should have realised it was a way of making you lie and keep secrets from me. How do I know? Because he sent me a lovely letter in the post with a copy of the bank transaction. Why didn’t you tell me?” she hisses, sarcasm dripping in her words.
I run my fingers through my hair, “Because I thought I was protecting you, Maya. Everything I do is to protect you. I am sorry I lied to you, but I thought it was the right thing to do. I gave him the money to stop him from releasing what he sent me.” I say softly.
“What was on the videos?” she demands.
“I am not telling you.”
“Tell me! Callum told me it was sex tapes. Was it?” she whispers, tears rolling down her cheek.
I nod, “Yes and explicit photos.”
I will not tell her about the ones with him and his friends. It will be too much for her to handle.
“I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me, Conrad. Those were of me. Ones I didn’t even know that were being taken. You shouldn’t have kept it from me. Now, he is going to continue to blackmail you for everything he can.” She sobs and shakes her head.
“I would pay him millions if it meant protecting you,” I reply.
“Conrad, he won’t stop. He will take and take, but still not leave us alone. He has just found another way to get to you.”
I walk towards her and reach for her, but she steps back and shakes her head, “No, leave me alone. I love you, Conrad, and how you always try your best to protect me, but tonight, you need to let me mad at you. We don’t have secrets. You let him break the promise we made one another.”
“Maya, please, sweetheart, I am sorry. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing.” I beg and reach for her hand.
“I need a shower. Don’t follow me,” She warns and walks off.
I want to follow her, but she needs some time, and I need to respect that. I should have told her. I should have known Callum was up for something. He can try all he wants but won’t come between us. Yes, she is mad at me right now, but with a little time, she will be okay, and we will talk. I refuse to let the bastard get between us. She made some good points. He probably will try to take as much as he can because he knows I would burn the damn world down to protect Maya. He will use my love for Maya against me any chance he gets.
As far as I know, he hasn’t touched the money, but a trace has been put on the account. I can’t help but wonder why he asked for it if he isn’t going to use it. I worry it is part of a bigger plan.
I head back through to finish up dinner. She may not want to eat with me tonight, but I will still make it, and hopefully, she will eat something. I don’t like her being angry with me. It hurts, and it isn’t something I am used to. We don’t fight. There is enough going on without us turning on one another. I don’t know how to handle Maya not talking to me. All I want is to wrap her tightly in my arms and make everything okay again, but it won’t be that simple.
I will give her the time she needs and let her come to me when she is ready. I finish cooking dinner and plate it up. I am not hungry now, but maybe if she sees me eating alone, she will come to eat with me.
I take a seat on the sofa and pick at my dinner, but she doesn’t appear. She seems to be staying in the shower longer than normal. I set my plate down and went to check on her. I tried the handle, but she locked the door. She never does that. I knock loudly.
“Maya, I know you don’t want to talk or see me, but please tell me you are okay?”
“I am fine.” She calls back.
“Okay. Dinner is ready if you want to come and eat.”
I don’t get a response this time. I guess she is done talking with me. I sigh and return to the living room to eat alone. I don’t know what I can do to fix it. I push my plate aside. I have lost my appetite. I take the plates back to the kitchen, putting them into the microwave in case we want them later. I would rather have our meal together. I like our time when we do. It gives us a chance to talk and laugh over good food.
I pour a scotch, only a single one because I don’t want to drink too much. I only want to relax my nerves a little. I need a sober mind in case Maya wants to talk to me.