Chapter 2: Maya's Secret
Chapter 2: Maya's Secret
After receiving twelve stitches at the hospital, I was preparing to go home when Maya quietly entered my room.
She looked exhausted.
"I need to tell you something."
I nodded.
She closed the door before speaking.
"This wasn't the first time."
A chill ran through me.
"What do you mean?"
"My husband... Adrian's older brother..."
Her voice cracked.
"They've all done this."
She slowly rolled up her sleeve.
Old bruises covered her arm.
"There have been police calls before."
"What happened?"
"Eleanor convinced everyone to lie."
Maya handed me a flash drive.
"I've been collecting evidence for three years."
Inside were photographs.
Medical reports.
Voice recordings.
Bank records.
Hidden videos.
Every file revealed the same pattern.
Control.
Fear.
Violence.
Then came the document that made my hands shake.
A settlement agreement.
Three women.
Three confidential payouts.
Every one of them had accused Adrian of assault before I met him.
The cases had disappeared.
Money had made them vanish.
"They've been buying silence for years," Maya whispered.
"But this time..."
May you like
She looked at the stitches on my forehead.
"...they picked the wrong woman."
