Chapter Fourteen - Unexpected (Maya)

The phone rang twice before it was picked up and the haughty derision of the familiar voice met Maya’s ears. “You are not supposed to call this number.”

Maya scoffed. “It’s good to hear from you too, Mother. I do hope you are well.”

“Obviously, I care for your well-being, Maria,” Prudence answered, her tone dripping with faux concern. “But you know as well as I do that tensions are still high following the disgrace of your husband’s death. We should continue keeping our distance until things return to normal.”

“It’s been three years.”

“These things take time, darling.”

Maya ran a hand over her brow, scrubbing against the headache she felt forming beneath her fingers, tightening like a rubber band upon her brain. She had been the one to walk away from her family following the events of Charles’s death—but in true Astor fashion, they’d twisted her exit in such a way to control the narrative.

“Right. I’ll cut to the chase then,” Maya said. “When did you plan to tell me that you faked the paternity test with Charles, or that Maverick was Toby’s biological father?”

The shock of silence that followed her question spoke more truth than she’d expected to receive.

“That’s ridiculous Maria. I don’t know what you think you’ll achieve from making such accusations.”

“The test is done, Mother. I know the results you gave me were fabricated.”

“I guess that means you’re back in contact with that boy. You never do cease to disappoint. I should never have dared hope things would change after all this—”

“Tell me the truth,” Maya interrupted, proud that her voice held steady.

Prudence huffed a breath. “Why bother? You think you’ve got it all figured out. Assuming the worst about your own mother. Who even told you?”

“That’s your question?” Maya asked with a certain monotonous quality. She wished she were more shocked—but the words landed without fanfare, as if the revelations of the day had simply hollowed her out.

Prudence clicked her tongue impatiently. “Don’t be a fool, Maria. I made a choice that was meant to save our futures. To protect my grandchild. I feel no shame for the decisions I made, you were the one who put me in such a position in the first place. But yes, I have a vested interest in knowing who the informant is. If I must, I’ll simply release the entire staff and rehire, but that would be such a waste of my time—I’d much prefer to only terminate the source of the leak.”

“The hospital figured it out. Medical histories,” Maya stated through gritted teeth. It was close enough to the truth. “I’ve not been in contact with anybody on your staff.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” her mother answered primly. “Now if that is all—“

“It is not all,” Maya snapped. “I’d also like you to explain what drug you put in my tea, the night of the banquet.”

“Drug?” Prudence scoffed. “You’ve always been such a dramatic child, exaggerating stories in such a way. I put a small dose of melatonin in your tea to help you settle. You were on the brink of throwing your life away for the sake of that boy,” she spit, her tone distastful. “I needed you to calm down and really think about what you were giving up.”

“A small dose?” Maya repeated, dumbfounded. “Mother, I could barely keep my eyes open at the banquet. And I mixed it with alcohol. I don’t even remember the night. I think—“ The words were bit off as Maya swallowed a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she voiced the truth. “All this time, I’d thought I’d just blocked out the night from a place of guilt. But now . . . Mother, I think Charles may have taken advantage of me.”

The idea twisted within her, turning her stomach at the though that she’d not only lost out on the life she’d dreamed of because she didn’t recognize her own sexual assault, but that she actually married the man who’d done it. She’d lived with him. Had more children with him.

Until, that is, her mother released a slow, bored breath. “No. He didn’t. Charles never . . . closed the deal, so to speak. He admitted so to me the day we all learned of the pregnancy. I’d thought it was his for sure, given how adamant you’d been about being safe with your little boyfriend.” She snorted in a surprisingly un-ladylike manner. “I should’ve known you were lying, whoring yourself around like that. You should be thanking me for saving you from such a mistake. That boyfriend of yours was a joke, Maria. He wanted to be a nurse. Not even a doctor. A nurse.” She scoffed. “Just ridiculous. And—“

But Maya didn’t hear, her mind going back in time. To the wedding night that felt so horribly awkward. How unsure Charles had been their first time, and how confused she’d been, not understanding that it was their first time. The years that passed, and how bitter he’d grown in the relationship. The distance he’d kept from Toby. How cruel he became. And then the way he died . . .

“He knew he wasn’t Toby’s father,” Maya mumbled, sucking in a breath when she realized she’d said it aloud.

“Of course he knew. But unlike you, Charles knew how to perform his role as expected. Well . . . until the theater, at least.”

“Yes,” Maya snorted. “Until the theater. An event that you still blame me for, no doubt.”

Prudence sniffed. “If you’d just tried to be a decent wife to the man.”

And there it was.

“Well, this has been an incredibly enlightening call Mother. I suppose that all I can say is thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“Without your interference and how spectacularly it backfired, I may never have escaped you. The great irony is that the marriage you manipulated me into turned into your greatest shame and set me free.” Maya paused, gathering her breath. “You are despicable, Mother. I hope only the worst for you and all your future endeavors. Goodbye.”

She stared down at the phone in her hand, her shoulders heaving as she worked to expand her lungs beyond the vice of her anger. She thought she’d feel panic or fear to lose their support entirely, to let go of the past and the safety net her parents presented—but all she felt was relief in burning that bridge. She’d built a life for herself and her children, and they could move forward without the shadow of the Astor family ever darkening the path again.

But that was just one part of what all had been revealed, and as she bent forward over the kitchen counter, struggling to calm down, her eyes caught on the popcorn package by the sink. She’d been in this exact spot only an hour ago, deciding which snack to eat before she went to bed. And now, two unexpected conversations later, everything was different.

She needed to figure it out. A plan to tell Toby. To map out a way forward. But for now, she just needed a moment to process how quickly her world had shifted. And how nothing would ever be the same again.