After dinner, Maya walked slowly back to her room. She was quiet all through the meal. Her parents had noticed her mood but did not say much, and she was grateful for that.

Inside her room, she let out a long sigh. Tomorrow she was going to the company. She had already made up her mind, she would submit her resignation letter. She could not keep working there. Not with the weight of Elias’s grandmother watching her every move. Not with all the whispers around her name.

She closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. Her chest felt heavy. Leaving her work broke her heart, but she...