The past didn't knock.
It slammed the door open–dragging its shadows in with it.
And for Maria, it was more than just suspicion now.
It was a pattern.
A rhythm she remembered all too well.
It started when her daughter –Lila–sat beside her in the couch after school.
"Mommy?" the girl asked, poking at her juice box straw.
"Yes, baby?"
"There's this aunty that came to my school today... She was funny. She made me laugh a lot. She said she was lost but she stayed until school closed and I honestly don't think she was lost."
Maria's heart stopped for a second. "What did she look like?"
"She looked like me. But older." Lila giggled. "She said I looked like a princess. And when I laughed, she said I have her smile. Mommy, is she your friend?"
Maria blinked, slowly.
She felt the weight of years settle on her spine.
She reached out and hugged her daughter tightly. "She's... someone I used to know. That's all."
But her mind was no longer in the room.
It was preparing.
And just like that, the walls started building themselves again –brick by cautious brick.
That night, Maria locked her office door and opened her drawer –the one that held the old hard drive. The one filled with files she promised herself she'd never reopen.
And as she stared at her reflection in the dark window, she whispered, "What are you planning this time, Liz?"
----------------------------------------------------------
Flashback – Years Ago
University. Midnight.
Liz' bedroom door slammed open.
She jumped, heart racing, tangled in sheets and sweat. She'd just been with Maria.
Still dizzy from the emotional rush, she pulled the blanket over herself as her parents stormed in–faces like carved stone.
Her mother–Mrs Riyi–dropped a manila folder on the bed.
Photos spilled out.
Her and Maria.
Kissing.
Laughing.
Holding hands in hidden corners.
Even one in bed–intimate, shirtless, sleepy.
"Where did you get these?" she stammered, her voice small.
Her father's-Mr Manir- voice cut through her like ice.
"We own this school, Liz. Did you think we wouldn't know?"
Mrs Riyi sat on the edge of the bed, disgust painted on her face. "You think this is love? It's weakness."
"She's beneath you," Mr Manir added. "You don't build empires with distractions. Especially not with girls like her."
"She's your competition," Mrs Riyi hissed. "And competition should always lose."
Liz shook her head. "You don't understand. Maria's not like that. We–she–"
Mrs Riyi slapped the folder closed. "End it. Before we end her."
Mr Manir leaned in, voice low and brutal. "This will ruin everything you've been bred to be. End it. Or we will."
They left her sitting in silence, shaking.
And slowly, her mind built a new reality.
Maria was competition.
Maria could ruin her future.
Maria had to be removed.
So, she lied. She destroyed. She rewrote the script.
And convinced herself...
It was for the best.
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Present Day
Liz stood in her hotel suite, sipping wine and staring at the photo she took from a distance of Maria and the child playing outside.
The resemblance was undeniable.
But her smile faltered.
She didn't expect the pull–the ache in her chest.
She didn't expect to feel anything.
Meanwhile, Maria sat in her office with Sara.
"She's hanging around again," Maria whispered.
Sara folded her arms. "Should we tighten security?"
Maria shook her head. "No. Let her come close."
"Why?"
"Because I want to see exactly what she wants... and when she moves, I'll be ready."
Sara gave her a long look. "You think she's going to try something?"
Maria nodded, eyes hard. "Not think. I know."
She looked at the picture frame on her desk–her and her daughter, cheek to cheek, laughing.
"I lost everything once," she said. "Not again. Never again."