Silence became a living thing inside the house. It crept into the corners, sank into the floorboards, lingered between breaths. No laughter, no warmth, only the suffocating hum of words unsaid.
Maya felt it most. Every glance from Elena felt like a blade wrapped in silk, sharp but disguised as kindness.
Elena never accused her directly, never raised her voice, never gave her an excuse to fight back. Instead, she smiled. She asked questions that sounded harmless, but cut deep.
Late night again?
Elena would say casually when Maya stumbled into the kitchen, her hair a mess, her lips raw from kisses not meant for her.
Or, that perfume, it lingers on Adrian sometimes. Funny coincidence, isn't it?
Every word, every innocent remark left Maya trembling, unable to meet Elena's eyes.
Adrian, meanwhile, was blind to the quiet war. He clung to normalcy, pretending that the fracture in their home was only in his imagination.
He kissed Elena goodnight, though her lips no longer parted with warmth. He touched Maya in secret, though the guilt made her body stiff beneath his hands.
The weight of silence pressed down hardest at night.
Maya lay awake in her room, staring at the ceiling, her chest tight with the secret she could no longer carry.
The taste of Adrian still lingered on her lips, but it no longer felt sweet. It tasted like ash, like betrayal, like a poison that spread deeper with each stolen kiss.
And when she closed her eyes, it wasn't Adrian she saw, it was Elena.
Elena's calm gaze, Elena's unshaken smile, Elena's terrifying patience.
One evening, Elena found Maya sitting alone in the backyard, her shoulders hunched, a cigarette burning between her trembling fingers.
Maya had never smoked before.
Elena slid into the seat across from her, the faint glow of the porch light painting her face in gold.
"I didn't know you smoked". Elena slowly asked.
Maya's throat tightened. "I don't."
Then Elena tilted her head, eyes tracing the cigarette between Maya's fingers.
So why start now?
Maya's hand shook as she stubbed it out quickly, her voice sharp.
I can't really tell right now, stress of course,…you okay?
Of course everyone gets stressed. Elena only smiled. It was soft, too soft.
But do you know what I've learned?
I've come to notice guilt is louder than stress. It keeps you up at night, doesn't it?
It steals your appetite, makes your hands tremble… makes you crave escapes that were never yours before.
Maya's eyes widened. For a moment she forgot how to breathe. The words weren't loud, but they carried more weight than any scream.
Elena… she started, but her voice cracked.
Elena leaned forward, her tone dropping, velvet over steel.
"Secrets are heavy, Maya. The longer you carry them, the more they crush you."
Maya's heart pounded so loud she thought it might burst. She wanted to confess, to scream, to fall on her knees and beg forgiveness. But Adrian,… Adrian's face, Adrian's promises, Adrian's touch, all pulled her back into silence.
So she swallowed the truth. Again.
Elena rose from her seat, smoothing the folds of her dress as though the conversation had been nothing more than idle chatter.
Try to sleep tonight, she said. Her smile sharp as glass. "You look so tired."
And then she left Maya alone with the weight of her silence.
Later, as Elena slipped into bed beside Adrian, she watched his chest rise and fall in the dim light. He was peaceful, unaware.
But Maya?
Maya was breaking apart piece by piece. Elena could hear it in her footsteps, see it in her eyes, taste it in her faltering voice.
The silence was doing its work.