Page 25 of The Defiant Wife

I look up automatically.

She steps inside carrying a stack of folders against her chest. The room changes immediately.

Brighter.

Louder.

Happier.

The children swarm her before she even reaches the center. They have questions, issues, complaints, things they want her to notice and somehow she manages to do everything.

Without missing a beat.

Without losing patience.

Without losing herself.

For a brief moment her eyes meet mine across the room. A challenge flashes there. Followed by suspicion. Then annoyance. As if she's remembered I exist and regretted it immediately.

I sigh internally.

There it is. The hostility. Right on schedule.

Three weeks.

I can survive three weeks.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

7. HOME ISNOTWHERE THE HEART IS

DIYA

I hate coming here. That sounds horrible. Ungrateful. Maybe even cruel.

But every single time I stand outside these gates, staring at the massive white mansion that has been my home for most of my life, something inside me wilts.

The building is beautiful. Grand. Elegant. The kind of place people stop to admire from the outside. Tall pillars frame the entrance. Perfectly trimmed hedges line the pathway. Expensive lights illuminate every corner. The marble alone probably costs more than what some people earn in years.

It's stunning. And yet every time I look at it, all I can think about is how lonely it feels.

Home shouldn't feel lonely. At least that's what I tell myself. The security guard nods when he sees me approaching. I smile automatically.Because smiling is easy. Itis a habit.It keeps people from asking questions.

The moment I step inside, the familiar scent of polished wood and expensive perfume greets me.

Silence follows. Not peaceful silence. Cold silence. The kind that makes a place feel empty despite being filled with people.

My heels click softly against the marble floor as I make my way toward the dining room.

A maid passes me. Smiles warmly. Asks if I want tea. I thank her. Because oddly enough, most of the staff in this house have always been kinder to me than the people who adopted me. Or maybe they pity me, either way at least someone in this place doesn't see me as a burden.

Funny how life works.

The dining room comes into view.