Chapter 2: What Denise Had Done
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
The house seemed unnaturally quiet.
Even the air conditioner sounded distant.
I looked at Denise.
“You canceled her ticket?””
She didn't answer.
I asked again.
“Denise, did you cancel my daughter's ticket?””
She finally sighed.
“Yes.””
Maya slowly turned around.
Her eyes were wet.
“You told me there was no ticket,” she whispered.
Denise looked at her.
“There wasn't.””
“You canceled it.””
“Maya, enough.””
“No.””
Maya came down the stairs.
“You told Dad I wasn't included because there wasn't enough room.””
“There wasn't.””
“You canceled my ticket.””
Denise's voice sharpened.
“I canceled the reservation.””
“Why?””
Denise looked irritated.
“Because I wanted this trip to be peaceful.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
She looked at me.
“You know exactly what it means.””
“No, I don't.””
“Maya has been difficult for months.””
Maya's mouth fell open.
“I've been difficult?””
Denise shook her head.
“You're always moody. You're always locked in your room. You barely talk to Tasha.””
Maya laughed bitterly.
“You told Tasha not to talk to me.””
“That isn't true.””
“Tasha?””
Tasha looked at the floor.
Denise turned toward her.
“Don't.””
Tasha's voice trembled.
“You did.””
I looked between them.
“What exactly did you tell Tasha?””
Denise said nothing.
“Tasha?””
My stepdaughter took a breath.
“Mom told me Maya was going through a phase.””
I waited.
“She said Maya didn't like me.””
Maya stared at her.
“I never said that.””
“I know,” Tasha said quietly.
Denise snapped.
“Tasha, stop making this worse.””
But Tasha continued.
“She told me that if Maya came on the trip, I'd have to share everything with her.””
I frowned.
“Everything?””
“The suite.””
I looked at Denise.
“You booked a suite for Tasha and yourself?””
“Yes.””
“And where was Andre staying?””
“In the other suite.””
I stared at her.
“So there were two suites.””
“Yes.””
“And you excluded Maya because she would have to share a room?””
Denise crossed her arms.
“She needs her own space.””
“So does every teenager.””
“She doesn't get along with Tasha.””
I looked at Maya.
“Maya, is that true?””
She wiped her cheek.
“I tried.””
Denise scoffed.
“You always say that.””
Maya's face changed.
Something inside her seemed to collapse.
She looked at me.
“Dad, do you remember last Christmas?””
I nodded.
“What about it?””
“I asked you if I could talk to you.””
“I remember.””
“You said you were busy.””
I felt a knot forming in my stomach.
“You were with Mom,” Maya continued.
“You were planning this vacation.””
Denise looked away.
Maya continued.
“I wanted to tell you something.””
“What?””
She shook her head.
“Never mind.””
“No,” I said.
“Tell me.””
She glanced at Denise.
Then she whispered,
“I didn't feel safe telling you.””
That sentence froze me.
I turned toward my wife.
“What did you do?””
Denise's eyes narrowed.
“Nothing.””
Maya's voice rose.
“You told me Dad didn't need more problems!””
Denise stepped forward.
“I was trying to protect him.””
“From me?””
“No.””
“Then from what?””
Maya was crying now.
“Why did you keep telling me that Dad was tired of dealing with me?””
Denise's face hardened.
“I never said that.””
“You did!””
Tasha covered her mouth.
I looked at her.
“Tasha.””
She nodded slowly.
“She did.””
Denise stared at her daughter.
“You're choosing her now?””
Tasha shook her head.
“I'm choosing the truth.””
That was the moment I realized this wasn't about a vacation.
The plane tickets were only the first thing I had discovered.
There had been conversations.
Decisions.
Little moments.
Things happening in my own house while I was working twelve-hour days and believing my family was fine.
I walked to the kitchen.
My hands were shaking.
I opened the drawer where Denise kept household documents.
“What are you doing?”” she demanded.
“Looking for the booking confirmation.””
“Why?””
“Because I want to know exactly what you canceled.””
“You don't trust me?””
I looked at her.
“Not anymore.””
I found the folder.
Inside was the original itinerary.
Five names had been printed on the first confirmation.
Marcus Williams.
Denise Williams.
Tasha Carter.
Maya Williams.
Andre Carter.
Then I saw a second document underneath.
Four names.
Maya's name had been removed.
But something else caught my attention.
A handwritten note was clipped to the confirmation.
I picked it up.
It had been written in Denise's handwriting.
*“Don't tell Marcus until the last minute. He'll make a scene.””*
My blood went cold.
I turned around.
Denise was standing in the doorway.
May you like
She saw the paper in my hand.
And for the first time that afternoon, she looked afraid.
