Chapter 4 - The Perfect Wife
Richard watched the footage again.
And again.
Each time hoping he had misunderstood.
Each time seeing the same thing.
Victoria’s expression changed.
Only for three seconds.
But three seconds were enough.
She looked angry.
Not frustrated.
Not tired.
Angry.
At a two-year-old child.
Richard closed the laptop.
He did not sleep.
The next morning, Victoria acted normal.
Almost painfully normal.
She sat at breakfast wearing a cream sweater.
Her hair was tied back.
She looked softer.
Less intimidating.
“Maya slept well?”
Richard looked at her.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Did she?”
Victoria stopped.
“What does that mean?”
Richard immediately regretted the question.
Nothing had been proven.
He was accusing his wife based on a look.
A three-second look.
But then Maya entered.
The moment she saw Victoria, she stopped.
Her small hand reached backward.
Searching for Richard.
That hurt more than any evidence.
Victoria noticed.
Her face fell.
“Again?”
She laughed softly.
But there was pain behind it.
“I don’t understand.”
Richard watched carefully.
“You don’t?”
Victoria looked at him.
“What are you asking?”
The silence between them grew.
Then Maya dropped her spoon.
A loud sound.
She jumped.
Victoria immediately stood.
“Maya, stop being dramatic.”
The words came out quickly.
Too quickly.
Everyone froze.
Including Victoria.
She softened her voice.
“I mean… sweetheart, it’s just a spoon.”
Richard looked at her.
Because Maya was not crying because of the spoon.
She was crying because of the voice.
That afternoon, Richard called the estate manager.
“Who has access to the nursery?”
The manager looked confused.
“Everyone approved, sir.”
“Everyone?”
“The nanny. Housekeeper. Mrs. Vance.”
Richard looked up.
“Mrs. Vance?”
“Yes, sir. She requested access after the wedding.”
Richard said nothing.
Then he asked another question.
“Who changed the nursery lock?”
The manager hesitated.
“I believe Mrs. Vance did.”
Richard’s expression changed.
“When?”
“About three months ago.”
“Why?”
The manager swallowed.
“She said Maya needed a safer lock.”
Richard stared.
Three months.
The same month Maya started becoming afraid of Victoria.
That night, Richard entered the nursery.
He looked around differently.
Not like a father.
Like an investigator.
He opened drawers.
Checked shelves.
Moved furniture.
Then he found it.
A tiny voice recorder hidden behind the bookshelf.
His hands went cold.
He pressed play.
Static.
Then Maya crying.
Richard stopped breathing.
A woman’s voice followed.
Victoria.
“Maya, you need to understand something.”
A pause.
“You cannot always run to Daddy.”
Richard’s face hardened.
Then came Maya’s tiny voice.
“No.”
Victoria again.
“You need to learn.”
The recording ended.
Richard stared at the device.
His own wife.
His daughter.
A hidden recording.
And suddenly the question was no longer:
Why is Maya afraid?
May you like
The question was:
What else happened when nobody was watching?
