CHAPTER 2 — The First Knock at My Door
CHAPTER 2 — The First Knock at My Door
The next morning, I woke to twenty-three missed calls.
Not from my mother.
Not from my father.
From relatives I hadn't spoken to in months.
My aunt.
My uncle.
Two cousins.
Even my grandmother's old neighbor somehow had my number.
Every voicemail sounded the same.
"Family helps family."
"You're overreacting."
"Your mother is heartbroken."
"Lauren's kids are innocent."
No one asked how Lily was.
No one asked if I was sleeping.
No one asked whether I had enough formula.
Apparently, my newborn daughter ranked somewhere below two iPhones.
I deleted every message.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Jesse.
"You should probably know," he said before I could even say hello.
"What now?"
"Your mom is telling everyone you stole her money."
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was so absurd that my brain refused to process it any other way.
"She's saying the account was hers," Jesse continued. "She claims she only let you use it because you were irresponsible with money."
I stared at the ceiling.
Irresponsible?
I had worked every holiday shift for three years.
I bought used baby clothes.
I skipped meals so I could save.
Meanwhile Lauren drove an SUV my parents paid for.
"You know that's a lie."
"I know," Jesse said quietly. "But everyone else only hears her side."
Around noon, someone knocked on my apartment door.
Hard.
Three sharp bangs.
Lily startled awake and immediately began crying.
My heart started racing.
I looked through the peephole.
My parents.
Behind them stood Lauren, holding one of her sons by the hand like they were arriving for a family reunion instead of an ambush.
I didn't move.
Another knock.
"Maya!" my mother shouted.
"I know you're in there."
I stayed silent.
Then came my father's voice.
"We just want to talk."
That was new.
My father never wanted to talk.
He only wanted people to obey.
Lily kept crying against my shoulder while I rocked her gently.
Please...
Please leave.
Instead, my mother began knocking even harder.
"You embarrassed us!"
Neighbors started opening their doors.
I heard whispers in the hallway.
"What's happening?"
"Is everything okay?"
My cheeks burned.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
She wanted an audience.
Finally, I unlocked the door.
Only the chain.
Just enough to speak.
"What?"
My mother's eyes immediately searched the apartment.
Not for me.
Not for Lily.
For the envelope containing my savings.
"I can't believe you'd steal from your own family," she snapped.
I blinked.
"Steal?"
"That account existed because of me."
"No," I said evenly.
"It existed because I deposited money into it for ten years."
Lauren folded her arms.
"You've changed since having that baby."
I looked down at Lily sleeping against my chest.
"Yes," I answered.
"I have."
"You've become selfish."
"No."
"I've become a mother."
For a second, nobody spoke.
Then my mother smiled.
It wasn't warm.
It was calculating.
"If you don't give us the money," she said softly, "don't expect this family to help you when things get difficult."
I almost laughed.
"When," I asked, "exactly have you ever helped me?"
Silence.
Real silence this time.
My father shifted uncomfortably.
Lauren looked away.
My mother recovered first.
"We raised you."
"You were legally required to."
Her face turned crimson.
"You ungrateful little—"
Before she could finish, a new voice echoed down the hallway.
"Everything alright here?"
It was Mrs. Alvarez.
My seventy-two-year-old neighbor from across the hall.
She had lived in the building longer than anyone.
Everyone respected her.
She looked from my tear-streaked face to Lily sleeping in my arms, then to my parents.
My mother instantly changed her expression.
"We're just worried about our daughter."
Mrs. Alvarez frowned.
"The daughter who came home from the hospital alone?"
Nobody answered.
"I saw her," she continued.
"I carried groceries into this apartment while she was eight months pregnant."
Still nothing.
"I also noticed none of you visited until today."
The hallway suddenly felt much smaller.
My mother forced another smile.
"This is a private family matter."
Mrs. Alvarez nodded.
"It became everyone's business when you started screaming outside a newborn's apartment."
Several neighbors murmured in agreement.
For the first time in my life...
My mother looked embarrassed.
She hated nothing more than losing control in front of witnesses.
She grabbed Lauren's arm.
"This isn't over."
I met her eyes without flinching.
"It is for today."
She leaned closer.
"So that's it?"
"You choose strangers over your own family?"
I looked around the hallway.
At Mrs. Alvarez.
At the young couple from apartment 4B.
At the college student holding his laundry basket.
People who had shown more concern for Lily in five minutes than my own family had in two weeks.
Then I looked back at my mother.
"No," I said quietly.
"I chose the people who actually showed up."
Her smile disappeared.
"You'll regret this."
She turned and walked away.
My father followed without saying a word.
Lauren shot me one last glare before disappearing down the stairs.
The hallway fell silent.
Mrs. Alvarez gently squeezed my shoulder.
"Honey," she whispered.
"If you ever need someone to hold that baby while you shower... my door is right across from yours."
I nearly cried.
Because those were the first genuinely motherly words anyone had said to me since Lily was born.
I thanked her, closed my door, and locked it.
Then I looked through the peephole one last time.
The hallway was empty.
I thought the worst was over.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Because two hours later, Jesse called again.
His voice sounded panicked.
"Maya..."
"You need to check your social media."
"What happened?"
There was a long pause.
Then he said five words that made my stomach drop.
May you like
"Your mother posted about you."
TO BE CONTINUED...
