Chapter 3: You smile like she does

Maya POV

The moment I stepped through the arched doorway of Xavier Stetson’s house, I knew one thing for certain:

This wasn't a home. It was a museum.

Beautiful in and out. Silver fixtures gleaming from every corner. The living room-if it could be called that-had clean white sofas that looked allergic to crumbs or joy. The walls were bare except for a single abstract painting: harsh, black brush strokes on a canvas of white.

Why would a woman even leave this kind of man? For what reasons? What could be the clause in everything?

Everything smelt wealth and he smelt calm.

And it was… silent.

No music. No laughter. No life.

Just stillness.

Xavier’s footsteps echoed behind me, steady and sure. “You’ll be staying in the guest room at the end of the hall. It’s been prepared.”

“Prepared,” I repeated under my breath. Like I was being quarantined, not welcomed.

He didn’t respond.

I followed him down a corridor with too many doors and too few signs of humanity. No family pictures. No crayon drawings stuck to the fridge. Nothing to suggest a child lived here.

“You’ll find the wardrobe stocked with clothing in your size,” he said, opening the door to a bedroom so sleek it could’ve been a hotel suite.

Grey tones. Minimalist. Again!

“You had my size?” I asked, raising a brow.

“I have a team.”

Of course you do, I thought bitterly. I sat on the edge of the bed, letting my fingers sink into the cool duvet. I was supposed to sleep here. Live here. Be someone’s mother for a week and after that?

My whole life would be back to normal.

“You’ll meet Ava tonight at dinner,” Xavier said. “She thinks you’re someone I dated long ago who moved away. We reconnected recently. And you are her mother. I told her you were gone because your parents had cancer. That’s the story. No more, no less.”

Ava?

“And what happens if she asks questions?”

“She won’t. She’s cautious around new people.”

Something about the way he said it made my chest squeeze.

“She’s eight. She’ll want to connect eventually.”

“I hope so,” he said. But there was something unreadable in his eyes, like he didn’t actually believe it. “Until then, stay consistent. Stay simple.”

Stay fake, I wanted to say. But I bit my tongue.

Why would he even lie so much? Guess to keep his daughter's happiness intact.

He handed me a black folder…thicker than the one from the interview.

“This is her favorite color, her schedule, the name of her teacher, the allergies she doesn’t have but pretends she does to avoid carrots,” he listed off. “Everything you need to become believable.”

I took it with trembling fingers. “You really thought of everything.”

“I can’t afford not to. She’s my daughter and I cannot jeopardise anything.”

The way he said it didn’t sound like ego. It sounded like a man who'd built a house out of routine because emotions had betrayed him too many times.

He turned to leave. “Dinner is at seven sharp. Be someone she can look up to.”

And then he was gone.

I stood in front of the mirror at 6:58 PM, smoothing down the soft blue blouse that had appeared in my wardrobe like magic. The kind of blouse that said sweet, safe, and gentle. The kind of blouse a little girl might not feel threatened by.

I didn’t feel like that woman. Not yet. But I was about to try.

Downstairs, the dining table was set. A single lit candle in the center. Three place settings. A bottle of sparkling water so crisp it could’ve been diamonds.

Xavier stood at the head of the table. His sleeves rolled up. Collar open. He looked almost… human.

Then I saw her.

Ava.

She walked in behind him, half-hidden, clinging to a tattered penguin plushie. She was small, with tightly coiled dark curls pulled into a ponytail and big eyes that studied me like she was memorizing every detail.

“Hi, Ava,” I said gently, kneeling a little to be at her level. “Mommy is here.”

It sounded weird though but she gave me a shy stare.

No smile. No response.

“She’s shy,” Xavier said, taking his seat cautiously.

“Is this even fair on your side now? Three years and you were gone. You only call on my birthday's and now you tell me you are here?”

I coughed slightly at her painful remarks. “Mommy is sorry and she will make it up to you. That's why I am here for your everyday parties.”

She smiled a little bit.

I took my seat, opposite Ava, careful not to make any sudden movements. “I like your penguin. Does he have a name?”

Ava hugged him tighter. “Pengie. You gifted me, remember.”

My eyes widened in disbelief at first before I forced a smile out of me.. “That’s a perfect name. I never thought you would like it.” I said, looking over to Xavier who had now averted his eyes away from mine.

Then silence again. Trust me, I have never been in this tight spot before in my life.

She blinked, then whispered, “You look like the lady in my dad’s old photo.”

Xavier tensed.

“I… do?” I said.

She nodded, her voice still small. “She was smiling. You smile the same. Daddy told me you have been gone for a while now because of your sick parents. ”

My heart cracked. But I didn’t let it show.

And at this point, I was speechless.

“I’m happy to be here now.” I said, gently.

We ate in mostly silence, but Ava warmed up by dessert. She asked me if I liked jellybeans. Told me she hated math. She even giggled once when I did a terrible impression of a cartoon character she liked.

By the end of the meal, she let me walk her to her room. She didn’t let me in. But she waved at me before closing the door.

That felt like a win.

°′′

The next morning, the air was filled with tension and citrus-scented polish as Xavier handed me a folder marked. Event one: Family Brunch-10:00Am.

“You’ll wear the yellow dress in the wardrobe,” he said without looking at me. “It fits the part.”

The part.

I was always playing a part lately.

By 9:40 AM, I was dressed, ready, and suppressing nausea…not from the dress (which fit beautifully), but from nerves. I’d never done this before. Pretending to be a mother, a partner. Walking into a school with people who would look at me and expect answers I didn’t have.

Xavier and Ava were already downstairs. He wore a tailored grey suit. She had on a soft lilac dress and white sneakers. She looked up at me and smiled …tentative, but real.

“Can I sit by you today?” she asked.

My heart clenched. “Of course, sweet girl.” I responded, patting her hair.

She wasn't calling me mommy yet but I guess her spirit lifted up because of the little gift Xavier had said I bought.

Maybe the rift between Xavier and his ex baby mama wasn't that a big deal.

Maybe they just wanted space but the picture with him and her? I look like her?

We arrived at the school just before the crowd. It was posh, to say the least….arched gates, flowered hedges, and a courtyard straight out of a designer brochure. Other families were mingling already, holding mimosas and posing for photos.

Xavier kept his hand lightly on Ava’s back, guiding her toward the brunch pavilion.

“You ready?” he asked me under his breath.

“Too late to run, right?”

The faintest twitch tugged at the corner of his lips. “Much too late.”

We made it through introductions with tight smiles and false charm. Ava clung to me like a lifeline at first, but as the other kids arrived, she slowly drifted toward the coloring table.

That left Xavier and me….side by side, watching her from under the shade of a tree.

“You’re doing well,” he murmured. “Natural. I never expected her to grow so fond of you in two days. ”

“I’m lying through my teeth,” I replied.

“She believes you.”

“She’s eight.”

“She’s smarter than you think.”

Before I could respond, someone tapped my shoulder.

A woman in a pastel pink suit stood beside me. Tall. Glossy. The type of mother who never missed a pilates class and never forgot to gossip. Her smile didn’t touch her eyes.

“Hello,” she said. “I’m Clarisse. PTA vice president.”

I smiled politely. “Nice to meet you.”

She tilted her head, looking me up and down like I was a dish she didn’t order. “So... you’re the infamous Maya.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“You know,” she said, sipping her orange juice. “The ex. The one who disappeared without saying goodbye. Brave of you to show your face after all these years.”

My stomach turned to stone.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said sweetly. “We all have our stories. Some just… end more tragically than others. I understand you so perfectly.”

My mouth went dry.

Xavier stepped forward, voice cold. “Clarisse. That’s enough.”

She blinked at him, feigning innocence. “What? I’m just welcoming her back into the fold.”

He didn’t respond…just stared her down until she finally walked away, heels clicking like judgment behind her.

I turned to him, heart pounding. “What the hell was that?”

“She likes to dig,” he said calmly. “She probably Googled you the moment I walked in with you.”

I shook my head. “She thinks I’m someone else.”

“She wants you to be.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My pulse thudded in my ears, and I suddenly felt like I was drowning in a lie too big for me to swim through.

First it was Ava telling me I look so much like her mother and now the same goes with this Clarissa woman. She even called me Maya?

Was that the same as her name?

Xavier looked down at me with a strange expression. “Don’t break character, Maya. Not now.”

But the worst part?

I wasn’t sure if I could tell what was real anymore…his words, the warmth in Ava’s smile.

And the week had only just begun.

“Was that why you picked me? Because she also bears Maya?”