Chapter 6

The next day, as I got prepared for the day's duties, I overheard my name on everyone's lips. “She must really like our boss,” someone said. “Not just that, she has some kind of rare boldness, who would dare to face madame Olivia, well I'm just glad that she's gone for good.”

I smiled unconsciously when I heard those words. Olivia has been a terror to all the maids, she treated us with so much hatred, but now we’re free. Although I felt for my husband, I'm glad she's left him.

As I stepped out of my room, my eyes met with Maria, “The ever bold lady” she teased me, but I gave her a signal to bring down her voice. I dragged her Into my room with care. 

“Listen, Maria. Nobody must know who I am. It's not yet time to reveal my Identity.”I told her.

“Reveal what identity?” Maria asked me. Nina, most times I just feel you're wasting time. Walk up to him and speak up or do you want me to tell him, myself? I'd be glad to do that for free.”

“No, my dear. Do not tell him. I’ll tell him myself. For now I have to gather the courage to face him” I responded as I bowed my head.

Maria placed a hand on my shoulders, “my dear, the longer you wait, the tougher it becomes for you to reveal your identity. But I won't force you to go against your will, when you're ready to speak up, I'll be here by yourself.”

Before she ended her statement, I was already in her arms. “Thanks for being my source of encouragement, Maria. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

“Let's go to work, we have a lot to do today.” Maria said

I stayed back for a few minutes before I headed straight to the mansion to begin with cleaning my husband’s room. When I entered the building, I overheard snippets of conversation from the other maids. They were excitedly discussing the arrival of guests. 

The mention of guests annoyed me. The fear of having another lady in my house made me scared since they usually come after an event or a visit. My curiosity got the best of me, I couldn't hold my feelings to myself, so I let it spill.

“Must we party in the house all the time?” I asked as I tried to walk past a room hoping that I would get a response. But I stopped when I heard something that caught my attention.

"Mr. Henry's children are coming to stay for a short holiday!" one maid exclaimed.

"Really? It's been so long since they've visited. I wonder what they're like, Sophie must be a very beautiful girl now" another responded.

I stood there in shock, it was as if I got frozen at the spot and I couldn't feel myself. The vase I held slipped from my hands and shattered on the floor. “My children!”. Henry and I had two beautiful children; Sophie and James. The thought of seeing them again overwhelmed me with joy and fear that I lost my consciousness for a moment. I hadn't seen them since I left them four years ago. I made efforts to visit them at their school but my efforts were to no avail. “They must have grown so much,” I muttered in tears.

"Nina, are you alright?" Maria's concerned voice brought me back to the consciousness of my environment.

I nodded, quickly kneeling to pick up the pieces of the vase. "I'm fine, Maria. I'm just a bit clumsy today. I guess the stress of yesterday was too much"

She gave me a sympathetic smile and handed me a bowl to gather the broken pieces. "It's understandable, but I need you to be careful. We all have our off days. If you know you won't be able to handle today's work, you can go and have some rest. I’ll cover up for you.” She said and turned to leave. “Just let me know when you'd be leaving so I could continue from where you stopped.”

As I cleaned up the mess, my mind raced with thoughts of Sophie and James. What would they think of me now? Did they remember me at all? Would they want to be with me if I introduced myself to them? The pain in my heart was almost unbearable. I managed to dispose of the vase and returned to my room to catch my breath and process the information that I just heard.

But the sound of a car pulling up to the front entrance made my heart skip a beat as I walked to the window to watch the arrival of my lovely kids. I watched from the curtains as Henry walked out from the mansion with a smile as the children stepped out of the vehicle. Sophie, with her dark long curly hair and sparkling eyes, was now a bit taller than She was, James was also tall but slim. I knew he missed me so much, he was much more of a mummy's boy than a daddy’s boy.

"Daddy!" Sophie exclaimed, rushing into Henry's arms.

"We've missed you so much, Daddy," James added, his voice getting a bit deeper than I remembered.

Henry hugged them both tightly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I've missed you too my kids, more than you can imagine. Welcome home, my darlings."

I watched the reunion from a distance, as tears streamed down my face. The pain of not being able to run to them, to hold them in my arms, was more painful than I had imagined. But I had to stay in the background. It was too dangerous to reveal my identity now, especially with Olivia's plan to return.

As the children entered the mansion, a young maid named Lily was assigned to look after them. She was sweet and gentle, and I could see the children getting along with her immediately. It was a bittersweet sight, knowing they were in good hands, but wishing those hands were mine.

Throughout the day, I found myself stealing glances at Sophie and James, getting relief in every moment I could see them. They went to the gardens, and spent hours catching up with Henry. Their laughter echoed through the walls but the sound filled my heart with both joy and sorrow.