A moment earlier it had tipped slightly, spilling across the polished parquet floor and spreading into thin ripples that Maya had already wiped up twice that morning. Her hands trembled as she pushed the mop back and forth, trying to reach the last corner beneath the heavy sideboard.

She paused for a moment and pressed a hand against her lower back.

She was six months pregnant.

The ache in her spine had been constant for weeks, but today it felt deeper and heavier, as if her body were quietly begging for rest — rest she was not allowed to take.

Behind her, Elena’s voice cut through the quiet living room.

“You missed a spot.”

Maya didn’t turn around.

Elena sat comfortably on the cream-colored sofa, flipping through a glossy architecture magazine while slowly sipping iced tea from a crystal glass. She had barely moved from that spot all morning.

“The floor should shine,” Elena added sharply. “Leo likes everything perfect when he comes home.”

Maya swallowed her exhaustion.

“Yes, Elena.”

There had been a time when her marriage to Leo felt like a dream.

When they first met, he had been attentive and warm. He brought her flowers for no reason, sent long messages late at night, and often told her she was the most important person in his life.

Back then, Maya believed every word.

She thought she had found the man she would spend her whole life with.

But slowly, that dream began to crack.

After the wedding, things started to change. At first it was almost unnoticeable. Leo began staying later at work. Then he stopped answering messages as often. Eventually another voice became almost permanent in their home — his mother’s.

Elena.

She had moved in supposedly just for a short time while repairs were being done in her apartment. But weeks turned into months, and Elena showed no sign of leaving.

Her presence grew heavier with each passing day.

She never shouted. She never caused dramatic scenes.

She simply watched.

Every movement Maya made seemed to pass under her cold gaze. If a plate wasn’t placed exactly right, Elena noticed. If a small mark remained on the table, she pointed it out. And if dinner was ready even five minutes late, she sighed as if a disaster had happened.

And Leo…

Leo almost never stepped in.

“Mom just wants things to be right,” he would say tiredly. “Don’t take it so personally.”

But Maya did take it personally.

Especially now.

She dragged the mop across the final damp patch and slowly straightened up. A sharp pain shot through her back and she inhaled quietly. The baby inside her stomach shifted slightly, as if sensing the tension.

Maya gently placed her hand on her belly.

“It’s okay,” she whispered softly.

“What are you mumbling about?” Elena asked coldly.

“Nothing.”

“Then keep working. Leo will be home soon.”

Those words sounded almost like a warning.

Maya placed the bucket against the wall. The water inside sloshed lightly, and for a moment she felt as if all her strength had drained away.

She hadn’t slept much the night before.

The baby kept moving, her back hurt constantly, and her thoughts wouldn’t let her rest.

Lately, one question kept returning to her mind.

Why had Leo stopped talking to her?

Before, he always asked how her day had gone. Now he came home and either shut himself in his office or spent hours staring at his phone. Sometimes he didn’t even notice how exhausted she was.

“Are you finished?” Elena asked again.

Maya nodded slightly.

Elena finally closed the magazine and stood up slowly. She walked across the room, carefully inspecting the floor as if she were checking the work of a hired cleaner.

Several seconds passed in silence.

“It’s acceptable,” Elena said at last. “But near the window there are still streaks.”

Maya looked.

There was barely anything visible.

But she already knew there was no point arguing.

She picked up the mop again.

At that moment, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house.

Leo had come home.

Maya’s heart began to beat a little faster. She always hoped that when he walked through the door something would change. That he would see how tired she was, come over to her, maybe hug her or say something kind.

Instead, Elena’s voice floated from the living room.

“Leo, dear, you’re just in time. Your wife has barely managed the house today.”

Maya froze.

She slowly turned around.

Leo stood in the doorway of the living room, removing his jacket. His eyes swept across the floor, then the bucket, and finally rested on Maya’s face.

For a moment, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Then he said a sentence that made Maya’s blood run cold.

“Mom’s right. If you’re already struggling now… what will happen when the baby arrives?”

The room suddenly felt colder.

Maya felt something tighten deep inside her.

She expected exhaustion. She expected indifference.