He chuckled. "You work hard, don't you?"
She forced a nervous smile. "Yes, sir."
His fingers lingered on her shoulder. "Maybe you should come to my room later. I can teach you how to relax."
Sabina held the broomstick tightly, her heart quickening. "My lady will be looking for me," she whispered.
The man's face hardened. "Then go."
From that day, everything changed. If she greeted him, he ignored her. If she cleaned well, he pointed out a small stain and said, "You are so lazy." The children, who had once been friendly, started mocking her, throwing food on the floor and laughing as they ordered her to pick it up.
His wife grew colder. Her voice was sharp now. "Stu--pid girl! You don't work fast enough! You are useless!"
Sabina felt like she was walking on broken glass every day, never knowing what would happen next.
Then, one night, Sabina woke up to a soft creak. She blinked in the darkness, her heart heavy. A shadow stood at the door of her small room. "Who is there?" she whispered.
The light from the hallway spilled onto his face. It was the son of the house owner, the man's 32-year-old son. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Sabina sat up quickly, her voice shaking. "Why are you here?"
He smiled, moving closer. "I just wanted to see you."
Her stomach twisted. "Please leave now."
He smiled, tilting his head. "Why are you so scared? I'm not like my father."
Sabina's fingers dug into her blanket. She had heard the whispers before. Other maids in the neighborhood had spoken about this—the men in these houses always thought they had power over the maids. She swallowed hard. "If you don't leave, I will scream."
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The son raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Don't worry, I will go." He left, but she knew he would be back.
Sabina kept working, pretending everything was fine. She sent money to her mother for medicine. She sent money for Amina's school fees. Back home, her mother was very happy. "Thank you, my child. You are saving us." Amina laughed on the phone. "Mommy, will you bring me a dress when you are coming home?"
Sabina forced a smile. "Yes, my love. A beautiful princess dress."
She wanted to tell them the truth—that she was being treated like a slave, that she was being harassed every day, that she was scared all the time. But she couldn't. She couldn't break their happiness. So she swallowed her pain and kept going.
Every night she slept with her door locked, afraid of footsteps in the hallway. She worked in silence, avoiding the man's eyes, avoiding the son's lingering stares.
Her body was exhausted, her spirit was breaking. Deep inside, she knew it: she had to escape, or she would not survive.
One day, Sabina's employer, Mr. Don, called her into a special room. It was not one of the rooms she cleaned. She hesitated at the door, wiping her hands on her apron, her heart beating faster than usual.
"In," he said, his voice calm.
Sabina stepped inside carefully. The room was large, bright, and spotless, but something about it felt strange. The air smelled different—not like cooking or cleaning products, but something raw, something wild.
She looked around, her eyes landing on rows of glass cages filled with birds, shelves lined with small boxes, and a strange wooden crate in the corner. Mr. Don stood in the middle of the room, hands in his pockets, watching her closely.
"I want to show you something," he said.
Sabina nodded slowly. "Yes, sir.".