The days after the youth session returned to the same heavy rhythm Maya had begun to dread. Nothing had changed between her and Calvin. The silence, the distance, the invisible wall that had risen between them remained exactly where it was. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger with every passing day.
Maya woke each morning with the same dull ache in her chest. It had become part of her routine now, like breathing or blinking. Sometimes she wondered if the ache would ever disappear or if it had become something permanent inside her.
Yet she refused to stop trying.
Giving up was not an option for her. She had already given too much to this relationship to simply walk away.
She had given her trust.
She had given her time.
She had given her dreams.
Most painfully, she had given herself.
And so Maya kept searching for solutions, for answers, for anything that might help her understand what had happened to the man she loved.
She began reaching out to people who knew Calvin well, hoping someone could shed light on his strange behavior.
The first person she contacted was Jason.
Jason had always seemed reasonable and calm. He was one of Calvin's close friends, someone Maya believed understood Calvin better than most people.
When Jason answered the phone, his voice carried the usual warmth.
"Maya, how are you?"
She hesitated before answering.
"I'm… managing," she said quietly.
He immediately sensed something was wrong.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Maya took a deep breath and slowly began explaining everything. She told him about the tension between her and Calvin, the way Calvin had been treating her like a stranger, the youth sessions, the awkward encounters, the silence that filled their home every night.
Jason listened without interrupting.
When she finished speaking, there was a short pause on the line.
Then Jason sighed.
"I know Calvin," he said thoughtfully. "And I know he loves you."
Maya closed her eyes when she heard those words.
For a moment, they gave her a fragile sense of relief.
"But I don't understand why he's behaving this way," Jason continued honestly.
His confusion mirrored her own.
"If he loves me," Maya asked softly, "why is he treating me like this?"
Jason did not have an answer.
But he tried to comfort her.
"Don't lose heart," he told her gently. "Sometimes people go through strange phases. Ignore the way he's acting and give him time. Things might settle."
His words were kind, even if they were uncertain.
Maya thanked him before ending the call.
The conversation gave her a small flicker of hope, but it did not answer the questions that haunted her.
Later that day, she decided to speak with Arnold.
Arnold was older than Calvin. He was married and had two children. Because of that, Maya had always believed he possessed a level of maturity and wisdom that could help her see the situation more clearly.
When Arnold answered the phone, Maya greeted him politely and began explaining the difficulties she had been facing with Calvin.
At first, Arnold listened quietly.
But when he finally spoke, his words came out blunt and heavy.
"Maya," he said, "Calvin has had things very easy."
She frowned slightly, confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Arnold did not hesitate.
"You have made things too easy for him."
Maya remained silent, waiting for him to explain further.
"You see," Arnold continued, "Calvin hasn't married you. He hasn't even formally declared his intentions to your family."
His words began to make Maya uncomfortable.
"And yet," Arnold added, "you are already living with him like a couple."
Maya felt a tightening in her chest.
Arnold's voice remained firm and matter-of-fact.
"You're living together, sharing the same space, behaving like husband and wife. And Calvin has access to your body anytime he wants."
Maya's fingers tightened around the phone.
"And when women allow that," Arnold said, "it makes them cheap."
The word struck her like a slap.
For a moment, she could not speak.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, and a wave of anger rushed through her veins.
Cheap.
The word echoed painfully in her mind.
Arnold continued speaking as if he had said nothing unusual.
"If you want things to change," he advised calmly, "you should distance yourself from Calvin. Stop living like a couple. Let both of you live independently."
Maya struggled to control her breathing.
"That way," Arnold continued, "the distance might rekindle his feelings."
Every sentence felt heavier than the last.
Inside her, anger and humiliation swirled violently.
She wanted to shout.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to ask him how he could reduce her entire relationship to something so crude and insulting.
But she did none of those things.
Instead, she remained calm.
Her voice stayed polite and controlled.
"Thank you for your advice," she said quietly.
The conversation ended shortly afterward.
The moment the call ended, Maya stared at the phone in her hand.
Her chest felt as though it were burning.
She wanted to cry.
She wanted to shout.
She wanted to wail in frustration.
But the tears refused to come.
Instead, the emotions remained trapped inside her, swirling violently beneath the surface.
The anger felt suffocating.
The humiliation felt unbearable.
How could Arnold say something like that?
How could he reduce her love and devotion to something as ugly as that word?
Cheap.
Maya had always believed in her principles.
She had always believed in loyalty, commitment, and sincerity.
She had not given herself lightly.
She had given herself because she loved Calvin deeply and believed they were building a future together.
Yet now someone she trusted had used that word to describe her.
The pain of it cut deeper than she expected.
Not long after, her phone rang again.
It was Ryan.
When she answered, Ryan immediately sensed the tension in her voice.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Maya hesitated before speaking.
Then she told him everything Arnold had said.
Every word.
Every implication.
When she finished, Ryan's reaction was immediate.
"What?" he exclaimed angrily.
"He said that to you?"
"Yes," Maya replied quietly.
Ryan's voice filled with outrage.
"That's completely unacceptable," he said firmly.
"No one has the right to speak to you like that."
Maya remained silent, listening.
"Arnold is not reliable," Ryan continued. "If he can say something like that to you, then you shouldn't involve him in anything again."
His anger felt protective.
"Don't speak to him again," Ryan added.
Maya thanked him softly before ending the call.
But even after the conversation ended, the storm inside her remained.
She sat alone in the apartment, her thoughts racing endlessly.
The anger returned first.
She was furious that Calvin had created a situation where someone else felt comfortable enough to judge her like that.
If Calvin had treated her with respect, if he had shown commitment, no one would dare call her cheap.
The thought burned inside her.
Then sadness followed.
She had trusted Arnold.
Because he was older.
Because he had a family.
Because she believed he would offer sensible advice.
Instead, he had humiliated her.
Then the sadness deepened into something darker.
Depression.
She felt ashamed that she had allowed herself to reach this point.
Ashamed that someone could reduce her entire relationship to something so degrading.
And beneath all those emotions was something even more painful.
Devastation.
Because she truly did not know what to do anymore.
Every attempt she made to fix things seemed to lead nowhere.
Every conversation left her feeling worse.
And yet she could not bring herself to walk away.
Because walking away would mean accepting that everything she had sacrificed had been meaningless.
She had given Calvin her heart.
She had given him her body.
She had given him her trust.
She had given him her dreams.
In many ways, she felt as though she had given him her soul.
And somewhere along the way, she had lost herself.
The hours passed slowly as she sat alone with her thoughts.
She kept replaying Arnold's words in her mind.
Cheap.
The word still stung.
By the time evening arrived, Maya felt completely drained.
The sound of the door opening startled her slightly.
Calvin had returned.
He entered casually, placing his belongings down as usual.
For a moment, Maya simply watched him.
Then she spoke.
"Arnold called today," she said.
Calvin glanced at her.
"Oh?"
Maya nodded.
"I told him about what has been happening between us."
Calvin listened silently.
"And do you know what he said?" she asked.
Calvin shrugged slightly.
"What?"
Maya took a deep breath.
"He said you've had things easy because I allowed myself to live with you even though you haven't married me."
Calvin's expression remained neutral.
"He said that when women do that, it makes them cheap."
Calvin frowned slightly.
"That's what he said?"
"Yes."
Maya's voice was calm, but the hurt beneath it was unmistakable.
She continued.
"I've decided I won't speak to Arnold again."
Calvin looked mildly surprised.
"He probably didn't mean it the way you're taking it," Calvin said casually.
"He didn't mean any harm."
Maya shook her head slowly.
"No," she replied firmly.
"He was disrespectful."
Calvin sighed lightly, brushing the matter aside.
But Maya had already made up her mind.
Regardless of what Calvin believed, she would not tolerate that kind of disrespect.
Not from Arnold.
Not from anyone.
Even if the man she loved seemed unwilling to defend her.