Elena pulled back the cloth further to see her daughter clearly.
The little girl blinked at the sudden bright daylight pouring in.
Elena: Oh my sweet girl...
Maya dropped her plastic cup onto the soft Persian rug.
Maya: Are you the lady from the picture?
Elena: I'm your mommy, baby. I'm your mommy.
Elena reached under the table and pulled Maya into her arms.
She lifted the little girl into the bright sunlight of the room.
Maya wrapped her tiny arms tightly around Elena's neck.
Elena pressed her face into the child's soft hair and sobbed.
The silver forks and knives dropped from her father's hands.
The rest of the family stared in total, stunned silence.
Stepmother: Put her back right now, Elena!
Elena: You kept her under the table like a dog!
Father: We were just keeping her quiet until breakfast ended!
Elena: She is a child! My child!
Stepmother: You signed away your rights when you left!
Elena: You forged my signature on those legal papers!
Elena held Maya close against her white dress.
She could feel the child trembling against her chest.
Maya held onto Elena like she never wanted to let go.
Maya: Don't leave me in the dark again, Mommy.
Elena: Never again, my sweet angel. Never again.
Her father stood up slowly from his large wooden chair.
His face had turned pale with embarrassment and deep regret.
Father: Elena, let's talk about this like adults in my office.
Elena: There is nothing left for us to talk about.
Stepbrother: You can't just take her out of this house!
Elena: Watch me walk right out that front door with her.
Elena stepped back toward the main hallway of the estate.
Her stepmother moved quickly to block the open arched doorway.
Her eyes were wild with fear of a public scandal.
p>Stepmother: If you leave with her, you won't get a dime!
Elena: I never wanted your dirty money, Victoria.