“Boxed cereal or breakfast bar?” a deep, male voice asks. He’s loud enough that I can hear him from the other room. It does help that the dinning room door is slightly ajar.

I’ve never heard him before so I can’t put a face to his voice.

“Skip.” Jane answers back. Her voice lacking any emotion like his was.

I can picture her expressionless face clearly. She’s always been quiet and keeps to herself every time I come here to clean. Her house is spotless every time and she pays well so it’s a win win for me.

“You’re not going to have anything?” the man says. He sounds equally as bored as Jane does.

I flick my eyes to the dining room door where they are and imagine Jane and her company just sat round her large dining table, both with no emotion on their face.

I don’t think about pulling the door too as it makes a loud clicking noise when it shuts.

I shake my head and move my body from the door. I’m not eavesdropping. They’re just not trying to be quiet or anything.

I kneel on the floor and start wiping down the skirting boards before making my way to the grand piano sat under the window.

“I’ll have something later.” Jane’s voice picks up in volume but other than that she sounds beyond bored. But this time her words are followed by a loud clanking noise.

I jump and drop the bottle of spray from my hand and keep my other hand still on top of the piano.

They didn’t hear me. They didn’t hear me. I’m not eavesdropping. I’m not eavesdropping.

I hear their footsteps and I curse Jane’s squeaky floor boards.

“Oh I see.” the man finally has some oomph to his voice. He sounds happy and excited. I might even say he sounds giddy. “I should really be asking, butchers knife or machete?”

I gasp. I can’t help it. They’re not talking about their breakfast. They’re not talking about eating.

Butchers knife or machete?

My heart beats faster and I’m inching closer to the dinning room door.

What will she pick?

“You spend the night with me, and you’re only now working out what gets me going.” Jane says and just like with him I can now hear the smile in her voice. The happiness that comes out with her words.

A deep chuckle and a soft giggle come next.

I can’t keep this to myself. Whatever this is, I need to tell someone. My own lips lift at each corner and suddenly I feel like I’m in on their secret.

I finish cleaning the rest of the front room with a happy swing to my step whilst I hear the laughs and smiles coming from the next room followed by painful whimpers and cries.