CHAPTER 1: THE SECRET BEHIND THE DOOR
CHAPTER 1: THE SECRET BEHIND THE DOOR
The footsteps stopped outside the nursery.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The entire room went silent.
Emily’s face lost all color.
“Sir…” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“What did you mean when you said you knew the truth about my wife?”
Emily swallowed hard.
Her eyes moved toward the door.
“She knows I found out.”
My heart sank.
“Found out what?”
Before Emily could answer…
The doorknob slowly turned.
Victoria stepped inside.
She was still holding the same glass of wine.
Still wearing the same perfect smile.
The same woman who appeared elegant at charity dinners.
The same woman everyone admired.
But now…
I saw her differently.
Her eyes immediately moved toward Emily.
Then toward me.
And for the first time in our marriage…
I saw fear.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Fear.
“Daniel.”
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
“What are you doing here?”
I stared at her.
“What am I doing here?”
My voice shook.
“What are YOU doing?”
Victoria looked at Emily.
Then at the twins.
Then back at me.
“She attacked me.”
The words came instantly.
A lie.
A perfect lie.
“She became unstable. She threatened me. I had no choice but to protect the children.”
Emily looked horrified.
“Sir, that’s not true.”
Victoria raised her eyebrow.
“See?”
She smiled.
“She’s already manipulating you.”
I looked at my wife.
The woman I had loved for eight years.
The woman who slept beside me every night.
The mother of my children.
And suddenly…
I felt like I didn’t know her at all.
“Victoria…”
I spoke slowly.
“Why was Emily tied to the bed?”
Silence.
Her smile disappeared for half a second.
Then returned.
“She misunderstood discipline.”
“Discipline?”
I stepped closer.
“You tied a woman to a bed.”
“She is a nanny.”
Victoria shrugged.
“She works for us.”
Something inside me snapped.
“No.”
I pointed at Emily.
“She takes care of our children.”
Then I looked at Victoria.
“And right now, she is the only person in this room who acted like a mother.”
The anger flashed across Victoria’s face.
“You’re defending her?”
“No.”
I looked at my twins.
“I’m defending the truth.”
Victoria’s fingers tightened around her wine glass.
Then Emily spoke.
“Sir…”
Her voice trembled.
“Your wife knows who I really am.”
Victoria froze.
I turned.
“What?”
Emily looked at me.
“My son’s medical bills…”
She took a shaky breath.
“They weren’t random.”
“What are you talking about?”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Your wife paid for my son’s treatment.”
I frowned.
“Why would she do that?”
Emily looked directly at Victoria.
“Because she needed me close.”
The room became ice cold.
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Stop talking.”
Emily continued.
“She hired me two years ago because she knew my son needed help.”
My stomach tightened.
“Victoria…”
Emily whispered:
“She knew I would do anything to keep him alive.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“Enough.”
But Emily didn’t stop.
“She didn’t hire me to care for your children.”
“She hired me because she knew I was connected to your past.”
My blood ran cold.
“My past?”
Emily looked at me.
“Yes.”
And then she said the sentence that changed everything.
“Your wife knows the real reason your first child disappeared.”
I froze.
Because there was something Victoria never talked about.
Something from before our marriage.
Something she always told me to forget.
The disappearance of my newborn son.
The child everyone told me had died.
May you like
But Emily knew something.
And Victoria was terrified she would tell me.
