Chapter 2 - The Secret Behind the Nursery Door
Ethan carried Lily inside while Maria followed closely behind.
The party guests remained frozen in the garden. Nobody knew whether to leave, intervene, or pretend they had witnessed nothing.
Vanessa chose the last option.
She straightened her dress, wiped champagne from her wrist, and announced that Maria had become hysterical.
But Ethan was no longer listening.
In the nursery, he sat on the floor with Lily in his lap while their pediatrician, Dr. Helen Brooks, checked the little girl's head and arms. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries from the fall.
Lily, however, refused to let go of her father.
Every time Ethan shifted, she clutched his shirt and whimpered.
“Daddy stay.”
“I’m staying, sweetheart,” he promised.
Those two words nearly broke him.
Ethan had spent the previous year traveling between New York, London, and Chicago, managing a technology company that employed thousands. He had convinced himself that providing Lily with a beautiful home and a devoted nanny was enough.
Now he wondered how many moments of her childhood he had missed.
When Dr. Brooks finished, Maria tucked Lily beneath her favorite blanket.
Ethan waited until the child began to settle before turning to the nanny.
“Start from the beginning.”
Maria's face drained of color.
“Please don't ask me to do this here.”
“Why?”
She glanced toward the nursery door.
“Because she knows everything that happens in this house.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“Vanessa?”
Maria nodded.
Three months earlier, Vanessa had begun spending more time at the estate. At first, she had simply complained about Lily's crying, her toys, and the attention Ethan gave her daughter.
Then the complaints had become punishments.
Vanessa would hide Lily's favorite blanket before bedtime. She would tell the staff not to comfort the child when she cried. She insisted that Lily should learn to be quiet and obedient.
When Lily spilled juice, Vanessa made Maria leave her sitting alone until she stopped crying.
Once, after Lily had refused to eat, Vanessa had ordered the kitchen staff to remove every snack from the nursery.
“She told me that children who were constantly comforted became weak,” Maria explained. “She said Lily needed discipline before she became impossible to control.”
Ethan stared at her.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Maria's eyes filled with tears.
“Because the first time I tried, she showed me a photograph of my younger brother.”
Ethan said nothing.
“My brother works at one of your company's warehouses. Vanessa told me she could have him fired. She also said she'd accuse me of stealing jewelry if I ever made trouble.”
Maria pressed her hands together.
“I thought I could protect Lily quietly. I thought if I stayed close, nothing serious would happen.”
“And today?”
“Today, she didn't care who was watching.”
Ethan looked toward his daughter.
Then he made a decision.
“From this moment forward, Vanessa is not to be alone with Lily. Not for one second.”
Maria's shoulders sagged with relief, but her fear remained.
“There is something else,” she said.
Ethan turned back.
“What?”
Maria hesitated.
“Last week, I heard her talking on the phone. She said that once you signed the marriage papers, Lily would no longer be a problem.”
Ethan felt a chill move through him.
“What exactly did she mean?”
“I don't know.”
May you like
Maria looked at the sleeping child.
“But I think she was talking about sending Lily away.”
