CHAPTER 1 — The Truth Emily Couldn't Hold Back
The clicking heels stopped outside the nursery.
Every muscle in my body tightened.
Emily's eyes widened with terror.
"Don't..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Please don't let her know I told you anything."
The doorknob turned.
Victoria stepped inside wearing the same ivory silk blouse she'd left in that morning. A crystal wineglass rested casually in her hand, as though she had wandered in to say goodnight instead of walking into a crime scene.
She smiled.
Not at Emily.
At me.
"You're home early."
Her gaze drifted toward the torn sheets tied around the headboard.
For a fraction of a second, something flashed across her face.
Shock.
Then it disappeared behind the same flawless smile she wore at charity galas and magazine interviews.
"Oh my God," she gasped dramatically. "Emily... what have you done?"
I stared at her.
"What did she do?"
Victoria sighed, shaking her head.
"I knew this would happen eventually."
She walked closer, never once looking at Emily's bleeding wrists.
"I caught her having some kind of breakdown this afternoon. She kept crying about her son, saying voices were telling her someone was trying to take him away."
Emily's breathing became uneven.
"That's not true..."
Victoria ignored her.
"She became hysterical. I tried calming her down, but she grabbed the babies and locked herself in here."
I frowned.
"Locked herself in?"
"Yes."
Victoria nodded confidently.
"I was terrified she'd hurt them."
She looked at Emily with carefully rehearsed sympathy.
"I tied her down because she refused to let the twins go."
Silence filled the room.
I looked at the knots.
Then at Emily.
Then back at Victoria.
Something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Emily's wrists had been tied behind the carved wooden posts.
There was no possible way she could have restrained herself.
Before I could speak, Emily finally lifted her shaking voice.
"Sir..."
She looked directly at me.
"Check the nursery camera."
Victoria's face lost its color.
Only for a heartbeat.
Then she laughed.
"The camera?"
"Yes," Emily whispered.
"It recorded everything."
Victoria's smile vanished.
"It hasn't worked in weeks."
Emily slowly shook her head.
"That's what you thought."
My heart pounded.
"What do you mean?"
Emily swallowed painfully.
"The maintenance company repaired it three days ago."
Victoria's fingers tightened around her wineglass.
"I forgot to mention it."
"You told them not to tell Mrs. Cole because you wanted to surprise her with the repair."
The room fell silent.
Victoria's breathing changed.
It was subtle.
But I noticed.
For the first time since walking into the nursery...
She looked afraid.
I immediately pulled my phone from my pocket.
"I'm calling security."
Victoria stepped forward.
"Daniel, don't be ridiculous."
"I'm also calling the police."
Her voice hardened.
"You're seriously going to believe the nanny over your own wife?"
"I'm going to believe the evidence."
I pressed the security extension.
"Bring someone to the nursery immediately."
Victoria's expression cracked.
"No."
She reached for my phone.
I stepped away.
Within seconds, two security officers rushed upstairs.
They stopped cold after seeing Emily tied to the bed.
Neither of them spoke.
One officer quickly untied Emily while the other photographed every knot before touching the restraints.
Emily cried out as blood rushed back into her swollen hands.
The twins woke and began crying.
I gently lifted them into my arms.
For the first time that evening...
They clung to me.
One of the officers turned toward Victoria.
"Ma'am..."
His voice was calm.
"We'll need everyone to remain in the house until the police arrive."
Victoria forced another smile.
"This is all a misunderstanding."
Nobody answered.
Emily rubbed her injured wrists.
Then she looked at me again.
"There is something else you need to know."
"What?"
She hesitated.
Tears filled her eyes.
"My son..."
She struggled to breathe.
"...wasn't admitted to the hospital today."
I frowned.
"But you said—"
She nodded.
"I believed he was."
Her voice broke.
"Because someone called me pretending to be his doctor."
A chill crawled up my spine.
"The hospital never called?"
"No."
She slowly turned toward Victoria.
"She made the call herself."
The nursery became deathly silent.
Then my phone rang.
It was the director of the children's hospital.
I answered immediately.
"Mr. Cole?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry to bother you, but one of our nurses just reported something unusual."
"What happened?"
"About three hours ago, a woman claiming to be your wife called the hospital asking for Emily Carter's son's medical records."
My blood froze.
"Did she get them?"
"No."
The director paused.
"But she seemed... desperate to know whether the little boy would survive."
I slowly raised my eyes.
Victoria wasn't looking at me anymore.
She was staring at the nursery window.
Calculating.
Planning.
Looking for a way out.
And that's when I realized...
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This had never been about firing a nanny.
It had been about making sure Emily never left this house alive.
