Chapter 1 — The Footsteps Behind Her
Chapter 1 — The Footsteps Behind Her
Lily's knees scraped against the marble.
She barely felt it.
All she could see was Ethan.
The fourteen-month-old boy lay only a few feet away, his tiny body trembling against the cold floor.
His left arm was bent at an angle no child's arm should ever be.
His crying had become frighteningly quiet.
“Ethan…”
Lily crawled toward him.
Her voice broke.
“Please, baby. Mommy's here.”
She wasn't his mother.
But she had been the closest thing to one for the last six months.
She had fed him when he refused his bottle.
Held him through nightmares.
Learned the exact song that made him smile.
She knew which stuffed rabbit he needed before bedtime.
She knew that when Ethan was frightened, he reached for someone's collar and held it with his tiny fist.
And right now, he was reaching for her.
His fingers moved weakly across the marble.
Lily stretched toward him.
Then Serena's heel came down against her back.
Lily cried out.
“Stay where you are.”
Serena's voice was almost bored.
She adjusted the sleeve of her cream-colored dress.
Not a single strand of her perfectly styled hair had moved.
“You're making this much more dramatic than it needs to be.”
Lily turned her head.
“Look at him!”
Serena glanced at Ethan.
Then shrugged.
“He'll stop crying.”
“He's hurt!”
“He's a baby.”
“You broke his arm!”
Serena's expression hardened.
“I didn't break anything.”
“You twisted it!”
Lily's voice shook.
“I saw you.”
Serena crouched beside her.
The expensive perfume surrounding her was almost suffocating.
“You saw nothing.”
Lily stared at her.
“You're going to tell Mr. Blackwood that you dropped him.”
Lily's heart stopped.
Serena smiled.
“And when he asks why you were alone with him, I'll tell him the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That you were careless.”
Lily stared at her.
“You're lying.”
Serena's smile disappeared.
“I don't have to lie.”
She leaned closer.
“I'm going to be Mrs. Blackwood.”
Her fingers brushed Lily's cheek.
“You're a nanny.”
She stood.
“Nannies disappear.”
Lily's blood ran cold.
She had heard rumors about Serena.
Everyone had.
But rumors were different from standing on a marble floor with a woman's heel against your back while she calmly explained how easily she could erase you.
Lily looked toward Ethan.
His eyes were half closed.
“No…”
She dragged herself forward again.
“Please…”
Serena raised her foot.
Lily instinctively covered her head.
But the strike never came.
Instead—
a sound echoed through the mansion.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Measured.
Coming from the entrance hall.
Serena froze.
Lily froze too.
The footsteps continued.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Someone was walking across the marble foyer.
No guards announced him.
No driver called ahead.
No housekeeper rushed to greet him.
The mansion seemed to hold its breath.
Serena slowly turned toward the entrance.
Her face changed.
The confidence disappeared first.
Then the color drained from her cheeks.
Lily saw it.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the fake fear Serena had performed in front of Victor's friends.
Not the delicate expression she wore at charity events.
This was different.
Serena knew exactly who was walking toward them.
A shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.
Then a man stepped into the light.
Black suit.
Dark overcoat.
Rainwater glistening on his shoulders.
His expression was completely still.
Victor Blackwood.
The man whose name alone could make entire rooms go silent.
The man who was supposed to be in New York until tomorrow morning.
The man Serena believed she had another twelve hours to manipulate.
Victor stopped.
His eyes moved across the room.
First to Ethan.
Then to Lily.
Then to Serena.
He didn't speak.
Lily watched his face.
Nothing.
No shouting.
No panic.
No visible rage.
That was somehow worse.
Serena recovered first.
“Victor.”
Her voice trembled.
“You're home early.”
Victor didn't answer.
He looked at Ethan again.
The baby's tiny hand moved.
A weak cry escaped him.
Victor's jaw tightened.
“Why,” he asked quietly, “is my son on the floor?”
Serena immediately stepped forward.
“Victor, it's not what it looks like.”
He didn't look at her.
“Why is my son on the floor?”
“He was having a tantrum.”
Victor's eyes lifted.
“And his arm?”
Serena swallowed.
“He fell.”
Lily's voice came from the floor.
“She hurt him.”
Victor looked at her.
For the first time, Lily saw something flicker in his eyes.
Recognition.
She had met him only twice.
Once when he returned unexpectedly from a business trip.
Once at Ethan's birthday.
He had barely spoken to her.
But he had remembered her name.
“Lily.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can you stand?”
She tried.
Her legs shook.
She couldn't.
Victor's eyes moved to the bruise already forming across her stomach.
Something inside his expression changed.
“Who did that?”
Lily looked at Serena.
Serena shook her head slightly.
A warning.
Lily hesitated.
Then she looked at Victor.
“She did.”
Serena stepped forward.
“Victor, she's lying.”
Victor finally looked at her.
“Stop.”
One word.
Quiet.
Absolute.
Serena stopped.
Victor walked toward Ethan.
He knelt.
His expensive trousers touched the marble.
He carefully lifted his son.
Ethan whimpered.
Victor's face changed.
The hard expression disappeared for one second.
“It's all right.”
His voice was low.
“Daddy's here.”
Ethan's fingers closed weakly around his shirt.
Victor looked at his son's arm.
Then at Lily.
“What happened?”
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
“I was upstairs getting his medicine.”
“How long?”
“Thirty seconds.”
Victor looked at Serena.
“And when you came back?”
Lily swallowed.
“She was holding him.”
Victor's gaze sharpened.
“Doing what?”
“Pulling his arm.”
Serena shook her head.
“No.”
“She kept saying he wouldn't stop crying.”
“Lily.”
Serena's voice became dangerous.
“You need to be careful.”
Victor stood.
“She's done talking.”
Serena stared at him.
“What?”
“I said she's done talking.”
Victor turned toward the hallway.
“Call Dr. Harrison.”
One of the guards appeared immediately.
“Yes, sir.”
“And get the car.”
“Sir?”
“Hospital.”
The guard nodded and disappeared.
Victor looked at Lily.
“You're coming with us.”
Serena's eyes widened.
“Why?”
Victor didn't answer.
He simply looked at the bruise on Lily's stomach.
Then he looked at Serena.
“You put your hands on my son.”
Serena shook her head.
“I was trying to calm him.”
“You attacked my employee.”
“She attacked me first!”
Victor's expression remained cold.
“Did she?”
Serena opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Victor took one step toward her.
Serena stepped back.
“You should listen carefully,” he said.
His voice was so quiet that Lily almost wished he would shout.
“If Ethan dies tonight, nothing in this house will protect you.”
Serena's face went white.
“Victor…”
He continued.
“If he survives, I'm still going to find out exactly what happened.”
He looked toward the security guards.
“Lock the mansion.”
Serena stared.
“What?”
“No one leaves.”
“Victor, you can't—”
“I can.”
He looked directly into her eyes.
“And I will.”
The drive to the hospital felt endless.
Lily sat in the back beside Ethan.
Victor sat opposite them.
He never looked away from his son.
The car was silent except for Ethan's weak cries.
Lily pressed a cold cloth against the baby's forehead.
“I'm sorry.”
Victor looked at her.
“For what?”
“I couldn't stop her sooner.”
His expression hardened.
“You tried.”
“I should have protected him.”
“You did.”
Lily looked down.
“She said nobody would believe me.”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“She was wrong.”
Lily looked at him.
“How do you know?”
Victor stared at his son.
“Because I believe you.”
Those four words nearly broke her.
Lily turned toward the window.
She wiped away a tear before Victor could see it.
But he saw.
He saw everything.
The bruising.
The trembling hands.
The way she kept checking Ethan's breathing.
And the way she looked terrified that she would be blamed.
Victor had spent his entire life learning how to recognize fear.
He knew what it looked like.
He knew what caused it.
And he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
Lily wasn't afraid of Ethan.
She was afraid of what Serena would do next.
At the hospital, doctors rushed Ethan into the emergency department.
Victor followed until the doors closed.
Then he stopped.
For the first time since entering the mansion, he looked lost.
Lily stood beside him.
“Mr. Blackwood…”
He looked at her.
“Victor.”
She hesitated.
“Victor.”
He nodded.
“What?”
“You should know something.”
“What?”
“Serena has done this before.”
Victor stared at her.
“What did you say?”
Lily's hands began shaking.
“I didn't see her hurt him before.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“I mean…”
She swallowed.
“I saw things.”
“What things?”
“Bruises.”
Victor's expression changed.
“On Ethan?”
“Yes.”
“How many times?”
“Three.”
The hallway seemed to become colder.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Lily looked at him.
“I tried.”
“When?”
“The first time, Serena told me she would fire me.”
Victor's eyes darkened.
“The second time?”
“She said she would make sure I never worked with children again.”
“And the third?”
Lily looked down.
“She said…”
“What?”
“She said if I talked, she'd make me disappear.”
Victor was silent.
Then he asked:
“Why didn't you go to the police?”
Lily gave a bitter little smile.
“Because she was going to marry you.”
Victor stared at her.
“And?”
“And I thought nobody would believe a nanny over Serena Montigue.”
For several seconds, Victor said nothing.
Then he reached into his coat.
He pulled out his phone.
“Mr. Blackwood?”
He made one call.
“Bring me every security recording from the mansion for the last six months.”
A pause.
“All of them.”
Another pause.
“Don't let anyone know why.”
He ended the call.
Lily stared at him.
“What are you looking for?”
Victor looked toward the emergency room.
“The truth.”
Three hours later, a doctor finally came out.
Victor stood immediately.
“How is my son?”
The doctor removed his mask.
“His arm is fractured.”
Victor's face tightened.
“But?”
“He'll recover.”
Lily exhaled.
Her knees nearly gave out.
Victor caught her elbow.
“You all right?”
“Yes.”
The doctor looked at Lily.
“You were with him?”
“Yes.”
“You may have saved his life.”
Lily shook her head.
“I just did what anyone would.”
The doctor looked at Victor.
“She needs to be examined too.”
Victor nodded.
“Do it.”
Lily tried to protest.
“I'm fine.”
Victor looked at her.
“You were kicked hard enough to bruise.”
“I can walk.”
“That wasn't my question.”
She stared at him.
Then nodded.
Near dawn, Victor returned to the mansion.
Serena was still there.
Two guards stood outside the living room.
She was sitting on the sofa.
Waiting.
When Victor entered, she stood.
“Where is Ethan?”
“At the hospital.”
“Is he okay?”
Victor stared at her.
“Why do you care?”
Her face tightened.
“Because I love him.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You love what he represents.”
She froze.
Victor placed a folder on the table.
“Six months.”
Serena stared at it.
“What is that?”
“Security footage.”
Her breathing changed.
“I don't understand.”
“I think you do.”
Victor opened the folder.
Photographs.
Time stamps.
Medical records.
Messages.
A pattern.
Serena looked at the first photograph.
Ethan had a bruise on his shoulder.
Another.
A mark near his ribs.
Another.
A scratch along his neck.
She looked up.
“This proves nothing.”
Victor smiled.
It was the first time Lily had ever seen him smile without warmth.
“No.”
He leaned closer.
“But the footage will.”
Serena's lips parted.
Victor lowered his voice.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
“I checked your phone.”
Her face went pale.
“You can't—”
“You deleted thirty-seven messages.”
Serena stared.
“How did you—”
“I own the people who recover them.”
Silence.
Victor picked up his coat.
“Your wedding is canceled.”
Serena stared at him.
“You can't do that.”
“I just did.”
“You love me.”
Victor stopped.
Then looked back.
“I loved the woman I thought you were.”
Serena's eyes filled.
“And now?”
Victor's expression became cold again.
“Now I know.”
He walked toward the door.
Serena suddenly screamed:
“Victor!”
He stopped.
“You'll regret this.”
Victor turned.
“No.”
His eyes were dark.
“You will.”
Then he left.
Behind him, Serena remained standing in the empty mansion.
For the first time, she understood that the man she intended to marry had never been a shield.
He had been the storm.
And she had just given him a reason to unleash it.
At the hospital, Lily sat beside Ethan's bed.
His arm was wrapped in a small cast.
He was sleeping.
She reached through the bars of the crib and touched his tiny fingers.
“I've got you.”
Ethan's fingers curled around hers.
Lily smiled through tears.
Then the hospital door opened.
Victor walked in.
He stopped beside the bed.
For several seconds, he watched his son sleep.
Then he looked at Lily.
“I owe you an apology.”
She shook her head.
“You don't.”
“Yes.”
He pulled a chair beside her.
“I should have known.”
Lily looked down.
“You trusted her.”
“I did.”
“And she fooled you.”
Victor looked at Ethan.
“She fooled everyone.”
“No.”
Lily's voice was quiet.
“Not everyone.”
Victor looked at her.
She met his eyes.
“I stopped believing her a long time ago.”
Victor studied her.
Then nodded.
“Good.”
He looked toward the sleeping child.
“Because from now on, nobody gets near my son without you knowing.”
Lily blinked.
“Victor…”
He stood.
“And tomorrow, we find out how long Serena has been lying to me.”
He walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
Without turning around, he said:
“Lily.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for staying.”
She looked at Ethan.
“Where else would I go?”
Victor said nothing.
But something in his expression softened.
Then he disappeared into the hallway.
And Lily understood that the night had changed everything.
Serena had believed she was hurting a powerless nanny.
Instead, she had awakened the one man in Chicago who never stopped when someone threatened what belonged to him.
And now Victor Blackwood wanted the truth.
All of it.
But neither of them yet knew that the truth about Serena was far worse than a broken arm.
Because hidden inside the Blackwood mansion was a secret that had been waiting for six months.
And once Victor found it—
May you like
the woman he had planned to marry would no longer be his greatest problem.
She would be the beginning of something much more dangerous.
