CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
THE VIDEO THAT DESTROYED SERENA
The room went dark.
Not completely.
A faint light from the massive windows still slipped through the curtains, casting shadows across the marble floor.
But to Serena Montigue, it felt like the entire world had disappeared.
Because everyone was watching.
The servants.
The security team.
The doctors waiting near the entrance.
And most importantly…
Victor Blackwood.
The man she had spent two years trying to impress.
The man she had convinced she could stand beside.
The man whose name alone made powerful people lower their heads.
Serena stood beside him, forcing herself to remain calm.
She had survived difficult situations before.
She knew how to manipulate people.
A tear.
A trembling voice.
A believable lie.
That was all it took.
She glanced at Lily.
The nanny looked broken.
Her dress was covered with dust from the marble floor.
Her hair was messy.
A bruise was already forming where Serena had kicked her.
Perfect.
Serena almost smiled.
Because who would believe a wounded nanny over the elegant future wife of Victor Blackwood?
Then the screen turned on.
A video appeared.
The nursery.
The timestamp showed exactly twenty minutes earlier.
Everyone watched silently.
At first, Serena appeared in the video exactly as she wanted people to see her.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Perfect.
She walked into Ethan’s room carrying a cup of tea.
The servants exchanged uncertain looks.
Nothing seemed wrong.
Until Serena closed the door.
The moment the door locked…
Everything changed.
The smile disappeared from her face.
Her expression became cold.
Empty.
Lily’s breathing stopped.
Because she remembered this moment.
She remembered standing outside that door.
She remembered hearing Ethan cry.
She remembered begging Serena to stop.
On the screen, Serena walked toward the crib.
Ethan immediately reached out his tiny hands.
Not because he wanted Serena.
Because he was a child.
Because children trusted adults.
That innocence made what happened next even worse.
Serena grabbed his arm.
Hard.
The room filled with shocked gasps.
Someone behind Victor whispered:
"God..."
Victor didn't move.
He didn't speak.
But his hand tightened around Ethan.
The baby was now sleeping weakly against his chest.
His face remained calm.
Too calm.
And that frightened everyone.
On the screen, Ethan began crying.
Serena looked annoyed.
Not scared.
Not worried.
Annoyed.
"Stop crying," she said.
Her voice echoed through the mansion.
"I am tired of you."
Lily closed her eyes.
She had heard those words before.
But hearing them again made her heart break.
Victor slowly turned his head toward Serena.
She immediately shook her head.
"No. Victor, wait. That doesn't show everything."
Nobody answered.
The video continued.
Serena grabbed Ethan again.
This time, even the security guards looked away.
Because watching a baby being hurt was something even they couldn't accept.
Then Lily appeared.
Running into the room.
"Stop it!"
Her voice came through the speakers.
The entire mansion heard her panic.
"Lily!" Serena shouted suddenly.
But on the screen, the truth was clear.
Lily wasn't attacking.
She was trying to protect Ethan.
She rushed forward.
She reached for the baby.
And Serena pushed her away.
Hard.
Lily hit the side of the crib.
A servant covered her mouth.
Another whispered:
"She lied..."
Victor watched without blinking.
Every second.
Every movement.
Every cruel word.
It burned into his memory.
Then came the moment that destroyed Serena completely.
The moment she thought nobody would ever see.
She leaned down toward Lily.
The camera captured her face.
That cold smile.
That emotionless expression.
And her words.
"Nobody cares about a nobody like you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Serena had stopped pretending.
Because she knew.
There was no excuse anymore.
The video ended.
The screen went black.
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared to breathe.
Victor slowly stood.
Ethan remained in his arms.
His son.
His entire world.
For several seconds, Victor said nothing.
Then:
"Serena."
Her name left his mouth quietly.
But everyone in the room felt the danger behind it.
She immediately stepped forward.
"Victor, please listen to me."
He looked at her.
"Listen?"
Serena swallowed.
"I can explain."
"Explain what?"
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"Explain why you hurt my son?"
"No!"
Serena shook her head quickly.
"You don't understand. Ethan was difficult. He wouldn't stop crying. I was stressed. I lost control for a moment."
Victor stared at her.
"A moment?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"You broke his arm."
Serena froze.
"I didn't mean—"
"You hurt him."
His voice became sharper.
"You hurt a fourteen-month-old child."
Tears appeared in Serena's eyes.
Real or fake, nobody knew.
But nobody cared anymore.
"Victor, I love you."
That sentence would have worked before.
Tonight, it meant nothing.
Victor looked at the woman he almost married.
"I loved the person I thought you were."
Serena's face changed.
"Victor..."
"Not this."
He looked at the security guards.
"Take her out."
The entire mansion froze.
Serena stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"No."
She stepped backward.
"You can't do this."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"This is my house."
A pause.
"My son."
Another pause.
"My decision."
Serena's confidence finally cracked.
"You need me."
Nobody expected what happened next.
Victor laughed.
A quiet, cold laugh.
The kind that made everyone afraid.
"I needed the woman I believed would protect my child."
He walked closer.
"You proved you were the person he needed protection from."
Serena's face turned pale.
The guards moved toward her.
But she wasn't finished.
Not yet.
Because Serena Montigue had survived by controlling secrets.
And she still had one.
A dangerous one.
"Victor."
She looked at Lily.
Then back at him.
"If you throw me away..."
She smiled slightly.
"You should ask yourself why Lily was really hired."
Everyone became still.
Lily's heart stopped.
Victor looked at her.
For the first time that night…
Confusion appeared in his eyes.
"What does that mean?"
Serena laughed softly.
"Ask your precious nanny."
The guards grabbed her arms.
But Serena didn't resist.
Because she believed she had planted a seed.
A doubt.
A question.
And sometimes…
A question could destroy everything.
As Serena was dragged away, Victor remained standing in the middle of the foyer.
Holding his injured son.
Looking at the woman who saved him.
The woman who might be hiding something.
"Lily."
Her name sounded different when he said it.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just uncertain.
She lowered her eyes.
"I can explain."
Victor stared at her.
And for the first time since entering the mansion…
He wondered.
May you like
What else had he not known?
END OF CHAPTER 2
