CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
THE NANNY WHO REFUSED TO LEAVE
The hospital corridor had never felt so cold.
Victor Blackwood had stood in front of enemies holding guns.
He had walked into rooms where people wanted him dead.
He had made decisions that changed the lives of hundreds of people without a second thought.
But nothing had ever terrified him like the sight of his son lying inside that hospital room.
Ethan was too small.
Too innocent.
Too fragile.
And someone had hurt him.
Someone he had allowed into his home.
Someone he had trusted.
Victor stood behind the glass window, watching as doctors carefully examined Ethan.
The little boy was asleep now.
Exhausted from crying.
Exhausted from pain.
His tiny fingers were wrapped around a stuffed bear that Lily had brought from the mansion.
Victor noticed that.
He noticed everything.
Because for the first time in years, he was afraid.
Not of losing his empire.
Not of losing power.
But of losing his son.
"Mr. Blackwood."
The doctor approached quietly.
Victor turned immediately.
"How is he?"
The doctor hesitated.
That hesitation made Victor's expression darken.
"Tell me the truth."
The doctor nodded.
"Your son's arm was seriously injured. Thankfully, there was no permanent damage, but the fracture was severe."
Victor closed his eyes briefly.
A storm of anger moved behind them.
"And emotionally?"
The doctor looked through the glass at Ethan.
"Children at his age don't understand betrayal. They only understand fear."
A pause.
"He was afraid."
Those two words hurt more than any weapon ever could.
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Will he recover?"
"Physically, yes."
The doctor looked at him.
"But he needs stability. He needs people he trusts around him."
Victor immediately thought of one person.
Lily.
Two hours later.
Lily sat alone in the waiting area.
She had refused treatment at first.
Not because she wasn't hurt.
She was.
Her ribs were bruised.
Her stomach still ached.
Her arms shook every time she remembered Serena's attack.
But Ethan needed someone.
So she stayed.
A nurse finally convinced her to let a doctor examine her.
Now she sat with a small bandage on her forehead and her hands tightly clasped together.
She didn't notice Victor approaching.
Not until his shadow covered her.
She looked up.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The man who terrified an entire city.
And the woman who had stood between danger and his child.
Victor looked different.
Not weaker.
But tired.
Human.
"You should be resting."
Lily looked away.
"So should you."
A faint surprise appeared in his eyes.
Most people avoided speaking to him that way.
Everyone feared him.
But Lily never seemed impressed by his reputation.
She only cared about Ethan.
"You were injured."
"So was Ethan."
Her answer came immediately.
Victor became silent.
Because he couldn't argue.
She had chosen his son over herself.
Again.
"I owe you."
Lily shook her head.
"No."
Victor frowned.
"No?"
She looked at him.
"I didn't save Ethan because I wanted something from you."
"I know."
"Then don't say you owe me."
Her voice softened.
"I just did what anyone should have done."
Victor studied her.
That was the problem.
Lily didn't act like someone trying to gain his attention.
She didn't act like someone trying to enter his world.
She acted like someone who genuinely loved Ethan.
And somehow…
That made him trust her more.
"I heard what Serena said."
Lily's expression changed.
Victor continued.
"About why you were hired."
Silence.
There it was.
The question Serena planted.
Lily looked down.
"I knew this would happen."
"What would happen?"
"That you would eventually wonder if I was really here for Ethan."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Are you?"
Lily looked at him.
And for the first time, Victor saw something in her eyes.
Pain.
Not guilt.
Pain.
"I came here because I needed a job."
She spoke quietly.
"I was struggling. I had debts. I needed money."
Victor remained silent.
"But I stayed because of Ethan."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"When I first met him, he was only eight months old."
She smiled sadly.
"He wouldn't let anyone hold him except you."
Victor remembered.
He remembered those difficult months.
After Ethan's mother died, the baby had refused almost everyone.
Nannies came and went.
Doctors came and went.
Even family members struggled.
But somehow...
Ethan accepted Lily.
"He smiled at me."
Lily whispered.
"That was all."
Victor looked at her.
"That was enough?"
She nodded.
"For a child who felt abandoned, yes."
Those words hit him.
Because deep down, Victor knew they were true.
He had provided everything.
Security.
Money.
A home.
But maybe...
He had forgotten the most important thing.
Presence.
Later that evening, Victor returned to Ethan's room.
The little boy was awake.
The moment Ethan saw him, he started crying.
Victor immediately picked him up.
"Hey..."
His voice softened.
"Dad's here."
But Ethan kept crying.
Until Lily entered.
The second Ethan saw her...
He reached toward her.
Victor noticed.
The child wanted her.
Not because he loved Victor less.
Because Ethan knew Lily was safe.
Victor slowly handed him over.
Lily held Ethan carefully.
The crying stopped.
Just like that.
Victor watched silently.
Something inside him shifted.
The next morning, Lily packed her things.
Victor found her in the servant's quarters.
"What are you doing?"
She didn't turn around.
"Leaving."
His expression changed.
"Why?"
She placed her last shirt into the small bag.
"Because Serena was right about one thing."
Victor waited.
"I am just a nanny."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Lily looked at him.
Victor stepped closer.
"You're the person who protected my son when everyone else failed."
Her eyes lowered.
"I don't belong here."
Victor looked around the room.
A place far too small for someone who had become so important to Ethan.
"You think this is about money?"
"No."
"Then what is it about?"
Lily was silent.
Finally, she whispered:
"Fear."
Victor froze.
"Fear of what?"
She looked at him.
"Your world."
For the first time, Victor understood.
Lily wasn't afraid of him.
She was afraid of everything around him.
The danger.
The violence.
The enemies.
The darkness that followed his name.
"I can't let you leave."
Her eyes widened.
"Victor—"
"Not because I need a nanny."
He paused.
"Because Ethan needs you."
Lily looked away.
"That's not fair."
"No."
Victor admitted.
"It's not."
A rare honesty.
"But it's the truth."
Before Lily could answer, Victor's phone rang.
His security chief.
Victor answered.
His face changed within seconds.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Then:
"Repeat that."
Lily watched him.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Victor slowly lowered the phone.
"They found something."
"What?"
His eyes moved toward Ethan's room.
"Someone tried to access the hospital records."
Lily felt cold.
"Why?"
Victor's expression hardened.
"Because someone wants to know if my son survived."
The room became silent.
And then Victor said the words that changed everything.
May you like
"This was never only about Serena."
END OF CHAPTER 3
