Chapter 2 - Daddy Was Watching
No one spoke.
The only sound was Caleb crying.
Vanessa took one step backward.
“Evan, I can explain.”
I walked past her.
Straight to Sophie.
She looked terrified.
Not relieved.
Terrified.
That hurt more than anything Vanessa could have done.
I crouched.
“Sophie.”
She swallowed.
“Are you mad?”
The question nearly destroyed me.
“At you?”
She nodded.
“No.”
Her chin trembled.
“At Caleb?”
“No.”
“At Grace?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
I looked over her shoulder at Vanessa.
“Someone who should have known better.”
Sophie threw both arms around my neck.
I held her.
Caleb ran toward us next.
“Daddy!”
I pulled him against my chest.
His rabbit pressed between us.
“I broke the glass.”
“I know.”
“I said sorry.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“Vanessa said—”
“I know what Vanessa said.”
His little body went rigid.
“You heard?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not sending me away?”
I closed my eyes.
“Never.”
Behind me, Vanessa found her voice.
“This is insane.”
I stood slowly.
Grace remained beside Sophie.
Daniel Mercer walked through the French doors with two security officers.
Vanessa stared at him.
“You?”
Daniel adjusted his jacket.
“Good afternoon, Vanessa.”
“You planned this?”
I answered.
“I planned it.”
She looked at the guests.
Then the cameras.
Then me.
“You disguised yourself in your own home to spy on me?”
“Yes.”
“That is psychotic.”
“Perhaps.”
“You invaded my privacy.”
I almost laughed.
“My children live here.”
“I was disciplining them.”
Grace stepped forward.
“By telling a three-year-old his father would abandon him?”
Vanessa snapped toward her.
“You are fired.”
“No,” I said.
Vanessa looked back at me.
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t employ Grace.”
“I run this household.”
“Not anymore.”
A murmur moved through the guests.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“Evan, please. We can discuss this privately.”
“You wanted witnesses.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“You invited donors, politicians and photographers into my home to show everyone what a perfect future wife you were.”
I looked around the terrace.
“Congratulations. They’re witnesses now.”
“Turn the cameras off.”
Several photographers hesitated.
Daniel spoke calmly.
“Do not interfere with anyone’s equipment.”
Vanessa’s jaw tightened.
“What exactly are you accusing me of?”
I removed a small recording device from beneath my shirt.
Her face changed.
“For eleven days, I have been working on these grounds.”
Sophie stared at me.
“You were Walter?”
I looked at her.
“Yes.”
“You heard everything?”
“Enough.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“Those recordings won’t prove anything.”
“Maybe.”
Daniel raised his phone.
“But the security archive might.”
Vanessa went still.
“What archive?”
I turned toward her.
“You really thought I owned a house like this without redundant surveillance?”
“The cameras inside were disabled.”
“The ones you knew about.”
For the first time, panic showed.
I stepped closer.
“You made one mistake, Vanessa.”
She whispered, “What?”
“You thought my absence meant no one was watching.”
Grace made a quiet sound.
I looked at her.
“What did you mean about sleeping outside their door?”
She glanced toward the children.
“Can we not do this in front of them?”
That answer told me enough.
I turned to Daniel.
“Take Sophie and Caleb inside.”
“No,” Sophie said immediately.
She grabbed my hand.
“Please don’t leave.”
I crouched again.
“I’m not leaving.”
“You always leave.”
The terrace went painfully quiet.
I had survived gunfire without flinching.
That sentence cut deeper.
I nodded.
“You’re right.”
Sophie blinked.
Adults rarely told children that.
“I left too much.”
I squeezed her hand.
“I’m changing that.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly behind us.
“Wonderful performance.”
I stood.
Grace’s expression hardened.
“You should stop talking.”
Vanessa stepped toward her.
“You think this is about you?”
“No.”
“You’ve worked here three weeks.”
“Twenty-two days.”
“You’re a maid.”
“Housekeeper.”
“You sleep on the floor like some kind of martyr and suddenly you understand this family?”
Grace’s voice stayed steady.
“I understand frightened children.”
Vanessa’s mouth tightened.
“You know nothing about them.”
Grace looked at Sophie.
“She sleeps with her closet light on because you told her dead mothers disappear when children talk about them too much.”
Vanessa paled.
Grace continued.
“Caleb hides food beneath his pillow because you sent him to bed without dinner twice.”
I took one step toward Vanessa.
Daniel put a hand on my arm.
“Evan.”
Grace wasn’t finished.
“Sophie wakes up every night at 2:17.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Because that’s when she checks whether Caleb is still in his room.”
My daughter stared at the floor.
“Why?” I asked softly.
Sophie barely whispered.
“Vanessa said bad children get taken away while everyone sleeps.”
Everything inside me went cold.
I looked at Vanessa.
She shook her head.
“That is not what I said.”
Grace answered.
“It’s exactly what you said.”
Vanessa pointed at her.
“She’s lying.”
Grace reached into her apron.
And placed a phone on the table.
“I recorded you too.”
Vanessa stared at it.
Daniel slowly smiled.
“Well.”
He looked at me.
“That solves several problems.”
Vanessa’s eyes filled with fury.
“You little bitch.”
Grace didn’t react.
But Sophie did.
“Don’t call her that.”
Vanessa looked at her.
For the first time, Sophie did not lower her eyes.
“She protected us.”
Caleb nodded.
“Grace sleeps by the door.”
I looked at Grace.
“Why?”
She finally met my eyes.
“Because six nights ago, I heard Vanessa tell Sophie that if she locked her bedroom door again, she’d have it removed.”
My voice dropped.
“And?”
“I decided nobody was going through that door without going through me first.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Grace looked uncomfortable under my stare.
“I didn’t know when you were coming home.”
I answered quietly.
“Neither did Vanessa.”
Then Daniel approached me.
“There’s another problem.”
“What?”
He lowered his voice.
“Vanessa called someone ten minutes ago.”
“Who?”
“We traced the number.”
His expression was grim.
“Your security chief.”
I looked toward the mansion.
“Martin?”
Daniel nodded.
May you like
“He’s on his way.”
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