“NO!”

I dropped the silver tray.

Crystal shattered across the marble.

I didn’t care.

I ran.

The baby was falling.

Little Ethan was dressed in white, his tiny arms reaching helplessly into empty space as his body tipped beyond the edge of the upstairs landing.

There was nothing beneath him.

Nothing except twenty feet of open air and polished marble.

I threw myself forward.

“ETHAN!”

My arms went up.

For one horrifying second, I thought I was too late.

Then—

I caught him.

His weight slammed into my arms.

I staggered backward.

But I didn’t let go.

“I’ve got you.”

Ethan screamed.

My knees were shaking so badly I could barely stand.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

I pressed him against my chest.

“You’re okay.”

That should have been the end of it.

It wasn’t.

Because someone came running down the stairs.

Claire.

Daniel Whitmore’s fiancée.

She wasn’t looking at Ethan.

She was looking at me.

And she was furious.

“What did you do?”

I stared at her.

“What?”

She rushed toward us.

“Give him to me!”

“No.”

Her expression changed.

“What did you say?”

“He almost fell.”

“Give me the baby, Nora.”

“Claire, he needs to be checked.”

“He’s fine.”

“He almost hit the floor!”

“I SAID GIVE HIM TO ME!”

Ethan started crying harder.

I turned slightly, shielding him.

“Don’t yell.”

Claire stepped closer.

“You’re the maid.”

“And he’s a baby.”

“You don’t tell me what to do in this house.”

I looked toward the landing.

Something wasn’t right.

Ethan couldn’t climb over that railing himself.

He was barely ten months old.

“How did he get up there?”

Claire froze.

Only for a second.

But I saw it.

“I asked you a question.”

She grabbed for Ethan.

I moved away.

“Don’t touch him.”

“You’re finished here.”

“I don’t care.”

Her eyes widened.

“What?”

“If keeping this job means pretending I didn’t just catch that child falling from upstairs, then fire me.”

Claire looked toward the front doors.

Then back at me.

“Give him to me.”

“No.”

She shoved me.

Hard.

I twisted before I fell.

My shoulder hit the marble first.

Then my hip.

Pain shot through me.

But my arms stayed wrapped around Ethan.

He never touched the floor.

I heard the front doors open.

“Nora?”

Everything stopped.

Daniel Whitmore stood in the entrance.

Ethan’s father.

He’d returned from New York a day early.

His briefcase slipped from his hand.

He saw me on the floor.

He saw Ethan against my chest.

Then he saw Claire standing over us.

“What happened?”

Claire immediately spoke.

“She dropped him.”

I stared at her.

“What?”

Daniel’s face changed.

Claire pointed at me.

“I walked in and found her being careless with Ethan. I tried to take him and she refused.”

“That’s a lie!”

Daniel rushed toward us.

I instinctively tightened my arms around Ethan.

Then Daniel crouched.

“Is he hurt?”

“I don’t know.”

My voice was shaking.

“He fell from above me. I caught him before he hit the floor.”

Daniel looked toward the upstairs railing.

Then back at his son.

“Ethan.”

The baby recognized his voice.

His tiny hand reached toward Daniel.

Daniel took him carefully.

“Call the pediatrician,” he ordered.

A housekeeper near the hallway immediately reached for her phone.

Claire stepped closer.

“Daniel, she’s lying.”

He ignored her.

He checked Ethan’s face.

His arms.

His head.

Then he looked at me.

“Are you hurt?”

“My shoulder.”

“How did you end up on the floor?”

I looked at Claire.

She went pale.

“She pushed me.”

“That is not what happened.”

Daniel stood.

“Enough.”

Claire froze.

“You don’t understand.”

“Then explain.”

“I saw Nora holding Ethan—”

“Upstairs.”

My voice stopped her.

Everyone looked at me.

I pointed toward the second floor.

“Ask her why Ethan was upstairs alone.”

Daniel slowly turned toward Claire.

“What?”

“He wasn’t alone.”

Claire’s answer came too quickly.

Daniel stared at her.

“Then who was with him?”

Silence.

“Claire?”

She folded her arms.

“The nanny must have stepped away.”

“The nanny is off today.”

Claire stopped breathing.

Daniel knew.

Of course he knew.

It was his house.

His son.

His staff.

He looked toward me.

“What exactly did you see?”

“I was crossing the foyer.”

I pointed.

“I looked up and saw Ethan coming over the edge.”

Daniel stared at the railing.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I know.”

Claire shook her head.

“This is ridiculous.”

Daniel turned toward one of the security panels beside the study.

“Marcus.”

The head of household security appeared from the corridor.

“Yes, sir?”

“Pull the foyer cameras.”

Claire’s expression changed instantly.

“Daniel.”

He looked at her.

“What?”

“You don’t need to do that.”

The entire foyer went silent.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

“Why not?”

“I told you what happened.”

“And Nora told me something completely different.”

“You believe the maid over me?”

Daniel looked down at Ethan.

“I believe cameras don’t care who’s wearing the expensive dress.”

Nobody spoke.

Claire’s face hardened.

“You’re humiliating me.”

“My son nearly hit a marble floor.”

He pointed toward the security room.

“Pull the footage.”

Marcus disappeared.

Claire reached for Daniel.

“Please.”

He stepped away.

That frightened me more than if he’d shouted.

Several minutes later, Marcus returned carrying a tablet.

His face looked different.

“Mr. Whitmore…”

“What?”

“I think you need to see this privately.”

“No.”

Daniel looked directly at Claire.

“Play it here.”

Marcus hesitated.

Then pressed the screen.

The video began several minutes before I’d entered the foyer.

The upstairs hallway appeared.

Ethan was sitting safely in his play area.

Claire walked into view.

My stomach tightened.

Daniel became completely still.

Claire picked Ethan up.

She carried him toward the railing.

“Daniel…”

He raised one hand.

“Don’t.”

On the screen, Claire looked downstairs.

Checked the foyer.

Then looked directly toward the security camera.

She reached upward.

The video suddenly went black.

Daniel stared at Marcus.

“What happened?”

“The upstairs camera was manually disabled.”

“By whom?”

Marcus swallowed.

“Someone using Claire’s access code.”

Every face in the foyer turned toward her.

Claire backed away.

“No.”

Daniel’s voice dropped.

“Why did you disable the camera?”

“I didn’t.”

Marcus tapped the tablet again.

“The system logs the credential.”

Claire shook her head.

“Someone used my code.”

Then another camera appeared.

The foyer.

Me entering.

Looking up.

Running.

Ethan falling into view.

Me catching him.

Claire rushing downstairs.

And then—

Claire pushing me while I was holding his son.

Daniel watched the entire thing.

Not once did he look away.

When the recording ended, Claire whispered:

“Daniel, please.”

He didn’t touch her.

He didn’t shout.

He simply handed Ethan to me again.

“Hold him.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“Please.”

I took the baby.

Daniel pulled out his phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“Emergency services.”

Claire’s face drained of color.

“Daniel!”

“My son is being medically examined.”

Then he looked toward Marcus.

“And nobody deletes a second of that footage.”

“Understood.”

Claire started toward the doors.

Marcus stepped between her and the exit.

“Don’t.”

Daniel’s voice stopped everyone.

He wasn’t speaking to Marcus.

He was looking at Claire.

“You’re going to explain exactly what happened.”

Tears appeared in her eyes.

“It was an accident.”

Daniel stared at her.

“Then why did you turn off the camera?”

She said nothing.

I looked down at Ethan.

He had stopped crying.

His fingers were wrapped around mine.

Then Marcus’s tablet beeped.

He glanced down.

His expression changed again.

“Sir?”

Daniel turned.

“What now?”

“I checked the security archive.”

“And?”

Marcus looked at Claire.

“This wasn’t the first time her access code disabled a camera near Ethan.”

Daniel went completely still.

“How many times?”

Marcus swallowed.

“Seven.”

Claire whispered:

“No…”

But Marcus was already opening another recording.

Daniel stared at the screen.

Then his face lost all color.

Because the footage wasn’t from that afternoon.

It was from three weeks earlier.

And Claire wasn’t alone.

Someone else was standing beside Ethan’s crib.

Someone Daniel recognized immediately.

He whispered one name.

And suddenly I understood that catching Ethan before he hit the floor hadn’t uncovered one terrible accident.

It had uncovered something that had been happening inside that mansion for weeks.

THIS IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY.

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