Chapter 5 - The Woman in the ChairBy morning, the story had not reached the newspapers.
Victor made sure of that.
Not because he wanted to protect Serena.
Because Ethan deserved one night of peace before the city turned his pain into entertainment.
Still, whispers traveled faster than news.
At 7:00 a.m., half of Chicago’s elite knew the wedding was canceled.
By 8:00 a.m., they knew Serena had been taken from Blackwood mansion in handcuffs.
By 9:00 a.m., they knew a nanny had testified.
And by 10:00 a.m., every woman who had smiled at Lily like she was invisible suddenly wanted to know her name.
Lily knew none of this.
She woke in a hospital chair with a stiff neck, bruised ribs, and Ethan’s tiny hand wrapped around two of her fingers.
For a moment, she did not remember where she was.
Then the machines beeped softly.
The smell of antiseptic came back.
The night returned.
She looked at Ethan and exhaled.
His color was better. His breathing steadier. His injured arm was carefully supported. He looked impossibly small in the hospital bed, surrounded by white sheets and wires.
Victor stood by the window, phone in hand, speaking quietly.
“No visitors,” he said. “No exceptions. Not Conrad. Not the board. Not family friends. If my aunt comes with a priest, a lawyer, or a casserole, she can leave all three downstairs.”
Lily almost smiled.
Victor ended the call and turned.
“You’re awake.”
She tried to sit straighter.
“Sorry.”
His brows drew together. “For sleeping?”
“I’m staff.”
“You’re injured.”
“I should have stayed awake.”
“You stayed awake when it mattered.”
The words silenced her.
Victor crossed the room and handed her a paper cup of tea.
She took it carefully.
“Thank you.”
“Dr. Hale said you need rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“You say that a lot.”
“Because usually no one asks twice.”
Victor’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But she saw it.
He pulled another chair closer to Ethan’s bed and sat across from her.
For a while, they said nothing.
Outside, Chicago moved through a gray morning. Rain slid down the hospital window in thin lines. Somewhere down the hall, a child laughed. The sound made Lily’s throat tighten.
Victor looked at Ethan.
“I hired twelve security professionals to keep him safe,” he said. “I built a nursery with reinforced windows. I checked every employee myself. I watched for enemies outside the walls.”
Lily looked down.
“You couldn’t have known.”
“I should have.”
“She fooled everyone.”
“She didn’t fool you.”
Lily’s fingers tightened around the cup.
“I saw how she treated people when you weren’t looking.”
Victor looked at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
The question was quiet.
Not accusing.
That made it worse.
Lily swallowed. “I tried once.”
His expression sharpened.
“When?”
“Three months ago. After she locked the nursery door because Ethan wouldn’t stop crying. She said she needed to teach him not to manipulate people.”
Victor’s face went still.
“I told Mrs. Vale.”
The house manager.
Victor’s eyes darkened.
“What did she do?”
“She told me Ms. Montigue was under pressure and that I should be careful making accusations against your fiancée.”
Victor stood.
The chair scraped the floor.
Lily flinched before she could stop herself.
Victor saw it.
His anger vanished from his face, replaced by something heavier.
“I’m not angry at you,” he said.
“I know.”
But her body had not known.
That seemed to hit him harder than anything she had said.
He sat back down slowly.
“Who else knew?”
Lily hesitated.
Victor leaned forward.
“Lily.”
The way he said her name made lying impossible.
“Some of the staff saw things. Small things. She slapped a maid once for dropping a napkin. She fired a driver because Ethan smiled at him. She made one of the kitchen girls cry because the bottle warmer was too loud.”
Victor listened without interruption.
Each detail built a house of negligence around him.
He had lived in the center of it and seen none of it.
Because Serena had performed kindness only where he could watch.
A nurse entered to check Ethan. Lily immediately shifted aside, watching every movement.
Victor noticed that too.
After the nurse left, Ethan woke briefly. His eyes opened, heavy and unfocused, then found Lily.
“Li,” he murmured.
“I’m here,” she whispered.
Victor watched as she soothed him with a song under her breath.
It was not a nursery rhyme he knew.
It was soft, almost sad, and Ethan relaxed before she reached the second line.
When the baby slept again, Victor asked, “What is that song?”
“My mother sang it.”
“Is she in Chicago?”
Lily shook her head.
“Where is she?”
“Gone.”
The single word carried more than grief.
Victor did not press.
But something about Lily Harper began to rearrange in his mind. She was not merely the quiet nanny who made Ethan laugh. She was not simply the woman Serena had tried to crush.
She was someone who knew how to love without being protected by anyone.
A knock came at the door.
Marco entered.
His expression was grim.
Victor stood.
“What now?”
Marco glanced at Lily.
Victor’s voice hardened. “Say it.”
“Serena’s legal team is claiming the footage was altered.”
Lily’s stomach dropped.
Marco continued. “They’re also claiming Ms. Harper has an unhealthy attachment to Ethan and attacked Serena out of jealousy.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Lily closed her eyes.
Of course.
Serena had lost the truth, so she would attack the witness.
Victor’s voice went very calm.
“Who said this?”
“Conrad Montigue’s office released a statement to select reporters.”
Victor looked at Ethan.
Then at Lily.
She waited for doubt.
Even a flicker.
It never came.
“Get my attorney,” Victor said. “Get the original files to the detective. And get me every staff member Serena mistreated.”
Marco nodded.
Victor’s eyes did not leave Lily.
“If they want to put you on trial,” he said, “they’ll have to go through me first.”
Lily’s throat closed.
May you like
For six months, she had stood between Serena and Ethan.
Now, for the first time, someone stood between Serena and her.
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