Clara stood her ground despite the throbbing pain in her face. Her cheek burned like fire, but all she cared about was the weeping baby on the floor. Leo reached his tiny hands out toward Clara, crying hysterically for comfort. Clara dropped to her knees, taking the baby into her arms and holding him close to her chest.
"You insolent girl," Victoria spat, stepping closer with her heels clicking loudly against the marble. "You are a servant in this house. You do not tell me how to raise my child. If you say one word about this to David, I will make sure you are arrested for theft. I will ruin your life."
Clara held Leo tight, feeling his tiny heart racing against her ribs. She looked up at Victoria, her voice shaking with emotion. "He is just a baby, Mrs. Sterling. He doesn't understand. Why do you hate him so much?"
"I don't hate him," Victoria hissed, leaning down close to Clara's bruised face. "I just don't care for him. He was a tool to lock David down with a ironclad prenup and a child support guarantee. Now that I have the Sterling name, I don't need to play the happy mother whenever David is away. Now get out of my sight and take him to the nursery."
Clara carried Leo into the nursery and locked the door behind her. She rocked the baby back and forth, singing soft lullabies until his heavy sobs turned into quiet whimpers. As she sat in the rocking chair, her mind raced. She knew that if she stayed silent, Leo would keep getting hurt. But if she spoke up, Victoria would frame her and throw her in prison.
Clara looked at her reflection in the nursery window. The left side of her face was badly bruised, the skin tender and swollen. She pulled her cell phone out of her uniform pocket with trembling fingers. She knew she needed proof. David adored his wife and trusted her completely; he would never believe a maid's word over his wealthy, socialite bride without undeniable evidence.
Over the next three days, Clara took quiet risks. Whenever Victoria threw a fit, Clara kept her phone tucked into her apron pocket, recording the sharp insults and the sounds of physical cruelty. It was dangerous work. If Victoria caught her, the consequences would be severe. But Clara looked at Leo's sweet, innocent eyes and knew she could not abandon him.
On Friday morning, David called the mansion from his private jet. He was landing early to surprise his wife and son. Victoria took the call in the drawing room, putting on a high-pitched, affectionate voice that made Clara's stomach turn. "Oh darling, we miss you so much! Leo just said his first baby word today. Hurry home to us!"
As soon as she hung up the phone, Victoria turned to Clara with a cold scowl. "David will be here in twenty minutes. Clean up this nursery, and make sure that brat is dressed in his expensive outfit. And put makeup on that ugly bruise on your face. If David asks, you fell down the stairs."
Clara nodded silently, keeping her head down. But inside her pocket, her hand tightly gripped her phone. She knew that today was the day everything would come out, one way or another. The moment of truth was approaching fast, and there was no turning back for any of them.