Dominic ordered an immediate review of the estate's security records.
But this time, he did not tell Norah to remain in her room.
He asked her what she wanted.
“I want to know who has been watching me,” she answered.
Dominic nodded.
“Then you'll know.”
Rafael assembled the household staff in the main dining room.
Maria stood beside the fireplace.
Two kitchen assistants waited near the doorway.
The groundskeeper sat with his hands folded.
Norah recognized everyone.
They were people she had eaten breakfast with.
People who had watched Lily grow.
People who had smiled at her in the hallways.
The thought that one of them might have betrayed her made her stomach ache.
Dominic entered with Rafael.
“We've discovered that information about this household has been shared with an outside organization,” he announced.
The room went silent.
“I want whoever is responsible to understand that the police will be involved.”
Several employees exchanged nervous glances.
Norah looked at Dominic.
He had not threatened anyone.
He had not raised his voice.
But the atmosphere remained tense.
Rafael placed a photograph on the dining table.
Adrian Vale.
“Has anyone seen this man?”
Nobody answered.
Then one of the kitchen assistants, a young woman named Teresa, raised her hand.
“I have.”
Dominic turned.
“Where?”
“At the pharmacy.”
“When?”
“Last Thursday.”
Norah remembered Thursday.
She had asked Teresa to pick up ginger tea because her nausea had returned.
“What happened?” Dominic asked.
Teresa looked frightened.
“He asked whether I worked for the Russo family.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said yes.”
“Did he ask about anyone else?”
Teresa's eyes moved toward Norah.
“He asked about the nanny.”
Norah felt cold.
“What did you tell him?”
Teresa began to cry.
“I didn't know he was dangerous.”
Dominic remained still.
“What did you tell him?”
“That she was sick.”
Norah stared at her.
Teresa wiped her cheeks.
“He asked why you were wearing big sweaters. I told him you had been tired lately.”
“Did you tell him anything else?”
Teresa shook her head.
Then hesitated.
Dominic noticed.
“Teresa.”
The young woman began crying harder.
“He gave me money.”
Silence.
“How much?” Rafael asked.
“Five hundred dollars.”
Norah felt sick.
Teresa looked directly at her.
“My mother needed medication. He said he was an old friend of yours. He wanted to know whether you were planning to leave the estate.”
Norah whispered, “And you told him?”
Teresa nodded.
“I said you had asked about taking time off.”
Dominic closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them, his expression was cold.
“Rafael, document everything. Teresa will need to give a statement.”
Teresa looked terrified.
“Am I going to jail?”
“That will depend on what the investigators find,” Dominic answered.
He turned toward Norah.
“Do you want to leave?”
She nodded.
He accompanied her into the hallway.
Norah walked directly to Lily's playroom.
She needed to see the little girl.
Lily was sitting on the carpet with her stuffed rabbit.
“Nora!”
Norah knelt and hugged her.
The child wrapped her arms around Norah's neck.
“Are you sad?”
“A little.”
Lily patted her cheek.
“Don't be sad.”
Norah closed her eyes.
She had accepted the job at the Russo estate because she needed money.
She had stayed because of Lily.
The little girl had lost her mother before she was old enough to remember her.
Norah had never intended to become a replacement.
But somewhere between bedtime stories, scraped knees, and pancake breakfasts, she had begun to love Lily as if she were her own.
Now she was carrying Lily's little brother or sister.
And someone had decided that made her valuable.
That evening, Dominic found Norah in the library.
She was sitting beside the window, holding the ultrasound photograph.
He remained near the doorway.
“May I come in?”
She nodded.
He sat across from her.
“Teresa has agreed to cooperate with the police.”
Norah looked up.
“Will that stop Salazar?”
“I don't know.”
She appreciated the honesty.
Dominic continued.
“I've arranged a meeting with an attorney tomorrow. Someone who represents families dealing with threats and custody concerns.”
Norah frowned.
“Custody?”
“I want you to understand your rights.”
She stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because you shouldn't have to rely on my promises.”
Norah looked down at the ultrasound.
For months, she had imagined Dominic discovering her pregnancy.
In every version, he had been furious.
He had accused her of trapping him.
He had demanded control.
But the man sitting across from her was asking her to speak with an independent attorney.
She did not know what to do with that.
“Dominic?”
“Yes?”
“Why didn't you talk to me after that night?”
He went still.
Norah continued.
“You walked into the kitchen the next morning and asked whether Lily had eaten breakfast.”
“I remember.”
“You acted like nothing happened.”
Dominic looked at his hands.
“I thought that was what you wanted.”
Norah stared at him.
“What?”
“You told me not to make promises I couldn't keep.”
“That didn't mean I wanted you to pretend I didn't exist.”
He looked up.
“I know that now.”
Norah felt anger rising beneath her sadness.
“I spent weeks wondering whether you regretted it.”
Dominic's expression tightened.
“I didn't.”
“Then why did you act like you did?”
He looked toward the window.
“Because I was afraid.”
Norah almost laughed.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“Wanting something I couldn't protect.”
The room fell silent.
Dominic leaned forward.
“After Elena died, I told myself that Lily would be the only person I ever allowed close enough to hurt me.”
Norah watched him.
“Then you came into this house.”
He smiled faintly.
“You argued with my security chief about Lily's bedtime. You replaced the expensive toys I bought her with cardboard boxes and finger paint. You told me she needed a father more than another birthday present.”
Norah remembered that conversation.
Dominic had been furious.
She had nearly lost her job.
“And somehow,” he continued, “you made this house feel like somewhere people actually lived.”
Norah's eyes filled.
“I didn't know how to handle that.”
“So you ignored me?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head.
“That hurt.”
“I know.”
“No, Dominic. I don't think you do.”
He accepted the words.
Norah placed the ultrasound on the table.
“I was alone when I found out I was pregnant.”
His face changed.
“I was alone when I heard the heartbeat for the first time. I was alone when I started getting sick every morning.”
She wiped her cheek.
“And every time you walked past me without looking at me, I thought about telling you. But I couldn't stop imagining what would happen if you decided the baby was a problem.”
Dominic looked devastated.
“Norah—”
“I don't need you to promise that everything will be perfect.”
She took a shaky breath.
“I need you to understand that I can't be invisible anymore.”
Dominic moved to the chair beside her.
He did not touch her.
“I see you,” he said quietly.
Norah looked at him.
“And I'm sorry it took me so long.”
The next morning, Norah met with attorney Evelyn Parker.
Evelyn was in her forties, with short dark hair and a calm, direct manner.
She explained Norah's rights regarding employment, privacy, medical care, and future parenting arrangements.
Dominic did not attend the meeting.
Norah had insisted on speaking privately.
For the first time since entering the Russo estate, she felt as though she had someone entirely on her side.
Afterward, she asked Evelyn a question.
“What if I want to leave?”
“Then we can help you make a plan.”
“What if Dominic doesn't want me to?”
Evelyn met her eyes.
“You are an adult, Norah. You have the right to decide where you live.”
Norah exhaled.
It was a simple statement.
But hearing it from someone outside Dominic's world changed something inside her.
She no longer felt trapped.
She had choices.
And that meant she could begin deciding what she actually wanted.
Three days later, Norah accompanied Dominic and Lily into the garden.
The weather was warm.
Lily chased butterflies across the lawn.
Dominic sat beside Norah beneath the flowering tree.
“Evelyn says you've arranged somewhere for me to stay if I want to leave,” Norah said.
Dominic nodded.
“A furnished apartment. It's available whenever you need it.”
“Does it have guards?”
“Only if you request them.”
Norah looked at him.
“Thank you.”
He smiled faintly.
“You don't have to thank me.”
She watched Lily running through the grass.
“I'm not ready to leave yet.”
Dominic turned toward her.
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
She laughed softly.
“But I want to find out what happens if we stop being afraid of each other.”
Dominic looked at her for a long moment.
Then he reached for her hand.
Norah let him take it.
Across the lawn, Lily shouted.
“Daddy! Nora! Look!”
She had found a butterfly resting on a rose.
Dominic stood and offered Norah his hand.
Together, they walked toward the little girl.
For the first time, Norah allowed herself to imagine that perhaps this strange, complicated family could become something beautiful.
Then Rafael appeared at the garden gate.
His expression was grim.
“Boss. We have a problem.”
Dominic stopped.
“What happened?”
Rafael looked toward Norah.
“Salazar knows about the pregnancy.”