The woman in white opened her mouth, but no words came out.
The maid tried to speak, but pain bent her forward.
The man rushed to her side and dropped to his knees.
âDonât touch me,â she whispered, terrified.
That hurt him more than anything.
His hands froze in the air.
âI thought you were gone,â he said, his voice breaking. âI looked for you.â
The maid looked at him through tears.
âShe locked my phone away. She told the staff I was stealing. She said if I came near you, she would make sure my baby was born with nothing.â
The man slowly turned toward the woman in white.
The chandelier lights reflected in her shaking eyes.
âYou said she betrayed me.â
The woman swallowed.
âShe was a maid. She was never supposed to matter.â
The whole room went silent.
The maid clutched her stomach and whispered, âBut the baby mattered.â
The manâs face collapsed.
He looked back at her, tears filling his eyes.
âOur baby?â
The maid nodded once, barely able to breathe.
The woman in white stepped back.
âI did it for this family,â she said.
The man stood slowly, his voice cold now.
âNo. You did it because she had the one thing money couldnât buy.â
He took off his jacket and gently wrapped it around the maidâs shoulders.
Then he looked at the staff gathering in the doorway.
âCall a doctor.â
The maid looked up, shaking.
âAnd her?â
The man stared at the woman in white, who suddenly looked very small in her perfect suit.
âShe leaves this house tonight.â
Then he knelt beside the maid again and whispered, âIâm sorry I believed the lie before I protected the truth.â
