Alessia's POV 

By the end of the first week, I had learned three things about living in Adrian Virelli's mansion.

First, the house had more cameras than a bank.

Second, the staff spoke in careful whispers whenever Adrian's name came up.

And third, Ava Virelli was a walking disaster wrapped in an eight-year-old's body.

After the incident with the forbidden wing, Adrian had given me a very clear warning.

Stay out of that part of the house.

There had been no explanation, no discussion, just an order delivered in that cold voice that made it clear he wasn't used to being questioned.

Since then, I had done exactly that.

I stayed where I was supposed to stay. I followed Mrs. Davenport's instructions. And most importantly, I learned to watch out for Ava.

Because Ava liked games.

One day she swapped the sugar in my tea for salt and watched quietly while I took a sip. Another time she hid my phone somewhere in the library and observed me from the staircase as I spent nearly an hour searching for it.

She never admitted to anything but I knew.

She just watched like she was waiting to see how long it would take before I broke.

But I didn't break.

I couldn't afford to.

Three years, I reminded myself constantly.

Three years and my family would be safe.

Saturday morning was strangely quiet.

Adrian had left early for work, and most of the staff had the day off except for the security guards stationed outside the gates. Even Mrs. Davenport had disappeared into another wing of the house to handle inventory.

Which meant it was just me and Ava.

That alone should have made me nervous.

But the day started... peacefully.

Suspiciously so.

We were sitting in the garden behind the mansion, where trimmed hedges lined the stone paths and the enormous pool shimmered under the afternoon sun.

Ava sat cross-legged on the grass beside me, slowly pulling apart a daisy.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "you're the only nanny who didn't cry during her first week here." She mused out loud.

I glanced at her. "Should I be concerned?"

"Probably." She shrugged like the thought didn't bother her in the slightest.

Then she looked up at me.

"You're really  not leaving?"

The question caught me off guard.

"No, I'm not."

"Why?"

I couldn't say it was because your father bought my life for a billion dollars.

Instead I said, "Because I said I'd stay."

She studied me for a long moment, her sharp eyes searching my face as if she were trying to decide whether I meant it or not.

Then something unexpected happened. Before I could react, she walked over and wrapped her arms around me.

I froze instantly.

In the entire week I had been here, Ava had never touched me,not even by accident.

The hug was sudden and awkward, her small arms squeezing my waist.

For a moment, my guard slipped.

Maybe this was her way of making peace. Maybe she had finally decided I wasn't going anywhere and was willing to accept it.

Tentatively, I relaxed and returned the hug.

That was when everything went wrong. Ava shifted her weight suddenly, grabbing the front of my shirt.

Before I understood what she was doing, she leaned backward-hard.

Pulling me with her.

A loud splash echoed across the yard.Cold water swallowed us instantly.

The shock knocked the breath from my lungs as I plunged beneath the surface.

When I resurfaced, gasping for air, Ava was already several feet away from me in the pool.

And screaming.

"Help!"

My heart skipped.

"Alessia pushed me!"

The words echoed across the garden.

For a moment I just stared at her, stunned by how quickly it had happened.

She had pulled me into the water... then shoved herself away... and now she was acting like I had attacked her.

Footsteps thundered across the stone tiles.

"Ava!"

Adrian's voice exploded across the yard.

Before I could even process what was happening, he dove into the pool.

Water crashed around us as he reached Ava first, lifting her effortlessly into his arms.She clung to his shoulders, trembling dramatically.

"I'm fine, Daddy," she sniffled.

Adrian didn't seem to hear her.

His dark eyes snapped toward me, blazing with fury.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded.

My chest tightened.

"It's not what it looks like." I tried to defend myself.

"You pushed her into the pool?" His voice was ice cold. "She's eight years old!"

"I didn't-"

"You are responsible for her safety, how could you be so careless?" The venom in his voice sent shivers down my spine.

"I know that but-"

"You're her nanny," he cut in sharply. "Act like one."

Shock rendered me speechless.

He carried Ava out of the pool and wrapped a towel around her shoulders.

She peeked at me from behind him and smirked.

By evening, the cold had settled deep into my bones.

I sat on the edge of my bed wrapped tightly in a blanket while steam curled from the bowl of soup Mrs. Davenport had placed it on the bedside table.

"You should drink it while it's hot," she said gently.

"I will."

She studied me for a moment with a knowing expression.

"I warned you," she said. "Miss Ava is not a typical child."

"That's one way to put it." I said bitterly

Mrs. Davenport sighed softly.

"She's just misunderstood...She's been abandoned by every woman who tried to care for her."

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The first nanny left after two weeks. The second lasted three days. The governess before you lasted exactly twenty-six hours."

"That's... comforting." I sighed.

She patted my shoulder sympathetically.

"Just be careful."

Then she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

The silence that followed felt heavier than before. I stared down at the untouched soup.

Could I really survive three years here?

Maybe it wasn't worth it.

Maybe I should leave before things got worse. 

Before Ava's games escalated.

Before Adrian's distrust hardened into something more permanent and dangerous.

A knock sounded on the door.

Before I could answer, it opened.

Adrian stepped inside.

He looked different tonight, less controlled somehow, the sharp edges of his usual composure slightly worn down.

"I owe you an apology," he said.

I blinked.

"What?"

"I reviewed the security footage."

Understanding slowly dawned on me.

"And?"

"And Ava pushed herself into the pool." He paused trying to gauge my reaction when I remained quiet he continued.

"She pulled you in with her, then pretended you did it."

He combed his hair backwards roughly with his hands.

"I shouldn't have blamed you without knowing the truth."

The apology sounded reluctant but genuine.

"She does things like this sometimes," he added.

"She frames people for attempted drowning?" I asked sarcastically.

"She's testing you."

I laughed bitterly. "Thats one hell of a test." 

His gaze sharpened.

"You're thinking of leaving." It wasn't a question.

"Ava isn't a bad child," he said quietly. "She's just hurt."

I crossed my arms.

"Hurt kids don't usually weaponize swimming pools."

"If you leave too... it will confirm exactly what she already believes, that no one ever stays."

The room fell silent again.

I exhaled slowly before I could speak, my phone lit up.

An unknown number had sent me a picture.

My stomach dropped when I opened it. It was a picture of Marissa with a positive pregnancy test.

Alessia's POV 

I looked at the picture I was sent for God knows how long and I was in disbelief and hurt as well. Even though I knew my husband cheated I never expected his mistress to get pregnant this quickly just a few months after our divorce. 

I was distracted from the conversation I was having with Adrian and from how I acted Adrain noticed something was wrong and he asked if I was okay ?

I lied and just said yeah I'm fine nothing happened he asked again, And I still gave him that same response of saying I was fine when within me I was crying silently. 

I was hurt and even felt like crying but I guessed the tears in me had run out. I couldn't cry,I couldn't express myself. I just sat down dormant like a statue. The picture just kept  replaying in my head like it was a bad dream that I needed to come to an end. 

I gave everything to my husband,I was a loyal wife,I did everything a good woman was supposed to do for her husband and still ended up being  divorced because I couldn't bear him a child over the years we were married and that's how my marriage crumbled.  

And now he wanted to start a family with a woman who could bear him a child when I couldn't. After regaining myself I looked around and realized Adrian had already left the room. 

I was so immersed in my own thoughts that I had not realized when Adrian had left. 

There was a knock on the door and I answered '' come in ". It was Mrs. Davenport who opened the door gently and said she just wanted to know how I was feeling and if the bowl of soup made me a bit warmer. 

Then I answered'' yes ma " it did keep me warm but  deep within me my heart was cold from the picture message I received and this wasn't what a bowl of soup could make warm. 

The rest of that day was just sour for me because of how I felt.  I still couldn't get that picture out of my head and started thinking maybe yes I was a barren woman. Because never did I miss my period or had even a miscarriage before. 

And yet somehow just a few months after my divorce Marissa was pregnant with my ex husband's child. 

The next morning I got up late because I couldn't sleep properly and  Ava was already prepared for school and breakfast was already served when I got down to the dinning room. Adrian and Ava was having breakfast and Ava started her mischievous behavior with "Look at the time you are waking up" And added don't you know you are the one supposed to get me ready for school ? 

I just snarled and said " sorry Miss Ava it won't happen again". And Adrian just watched without saying anything to his daughter. 

After breakfast I escorted Ava to the Car where her driver was already waiting outside to take her to school.

The morning air was crisp against my skin as I stood by the car, watching Ava settle into the backseat like a tiny queen being chauffeured to her kingdom.

"Bye, Miss Alessia," she said with a small smirk, almost as if she enjoyed bossing me around.

I forced a smile. "Have a good day at school."

The car door shut, and within seconds, the vehicle pulled away from the mansion, leaving me alone in the driveway.

Alone... just like I had been feeling since yesterday.

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if I could hold together the pieces of my heart that were slowly falling apart.

That picture.

It flashed again in my mind.

Marissa, smiling brightly, her hand resting on her slightly protruding belly... and beside her-my ex-husband, looking happier than I had ever seen him.

I clenched my fists.

"Stop it," I whispered to myself. "You're stronger than this."

But was I?

A barren woman.

The words echoed in my head like a cruel chant.

I had never said it out loud before. Never accepted it. But now... it felt like the truth was being shoved right in my face.

"Alessia."

I turned abruptly at the sound of my name.

Adrian was standing a few steps behind me, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his expression unreadable as always.

"I thought you went back inside," I said, quickly masking my emotions.

"I did," he replied calmly. "Then I realized you didn't follow."

His sharp eyes scanned my face, as if trying to peel back every layer I had carefully put up.

"You look pale."

"I'm fine," I said immediately.

The same lie.

Again.

He didn't respond right away. Instead, he took a slow step closer, his gaze never leaving mine.

"You keep saying that," Adrian said quietly. "But you don't look fine."

My throat tightened.

Why was he doing this?

Why was he looking at me like he could actually see me?

"I said I'm fine," I repeated, this time a little firmer.

For a moment, silence stretched between us.

Then Adrian sighed softly, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright," he said. "If that's what you want."

Relief should have washed over me.

But instead... something inside me felt disappointed.

He turned to leave, but paused after a few steps.

"If something is bothering you," he added without looking back, "you don't have to deal with it alone."

My heart skipped.

I watched as he walked away, his tall figure disappearing back into the house.

Deal with it alone?

That was all I had ever known.

I let out a shaky breath and followed him inside.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur.

I tried to keep myself busy-helping Mrs. Davenport in the kitchen, rearranging Ava's things, doing anything to stop my mind from wandering back to that picture.

But it was useless.

Pain has a way of finding you... no matter how hard you try to run from it.

By afternoon, I couldn't take it anymore.

I slipped into my room and closed the door behind me, leaning against it as my body slowly sank to the floor.

My hands trembled as I picked up my phone.

I opened the message again.

There it was.

That same picture.

That same smile.

That same proof that I had been replaced... so easily.

Tears finally welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision.

"So this is it..." I whispered.

"This is what I meant to him."

Nothing.

A sudden knock on the door startled me.

I quickly wiped my tears, standing up in a rush.

"Yes?" I called, trying to steady my voice.

The door opened slightly, and Adrian stepped in.

My heart skipped again.

"I need to go out for a meeting," he said. "I'll be back late."

I nodded. "Okay."

But he didn't leave.

Instead, his gaze dropped to my phone... still clutched tightly in my hand.

Then slowly, his eyes lifted back to my face.

This time, there was something different in his expression.

Something darker.

Something... protective.

"Who made you cry?"

My breath hitched.

"I wasn't-"

"Don't lie," he cut in, his voice low but firm.

Silence.

Heavy. Suffocating silence.

I didn't realize when the first tear slipped down my cheek.

Adrian's jaw tightened.

"Give me the phone."

I hesitated.

But something about the way he looked at me... made it impossible to refuse.

Slowly, I handed it over.

He took it, his eyes scanning the screen.

And then

His expression changed.

Completely.

The air in the room turned cold.

Dangerous.

Adrian's grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white.

"Your ex-husband..." he said slowly, his voice now laced with something lethal, "...has a lot of nerve."

My heart pounded in my chest.

I had a feeling...

This wasn't going to end quietly.