Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Marcus arrived home at 6:42 p.m.
He didn't announce himself.
He wanted to see what happened when nobody knew he was there.
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
He stepped inside.
Maria was in the kitchen.
“Mr. Delgado.”
“Where's Ben?”
“Asleep.”
“And Pia?”
“In the nursery.”
Marcus nodded.
He walked upstairs.
But before reaching Ben's room, he heard laughter.
Soft laughter.
He stopped.
Through the partially open door, he saw Pia sitting beside Ben's bed.
The little boy was supposed to be asleep.
Instead, he was holding a stuffed bear.
Pia was telling him a story.
“Once upon a time, there was a little boy who thought being brave meant never crying.”
Ben shook his head.
“That's not true.”
“Why?”
“Because Mommy cried.”
Pia smiled sadly.
“Then your mommy was brave.”
Ben hugged the bear.
Marcus stood outside the door, listening.
His throat tightened.
He hadn't heard Victoria's name spoken gently in months.
Not because anyone had forbidden it.
Because Marcus couldn't bear it.
He stepped into the room.
“Why is he awake?”
Ben immediately stopped smiling.
Pia stood.
“He asked for a story.”
“I said bedtime was seven-thirty.”
“It is seven-thirty-two.”
Marcus looked at his watch.
“You're arguing with me over two minutes?”
“No.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Helping your son.”
The room went silent.
Ben looked between them.
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Leave us.”
Pia glanced at Ben.
The boy's fingers tightened around his bear.
“Go with Maria,” Marcus said.
Ben didn't move.
“Ben.”
The little boy finally stood.
As he walked past Marcus, he whispered:
“Sorry.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
That one word hurt more than it should have.
After Ben left, Marcus turned to Pia.
“You need to understand something.”
“I understand that you're angry.”
“You don't know me.”
“No.”
“You don't know what I've been through.”
“No.”
“Then don't judge me.”
Pia's face softened.
“I wasn't judging you.”
“Then what?”
“I was worried about your son.”
Marcus stared at her.
“What exactly are you worried about?”
Pia hesitated.
“Ben doesn't behave like a three-year-old who feels safe.”
The words hit him hard.
“What does that mean?”
“He watches adults constantly.”
Marcus said nothing.
“He studies their faces before answering questions. He apologizes even when nobody is angry. He becomes frightened when voices get louder.”
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“I don't yell at him.”
“I didn't say you did.”
“Then why are you implying—”
“Because children don't always fear the person who hurts them.”
Silence.
Marcus stared at her.
“Are you accusing someone in my house of hurting my son?”
“I don't know.”
“You should be careful.”
“I am.”
“You've been here one day.”
“And I've already seen enough to know something isn't right.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“Pia.”
She didn't move.
“Ask him.”
“Ask him what?”
“What happened before you hired me.”
Marcus's face hardened.
“Nothing happened.”
Pia's eyes remained steady.
“Then why did he look at the camera?”
Marcus froze.
She knew.
“How did you—”
“I noticed it.”
“You saw the camera?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you say anything?”
“Because I wanted to see whether it was for security or control.”
Marcus felt exposed.
“Those cameras are there to protect my son.”
“Then protect him.”
Pia walked toward the door.
“Goodnight, Mr. Delgado.”
Marcus watched her leave.
That night, he couldn't sleep.
At 2:13 a.m., he opened the camera footage again.
He watched the nursery.
Nothing.
He watched the hallway.
Nothing.
Kitchen.
Nothing.
Then he noticed something.
At 1:47 a.m., someone entered the house.
Marcus sat upright.
The figure moved through the hallway.
It was a woman.
She walked directly toward Ben's room.
Marcus's heart slammed against his ribs.
He switched to another camera.
The woman entered the nursery.
The image showed her standing beside Ben's bed.
Marcus recognized her.
His mother.
Evelyn Delgado.
Marcus grabbed his phone.
He called her.
She answered after three rings.
“Marcus?”
“Why were you in my house last night?”
Silence.
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw you.”
Another pause.
“You've been spying on me?”
“You were standing over Ben's bed at 1:47 a.m.”
Evelyn's voice became cold.
“I came to check on my grandson.”
“Why?”
“Because someone has to.”
Marcus stood.
“What does that mean?”
“You're never here.”
“I work.”
“You hide behind work.”
“Mom—”
“And now you've hired another stranger to raise your son.”
Marcus clenched his jaw.
“Don't talk about Pia.”
“Why? Has she already convinced you she's perfect?”
“What do you know about her?”
Evelyn laughed softly.
“More than you think.”
Marcus went still.
“What does that mean?”
“You should ask her why she really took the job.”
Then she hung up.
Marcus stared at the phone.
A minute later, he searched the nanny's application.
Pia McKenzie.
Twenty-nine.
Excellent references.
No criminal record.
No obvious problems.
But something bothered him.
He opened the emergency contact section.
The name listed was:
Rose McKenzie.
Her mother.
Marcus remembered Pia saying her mother was ill.
He searched the address.
Then his blood ran cold.
The address wasn't in Sydney.
It was only fifteen minutes away.
And it belonged to a house Marcus knew.
A house he had seen before.
A house connected to Victoria.
Marcus opened an old photograph on his phone.
Victoria stood beside a woman.
The woman was older.
Dark hair.
Gentle smile.
Marcus zoomed in.
His heart stopped.
The woman in the photograph was Rose McKenzie.
Victoria's best friend.
A woman who had disappeared from their lives shortly before the accident.
Marcus whispered:
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Upstairs, Ben suddenly screamed.
Marcus dropped the phone and ran.
When he entered the nursery, Ben was sitting upright, crying.
Pia was already there.
She was holding him.
Marcus stopped in the doorway.
Ben reached toward Pia instead of him.
That tiny gesture broke something inside Marcus.
But then Ben looked at his father.
And said:
“Daddy... Grandma told me not to tell you.”
Marcus felt every muscle in his body tense.
“What did Grandma tell you?”
Ben began crying harder.
Pia looked at Marcus.
And for the first time, she looked genuinely afraid.
“Mr. Delgado,” she whispered.
“You need to hear what he has to say.”
Marcus stepped closer.
Ben buried his face against Pia.
Then he whispered:
May you like
“Mommy didn't die because of the accident.”
The room went completely silent.
