“I don’t care about Daniel’s approval when it comes to my family,” Ethan said. “I will pay you three times what the cleaning agency pays you. You will have your own room in the east wing.”

I looked at the babies.

Lily made a tiny sound in her sleep, her small fist twitching.

I knew the danger of staying in this house.

I knew what Daniel might find if he kept looking.

But I could not leave them.

“I accept,” I said.

Ethan nodded, a faint tension leaving his jaw.

“Go home tonight. Pack your things. Be back here at eight tomorrow morning.”

“I will be here,” I said.

The next morning, the sky was the color of wet slate.

A cold rain fell over Lake Forest, stripping the last of the autumn leaves from the oak trees.

I walked up the long, winding driveway of the Whitmore estate carrying a single canvas bag.

The grand house loomed through the gray mist, its stone walls looking cold and imposing.

I let myself in through the side door, using the keycard the security guard had given me.