Chapter 3: The Past That Watched
Victor didn’t sleep.
At 3:12 a.m., he entered the guest room without knocking.
Emily sat up instantly.
“You’ve seen me before,” he said.
She hesitated. “You don’t remember.”
“Try me.”
Her fingers tightened around the blanket.
“Three years ago. Winter. Outside St. Mary’s Clinic. You collapsed.”
Victor went still.
No one knew about that.
“My brother was inside,” Emily continued. “You were alone. Your driver had stepped away. You couldn’t breathe.”
Victor’s memory flickered—pain, darkness, a voice he couldn’t place.
“I called the ambulance,” she said softly. “But I didn’t give my name.”
Silence.
“I followed your recovery,” she added. “Quietly. When I saw the job listing at your house… I took it.”
Victor stared at her.
Not a maid.
Not invisible.
A witness.
A guardian he never knew he had.
May you like
“Why?” he asked.
Emily met his gaze. “Because someone should have been watching your back.”
