Chapter 17 - Shadows at the Nursery
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Over the next two days, the federal wire fraud unit set up a sting operation based on the financial evidence Chloe had provided. Everything was set for Monday morning.
With the corporate storm looming, Mark and I tried to maintain a sense of normal life at home. Grace was growing stronger every day, her tiny smiles warming our hearts whenever we held her.
Because of my increasing corporate responsibilities, we decided to hire a full-time night nanny to help care for Grace so Mark and I could rest.
Through an elite agency, we met Hannah—a calm, middle-aged woman with twenty years of neonatal nursing experience and impeccable references. She instantly bonded with Grace, cradling her with expert gentleness.
"She’s an absolute angel, Mrs. Sterling," Hannah said softly on her first evening, placing Grace gently into her crib. "You've done a wonderful job caring for her after her early arrival."
"Thank you, Hannah," I smiled, feeling a sense of relief. "We're just down the hall if you need anything."
That night, around two in the morning, I woke up feeling an uneasy sensation crawling over my skin. A mother’s intuition is a strange, instinctual force—a silent alarm that rings before your mind even understands why.
I sat up in bed, looking at the baby monitor screen on my nightstand.
The screen was flickering with static. The video feed was blacked out, displaying a small message: SIGNAL DISCONNECTED.
"Mark," I whispered, shaking his shoulder. "The monitor went down."
Mark blinked, sitting up instantly. "Probably just a Wi-Fi glitch."
"I'm going to check on her," I said, slipping into my robe.
I walked down the quiet, dimly lit hallway toward the nursery. The door was slightly ajar, a thin sliver of light spilling onto the hardwood floor.
As I approached, I heard low, urgent whispering from inside the room.
May you like
I paused, pressing my back against the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"I have the photo," Hannah’s voice whispered softly into a cell phone inside the nursery. "She’s sleeping peacefully. I’ll text the location tag now... Yes, Mrs. Sterling, I’ll make sure the side door remains unlocked tonight."
