Chapter 3 - THE MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONIn the dimly lit quarters at the back of the mansion, Nadia Fontana sat at her small wooden desk, mending a tear in her gray housekeeping uniform. Her fingers moved rhythmically with needle and thread, but her eyes were heavy with a quiet, lingering dread.
A soft knock at her door made her freeze.
She opened it to find the master of the house sitting in his wheelchair in the hallway, cast in the pale moonlight. For a moment, Nadia’s heart stopped. In the Vossi household, the master did not visit the staff quarters. Not ever.
"Mr. Vossi..." she breathed, quickly stepping aside, her hands trembling slightly. "Is everything alright? Do you need water? Should I wake—"
"Nadia," Domenico interrupted, his voice surprisingly gentle, yet carrying an absolute authority that commanded total stillness. "May I come in?"
She hastily cleared a chair, but Domenico shook his head, remaining in the doorway. He looked at her—really looked at her—not as a servant, but as a human being.
"Your daughter," Domenico said, his voice tightening slightly. "Nina. Yesterday, she gave me a pill she found on the floor outside my study."
Nadia went completely pale. Fear flashed like lightning across her dark eyes. She dropped her gaze instantly to the floor, her hands twisting the hem of her apron into tight knots. "I-I am so sorry, sir! She doesn't understand boundaries, she's only three, she picks up everything she sees, I swear to God I told her—"
"Nadia. Look at me."
She raised her head, tears shimmering on the edge of her lashes.
"That pill was poison," Domenico said flatly, watching every micro-expression on her face. "It was meant to keep me paralyzed. For six months, someone in this house has been slowly murdering me."
Nadia gasped, pressing both hands over her mouth to stifle a scream.
"I don't suspect you," Domenico continued quietly. "And I don't suspect your daughter. But you and Nina are no longer safe in this house. Silvio Marchetti and Dr. Adrian Cole are playing a game much bigger than this mansion. If they realize Nina has the evidence... they will eliminate both of you without a second thought."
Nadia dropped to her knees, hot tears finally spilling over her cheeks. "Mr. Vossi... please. We have nowhere to go. My husband is dead, we have no family..."
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Domenico reached down, his large, calloused hand gripping her shoulder with a strength she had never expected from a paralyzed man.
"Pack a bag," Domenico commanded, his eyes burning with an intense, terrifying fire. "Tonight, Bruno takes you to a safe house upstate. Stay hidden, stay silent, and trust me. By the time the sun rises on my wedding day, the hunters are going to find out who the real prey is."
