Chapter 3 - THE SECRET BEHIND THE MAID’S NAME
The question from Daniel felt heavier than the handcuffs in his hand.
“Who are you, Mia?”
Nobody spoke.
Not the guests.
Not the security guards.
Not even Vanessa.
Because everyone was waiting for the answer.
Mia stood there beside the pool, her wet clothes clinging to her skin, her heart pounding against her chest.
For three years, she had worked inside the Cross family home.
She had cleaned their rooms.
Prepared their meals.
Watched their son grow from a tiny baby into a happy little boy.
She had always kept her head down.
Never caused trouble.
Never asked for anything.
Because she knew one thing.
If Daniel Cross discovered the truth about her past…
she would lose everything.
“Mia,” Daniel said again, his voice colder this time. “I asked you a question.”
She looked at him.
Then at the little boy in his arms.
The baby was reaching toward her.
The same child she had just pulled from the water.
The same child who had called her “Mommy.”
Mia closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she whispered:
“My real name isn’t Mia Carter.”
A wave of whispers spread across the patio.
Vanessa smiled.
She knew this moment was coming.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Then what is it?”
Mia took a deep breath.
“Amelia Brooks.”
The name meant nothing to most people there.
But it meant everything to Daniel.
His expression changed instantly.
The color drained from his face.
“You…”
He stepped back.
“No.”
Mia saw the reaction.
She knew.
He remembered.
Vanessa looked between them.
“You see?” she said. “I told you there was something wrong.”
Daniel ignored her.
His eyes stayed locked on Mia.
“Where did you hear that name?”
Mia looked confused.
“What?”
“You said Amelia Brooks.”
His voice became quieter.
“Who told you that name?”
Mia frowned.
“Because it’s my name.”
Daniel stared at her.
Like he was looking at a ghost.
“No.”
Mia felt anger replacing her fear.
“What do you mean, no?”
Daniel shook his head slowly.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
Nobody answered.
Mia stepped closer.
“Why is my own name impossible?”
The patio became silent.
Then Vanessa spoke.
“Because Amelia Brooks died eight years ago.”
Mia froze.
The words hit her like a punch.
A few guests gasped.
Daniel looked away.
Mia stared at Vanessa.
“What did you say?”
Vanessa smiled.
“The woman named Amelia Brooks was declared dead after a car accident.”
Mia’s breathing became heavier.
“That’s a lie.”
Vanessa tilted her head.
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
Mia’s voice shook.
“I was there.”
“You were there?”
Vanessa smiled.
“Then tell everyone what happened.”
Mia opened her mouth.
But no words came out.
Because that night…
the night she lost everything…
was the one memory she had spent years trying to bury.
Eight years earlier.
Before she became a maid.
Before she changed her name.
Before she entered the Cross family home.
Mia was Amelia Brooks.
A young woman with a normal life.
A loving family.
And a fiancé she trusted.
Until the night her entire world collapsed.
She remembered the rain.
The headlights.
The sound of metal crashing.
And waking up in a hospital bed with no memory of the accident.
When she asked about her family…
nobody gave her a straight answer.
Her fiancé disappeared.
Her records were changed.
Her apartment was gone.
It was like someone had erased her existence.
The only thing she had left was her name.
Amelia Brooks.
And now Vanessa was standing in front of her, claiming she was dead.
“That accident was covered up,” Mia finally said.
Daniel looked at her.
“Covered up by who?”
Mia looked at Vanessa.
The answer was obvious.
But impossible.
Vanessa laughed softly.
“You still don’t remember everything, do you?”
Mia’s hands tightened.
“What are you talking about?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“You weren’t hired as a maid because Daniel needed help.”
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“What are you saying?”
Vanessa pointed at Mia.
“She came here because she wanted revenge.”
The words exploded.
Mia looked shocked.
“That’s insane.”
“Is it?”
Vanessa walked around her slowly.
“Three years ago, a woman with a fake identity applied for a job inside your house.”
Daniel looked at Mia.
“You knew who I was?”
Mia hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Daniel’s expression changed.
“You did.”
“I knew your name,” Mia admitted.
Everyone watched.
“But not because I wanted to hurt you.”
“Then why?”
Mia looked at the little boy.
“Because your family was connected to what happened to me.”
Daniel went silent.
Vanessa smiled.
“There it is.”
Mia looked at her.
“You wanted this.”
Vanessa shrugged.
“I wanted the truth to come out.”
“No.”
Mia shook her head.
“You wanted everyone to hate me before they knew the truth.”
For a moment, Vanessa said nothing.
Then her smile disappeared.
“You should have stayed gone.”
Those words made Mia freeze.
Because Vanessa had just admitted something.
Something she shouldn’t have known.
Daniel noticed.
“Stayed gone?”
He looked at Vanessa.
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa realized her mistake too late.
The patio went quiet.
Mia looked at Daniel.
Then at Vanessa.
“Tell him.”
Vanessa’s face hardened.
“Mia—”
“Tell him how you know I was supposed to be dead.”
Daniel stepped forward.
His voice was dangerous.
“Vanessa.”
She didn’t answer.
And that silence was enough.
Because now Daniel understood something terrifying.
Vanessa wasn’t just a liar.
She was connected to Mia’s past.
The woman who tried to frame his maid…
might also be the woman who destroyed her life.
Suddenly, the baby in Daniel’s arms started crying again.
Mia looked over.
The child was reaching toward her.
But this time…
he wasn’t reaching for comfort.
He was pointing.
At Vanessa.
Everyone followed his tiny finger.
And then the little boy said something that made Daniel’s blood run cold.
A word only one person in the world should have known.
“Bad lady…”
Vanessa’s face turned white.
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Because the child had just revealed the one thing she was desperate to hide.
TO BE CONTINUED...
