Chapter 6

"Dad!"

Elio broke free from the servant's grip and ran towards Nicola. He hugged his father's leg, sobbing.

"Dad! Dad, please! Don't let them take Anne! Are you going to kick me out too?"

Nicola knelt and hugged his child. "Elio, calm down. I won't kick you out."

"Dad, they're taking Anne away! Marianna told them to take Anne away!"

Nicola lifted his head and looked coldly at Marianna.

"What happened here?" he asked.

I was still being held by the two bodyguards. My arm hurt, but what hurt more was seeing Elio so terrified.

"Let her go," ordered Nicola.

The two bodyguards immediately released my arm and stepped back with their heads bowed. I fell to the floor, but immediately stood up and ran towards Elio. I knelt beside him and hugged him.

Nicola stood up, carrying Elio who was still crying. He looked at Marianna.

"Explain."

Marianna crossed her arms in front of her chest. "That child is useless. He can't even cut his own steak. I was just teaching him discipline."

Nicola stepped closer.

"Did you tell your bodyguards to drag Anne out?"

"She dared to talk back to me! She doesn't know her place!"

Nicola let out a breath. He turned towards me. "Tell me what happened while I was gone."

I stood up, still holding Elio's hand. I took a deep breath.

"Your fiancée hired some people she called child psychology and education experts, they locked Elio in his room for hours every day. They forbade me from seeing him and forbade me from reading him stories before bed. They said it made him too dependent on me," I said.

I looked at Marianna, then back at Nicola.

"Elio couldn't sleep for days. He had nightmares. He had panic attacks but when I tried to stop it, your fiancée drove me out and threatened to fire me."

Nicola looked at Marianna. "Is that true?"

"I did what was best for that child. He needs to learn to be independent. He can't keep depending on that fat caregiver," said Marianna.

"You made my son cry," said Nicola.

"That child is spoiled! He..."

"ENOUGH!"

Nicola's voice thundered through the room, even I flinched. Elio held me tighter.

Nicola walked towards Marianna, I saw the woman step back.

"I accepted this marriage because my family pressured me, I accepted it because I thought it was what was best for Elio but I was wrong. You are not what is best for my son," said Nicola.

Marianna opened her mouth, but Nicola wasn't finished.

"This engagement is canceled. Now you must leave this place and never come back."

"You can't do this! My family will..."

"I don't care."

Marianna looked at me with hatred. "You caused this! You manipulated him!"

"I didn't manipulate anyone, I was just doing my job, which is taking care of Elio," I said.

Marianna stepped forward, her hand raised as if she wanted to slap me but Nicola moved faster. He caught Marianna's wrist and pushed her away.

"Don't touch her, you've caused enough trouble in this house."

Marianna pulled her hand away.

"You will regret this, Nicola. You will regret humiliating me like this. My family won't stay silent. This could trigger a feud between the two families."

"I don't care."

Marianna looked at him for a long time, then looked at me with hatred. She grabbed her bag and walked to the door with her head held high.

"You haven't seen the last of me," she said before disappearing outside the door.

The door closed with a loud sound.

Nicola stood in the middle of the hall, his breathing heavy. Elio was still in my arms, his small body trembling.

"Dad?"

Nicola turned, and his expression softened. He walked towards us and knelt beside his son.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Dad won't kick me out?"

"No, Sweetheart. I will never kick you out."

"Anne? Won't you kick Anne out?"

Nicola looked at me then he shifted his gaze to his son.

"No. Anne will stay here."

Elio nodded, then hugged his father.

"Come on to your room, you need rest," said Nicola.

I brought Elio to his room and laid him on the bed. The child was still holding my hand, even when his eyes began to close.

"Anne?"

"Yes?"

"Don't leave."

"I'm not leaving."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

He nodded, then finally fell asleep. I sat beside him for a few minutes, making sure he was truly calm. When his breathing was steady and his face was relaxed, I stood up carefully and left the room.

When I closed the door behind me, I found Nicola standing in the corridor.

"We need to talk," he said.

I followed Nicola to his room.

Nicola sat in his chair and looked at me.

"I pay you thirty thousand dollars a month, I entrusted my son to you and what happened? You let things get this bad?" His voice was cold.

I was startled. "What?"

"You should have protected him! You should have called me when Marianna started acting like that!"

"I don't have your number! I have no way to contact you! And even if I did, what could I do? You left! You left your son with a woman you don't even care about!"

Nicola fell silent.

"And it's not just that," I continued, tears starting to flow on my cheeks. "Every day, I was insulted. Every day, I was humiliated because of my body. Every day, I was kept from seeing Elio. I took this job because I genuinely care about your son but that doesn't mean anyone has the right to insult me!"

My voice rose, and I didn't care anymore.

"And you know what? I might die in a few months! I have cancer! I don't have time to be treated like trash by people like you who have everything."

Nicola looked at me. His face was unreadable.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I said after realizing what I had said.

Then the sound of a door opening was heard.

I turned and saw Elio standing in the doorway, with bare feet and teary eyes.

"Anne?"

I immediately ran towards him and knelt in front of him.

"Elio, what are you doing here? You should be sleeping."

"I heard your voices," he said. He hugged me tightly. "I was scared. I thought you were fighting. I thought Anne was going to leave."

"I'm not leaving and no one is fighting. We were just talking a little too loud," I answered.

Elio turned to his father. "Dad, don't be mad at Anne. Anne is kind. Anne always takes care of me."

Nicola stood up and walked towards us. He knelt beside me and looked at his son.

"I'm not mad."

"You have to promise not to kick Anne out."

"I promise."

Elio nodded. Then he looked at me. "Anne, promise?"

I raised my hand and linked my pinky with his pinky. "Promise."

He smiled, then hugged both of us, his father and me in an awkward embrace.

"I love you both."

After I brought Elio back to his room and made sure he was asleep, I returned to Nicola's study. He was standing in front of the window, staring at the night outside.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all that and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you," I said.

Nicola didn't turn around. "You're not wrong."

I was stunned.

"I'm the one who's wrong, I left my son with someone I didn't know. I let my family pressure me into doing something I didn't want to do and I took my anger out on you."

He turned and looked at me.

"I want to propose something," he said.

"What is it?"

"A contract marriage."

I stared wide eyed. "What?"