“Don’t be absurd. I must’ve forgotten she was there.”
“Forgotten?!” Maria cried. “You saw her—you looked right at her!”
Vanessa sneered.
“And you, the maid—who are you to accuse me? Maybe you’re the one who’s careless.”
Maria’s voice wavered, but her courage didn’t. “I’d break every bone in my body before letting that child suffer.”
Thomas held Lily close.
“Sweetheart, tell me the truth.”
The girl’s voice was faint. “She saw me… She laughed… She said I wasn’t her daughter.”
Thomas’s face hardened. Without another word, he stormed into his study and pulled up the security footage.
There it was—Vanessa stepping out, glancing at Lily one last time, locking the car, and walking away without hesitation. In Maria’s arms, Lily whispered, “See, Daddy… I told you…”
Thomas’s fist slammed against the desk. He turned toward the door, eyes blazing.
“Get out of my house.”
Vanessa went pale. “You can’t be serious!”
“I am,” he said coldly. “You’ll never come near my daughter again.”
“You’re choosing that child—and a servant—over me?!” she hissed.
Thomas’s voice cut like steel. “I’m choosing the only people here who still have hearts.”
Fuming, Vanessa snatched her purse. “You’ll regret this, Thomas!”
“The only thing I regret,” he said quietly, “is marrying you.”
The slam of the front door left a heavy silence behind.
Thomas knelt beside Maria and Lily. The little girl still clung to the housekeeper’s apron like a lifeline. “Thank you, Maria,” he said softly, tears glistening.
“You saved my world.”
Maria shook her head. “She’s your daughter, sir. I only did what any person with a heart would do.”
Lily reached out her small hand, placing it over theirs.
“Can we stay like this forever?” she whispered. Thomas pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Forever, my love.
I promise.”
And in that moment, he finally understood—true wealth isn’t measured in fortune or power, but in love, courage, and the hearts that never turn away when someone needs saving.
