But before he could say anything, his phone rang.
It was his mother, Eleanor Sterling.
"Adrian," she said sharply. "I need to speak with you."
"What's wrong?"
"I've heard you've hired a new woman to take care of Emily."
"Yes. Her name is Lily."
"I don't care what her name is. I want you to dismiss her."
Adrian frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I know women like her. She sees a wealthy widower and an opportunity."
"Mother, you don't know her."
"I know enough."
Adrian ended the call.
He was tired of people judging Lily without knowing anything about her.
But Eleanor wasn't finished.
That evening, she arrived at the mansion.
And when she saw Lily holding Emily, her expression turned cold.
"Put that child down," she ordered.
Lily froze.
Eleanor stepped closer.
"Who gave you permission to act as though you belong to this family?"
Lily slowly stood up.
"I was only trying to comfort her, ma'am."
Eleanor looked directly into her eyes.
"Then remember your place."
And behind Eleanor's cold expression was a secret she had been hiding for more than six months.
A secret connected to Catherine's death.
Lily had never imagined that a beautiful house could feel so frightening.
The Sterling mansion was filled with priceless furniture, expensive paintings, and everything money could buy.
Yet every hallway seemed to carry the weight of an old sadness.
After Eleanor's visit, Lily began noticing things she hadn't paid attention to before.
The family portraits.
The locked room at the end of the second floor.
And the way Adrian's expression changed whenever someone mentioned his late wife.
One evening, while putting Emily to bed, Lily noticed the baby staring toward the hallway.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?"
Emily made a small sound.
Lily followed her gaze.
A door stood slightly open.
It was the room Eleanor had mentioned as Catherine's private bedroom.
Lily gently placed Emily in her crib and approached the doorway.
She wasn't trying to invade anyone's privacy.
But something inside the room caught her attention.
A music box.
It played the same lullaby Lily had been singing to Emily.
She stepped inside.
The room was beautifully preserved. Catherine's clothes still hung in the wardrobe. Her perfume bottle remained on the dressing table.
And on the bedside table stood a photograph.
Adrian and Catherine were smiling together on a beach.
Lily picked it up.
"Beautiful, wasn't she?"
She turned.
Adrian stood behind her.
"I'm sorry," Lily said quickly. "I didn't mean to come in."
"It's all right."
He walked into the room.
"I haven't opened this door in months."
Lily placed the photograph back.
"She looked happy."
"She was."
Adrian sat on the edge of the bed.
"Catherine loved this room. She used to spend hours here reading stories to Emily before she was born."
Lily smiled.
"She must have loved children."
"More than anything."
He picked up the music box.
"She bought this before Emily was born. She said she wanted our daughter to grow up listening to the same lullaby her mother had sung to her."
He wound the mechanism.
The melody filled the room.
Lily's face changed.
She knew that melody.
It was the same one her mother had taught her.
"Where did Catherine learn that song?" she asked.
Adrian looked up.
"I don't know. She said her grandmother used to sing it."
Lily felt a strange chill.
Her mother had never mentioned anyone named Catherine.
Still, the melody was not uncommon.
She pushed the thought aside.
"She had good taste," Lily said softly.
Adrian nodded.
Then his expression became serious.
"There's something I should tell you."
Lily waited.
"I've noticed how Emily responds to you. I know you're helping her, but I don't want you to feel trapped here."
"I'm not trapped."
"I mean emotionally. I don't want you to think you have to replace Catherine."
Lily looked at him.
"I would never try to replace her."
"I know."
"And I don't think Emily needs a replacement. She needs to grow up knowing that her mother loved her."
Adrian looked at her for a long moment.
"Thank you."
The next morning, Sarah approached Lily with a worried expression.
"Have you seen Mr. Adrian?"
"No. Is something wrong?"
"His mother has been calling all morning. She's demanding that he dismiss you."
Lily sighed.
"I knew this would happen."
Sarah shook her head.
"Don't let her frighten you. Mrs. Eleanor has always wanted to control everything in this house."
"Why?"
Sarah hesitated.
"Because Catherine was the only person who ever stood up to her."
Lily looked surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"Mrs. Eleanor never approved of Catherine. She believed she wasn't wealthy enough for Adrian."
Sarah lowered her voice.
"After Catherine died, things became worse."
Before Lily could ask more, a loud crash came from upstairs.
They rushed toward the nursery.
Emily was crying.
Adrian stood beside the crib, holding a broken glass.
"What happened?" Lily asked.
"Nothing. I accidentally knocked it over."
But Lily noticed something else.
Adrian's hands were trembling.
She gently took Emily into her arms.
"She's all right."
Adrian looked exhausted.
"I received the results from the hospital."
"What results?"
He swallowed.
"They found something unusual in Catherine's medical records."
Lily frowned.
"What kind of unusual thing?"
Adrian looked toward the window.
"Her death may not have been caused by the complications we were told about."
Lily felt her heart beating faster.
"What are you saying?"
Adrian's voice dropped.
"I think someone lied to me about how my wife died."
For the next two days, Adrian barely slept.
He spent hours in his study reviewing Catherine's medical records, old hospital reports, and financial documents.
The original death certificate listed complications following childbirth.
But a recently discovered medical report suggested that Catherine had experienced symptoms that had never been properly investigated.