In a vast mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, Emily Carter worked as a domestic helper. Twenty-five years old—simple, hardworking, and quiet—she was the favorite maid of Mr. Nathan Carter, a 30-year-old bachelor and CEO of a multinational company. Nathan was kind but strict at work. The only thing he knew about Emily came from the other helpers’ gossip: that Emily was supposedly a “disgraced woman” back in her rural hometown in West Virginia.
Month after month, Emily spent almost her entire salary sending money home. When the staff asked where it went, she would answer, “For Johnny, Paul, and Lily.” So everyone concluded that Emily had three children out of wedlock.
Despite the rumors, Nathan fell for Emily. She cared for people differently. When Nathan caught a severe illness and was hospitalized for two weeks at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Emily never left his side. She wiped him down, fed him, and stayed up all night. Nathan saw the purity of her heart. “I don’t care if she has children,” he told himself. “I’ll love them the way I love her.”