“I’ve worked with infants,” she said quietly. “I can stay full-time.”
Ethan studied her carefully. “Cameras everywhere. No distractions.”
“I understand,” she replied. “I just want to do my job right.”
To his surprise, she did more than that.
Within days, the twins laughed again. Emily sang gently while warming bottles, humming as she cleaned. Slowly, life crept back into the house.
Still, Ethan watched her closely.
Too closely.
He tested her—moved objects, repeated questions—but she never faltered.
Weeks passed. Then the motion sensors triggered twice around midnight.
“I was checking on them,” Emily explained calmly. “Babies move a lot.”
He wasn’t convinced.
Then came 3:07 a.m.
Ethan’s phone exploded with alerts.
CAMERA OFFLINE — NURSERY
His heart pounded as he waited for the feed to reconnect.
Seven minutes passed.
When the image returned, his blood froze.
Emily was on the nursery floor, tied loosely with cord. The twins were pressed against her chest, alive but crying softly. Her face was pale. Her uniform torn.
And then—
A shadow moved near the doorway.
Someone else was inside the house.
Ethan called the police as he ran for his car.
The drive back felt endless.