The quiet night inside the grand palace estate was broken by the sound of bitter weeping. Clara knelt on the checkered marble floor of the grand hallway, her simple black maid uniform rustling against the cold stone. She wrapped her arms tightly around two six-year-old twin boys wearing matching white silk pajamas. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the little boys buried their faces into her shoulders, clinging to her as if she were their only safe place in the world.
Suddenly, the heavy white and gold double doors at the end of the corridor swung open with a loud thud. Julian stepped through the doorway wearing a sharp black tuxedo, his face twisted in sudden anger as he pointed an aggressive finger at Clara. Right behind him, Evelyn hurried into the hallway wearing a royal blue gown, her expression filled with frantic distress.
Julian: Why are my sons calling you mommy?!
Leo: No, she’s more like mommy! She sings us the same song every night!
Toby: She sings the star song when the thunder scares us!
Evelyn gasped loudly, her manicured hand flying to her throat as she stepped toward the crying children.
Evelyn: Get away from that maid right now, boys! She is just a hired servant!
Clara closed her eyes, fresh tears spilling over her lashes as she pressed her forehead against Leo's soft hair. Her chest heaved with deep, agonizing emotional pain that she had buried for seven long years.
Clara: Walking into this house was the biggest mistake of my life...
Julian ran forward, his shoes clicking sharply against the checkered floor. But as he reached the maid, his eyes widened in total shock. His brown pupil dilated and his iris twitched as he stared down at her face, realizing that the woman weeping on his floor held a secret that would shatter his entire world.