“She has a history of manipulating wealthy men. She pretends to be helpless, invents problems, cries so you’ll hear. People from her neighborhood confirmed it. She’s using you.”
Daniel said nothing for a few seconds. “Who told you this?”
“Reliable sources,” she answered quickly. “Just be careful.”
He hung up, thoughtful. Doubt, once planted, grows fast.
The next day, he was distant. Cold. Maria noticed immediately. She felt it in the silence between them.
“Did something happen, Mr. Carter?” she asked quietly before leaving.
“No. Just busy,” he replied, avoiding her eyes.
On her long ride home, holding her baby close, she felt that familiar emptiness return—the fear that even the smallest good thing could disappear overnight.
But Daniel was not a man who trusted rumors blindly.
That same morning, he ordered a full investigation—into Maria’s past and into Evelyn and her husband.
Within forty-eight hours, the truth was clear.
Maria’s record was spotless. Honest. Reliable. Praised by every former employer. One had even written, “She is the most trustworthy person I’ve ever hired.”
Daniel felt ashamed for doubting her.
But the second report filled him with anger.