Chapter 3

3

Ashley lived in the same community as Jess, but in a luxurious apartment.

My room was bigger than Jess's master bedroom. It was well-lit, well-ventilated with a massive window. It was my dream room.

My job was easy, just assist in helping Ashley with her daily life, take notice of her moods and talk to her.

There was a nanny who was taking care of the baby.

Ashley was always very quiet and fragile. She would just sit by the window, looking off into space. She was like a porcelain doll about to break.

Fortunately, I'm naturally upbeat, and she hadn't rejected all forms of social interaction.

I stuck by Ashley, always near her. My first goal was to make sure I wasn't a threat to her. I always put fresh sunflowers, her favorite flower, in a vase and made sure to slowly get her used to the flavors she liked.

I soon discovered that she loved blue, liked listening to piano, and slept with a teddy bear.

Slowly, I made the house a place where she felt safe.

She was starting to open up to me, sharing her pains. When she did, I'd listen, I would hold her and reassure her. She gradually got better, and started to drop her guard. She was even joking with us.

The weather was great that day. There was a huge wisteria bloom in the park.

I saw that she wanted to go out, so I asked, "Do you want to go for a walk with me?"

It had been some time since she'd stepped outside.

She was having a good day. She sat underneath the wisteria, a gentle breeze blowing through her hair.

I was chatting to her, when I suddenly felt a strong force push me from behind.

"You two-faced, ungrateful piece of garbage!"

I went face-first into the ground.

The sudden turn of events startled Ashley, who stood up and covered her ears, screaming and panicking.

Ignoring my pain, I quickly got up and put my arms around Ashley to reassure her. I finally managed to calm her down.

The person who pushed me was Jess's mother-in-law.

Jess's mother-in-law didn't live in our community. When Jess gave birth and I was hired, she took it as a chance to enjoy her golden years, only showing up once in a while.

Every time she saw me, she would give me dirty looks.

She would complain about me to my parents, telling them that I was lazy and greedy, and that paying me a salary was a huge favor.

"Are you nuts?!" I was upset and worried.

Ashley was unstable, and having been through an abusive relationship, she was prone to emotional distress.

I was terrified. If she had pushed Ashley instead of me, I wouldn't even want to think about what might have happened.

The old hag didn't look guilty at all. Instead, she started bad-mouthing me.

"Well, well, if it isn't the gold-digging nanny my family fired, huh?"

She was surrounded by other ladies who went to the same dance class, and they all started looking at me with disapproval.

I didn't want to engage with her, I just wanted to get Ashley home.

But she grabbed me and refused to let me go. "What, did I hit a nerve? Are you guilty?"

"My daughter-in-law was nice enough to just let you go but, I'm not as forgiving."

She clapped loudly, trying to draw attention.

"Everyone, come here, this woman used to work for me. We paid her good money to work for us, but she did nothing but laze around. I've also caught her eating stuff we bought for my daughter-in-law."

"She's a horrible person, don't hire a nanny like her. Spread the word."