" You're still looking at her ! " Seraphina shrieked . " If you're choosing her right in front of my face , then I'm leaving ! " With that , she burst into tears and ran for the door . Elias panicked . He shoved Pearl back into my arms and chased after her . I could hear his desperate explanations from the hallway . " Seraphina , darling , wait ! Kristin is just a nanny I hired to take care of our daughter . " " She's not a replacement , I swear . Now that you're back , we can be a family again . Please ? " " Darling ... " She shot me a triumphant smirk . " You're fired . " Half an hour later , Elias led Seraphina back into the rod Before could say a word , Elias jumped in . " Honey explained this to you ! Our daughter can't be without her ." Seraphina's face crumpled , the tears returning instantly . " Elias , I don't blame you . It was my fault . I was selfish to leave you and the baby to go abroad . I don't blame you for finding a substitute . " " But I'm back now , " she sobbed . " Our daughter needs me . And so do you ... " Elias hesitated . He knew Pearl needed me , but he couldn't bear to lose Seraphina again . He looked at me , his expression torn . " Kristin , why don't you take the rest of the night off ? Go home . " I pointed to my still - red cheek . " Your wife slapped me . That counts as a workplace injury . " Elias tapped a few things on his phone . A notification popped up on mine . He had just transferred the deed to a luxury apartment in the city center into my name . My attitude changed instantly . I handed Pearl back to him and bowed respectfully . " As you wish , sir . " As I left , Seraphina stood with her hands on her hips , puffed up like a victorious rooster . I was too busy dreaming of my new apart- ment to care . Besides , i hadn't had a proper rest since I'd started working with Pearl . That night , deep in a dreamless sleep , my phone rang . 2 groggily assurned it was Mr. Hayes , but when I squinted at the screen , I saw it was my best friend , Amelia . The moment I answered , a tirade of curses assaulted my ear . " Elias Hayes's wife is a certifiable lunatic ! " she yelled . " She calls me in the middle of the night , says Pearl is having an episode and you're not available , so I have to go over . The second I walk in , she starts bawling about how Elias didn't just find one replacement for her , but two ! " " I go to their house maybe twice a year , and always with you ! How the hell did I become a substitute mistress trying to seduce her husband ? " And we look nothing alike ! I asked her why she thought I was a substitute , and you know what she said ? She said our names both have ' ia ' at the end ! Seraphina , Amelia ... I ... " Theld the phone away from my ear as she unleashed a string of creative insults . Amelia was a leading expert in autism spectrum disorders . She was the one who had recommended me to Elias in the first place . But unlike me , who came from a humble background , Amelia was an heiress from a family even wealthier than the Hayes . " Did she forget I was at her wedding ? " Amelia continued , her voice still raised . " She seemed normal enough then . What happened ? " Anyway , I told that crazy bitch where to stick it and left . I just feel so bad for Pearl ... When I left , she was inst 11:48 Chapter 1 again . She had made so much progress with you ... "