Maddie

I've never raced home so quickly.

The very second I heard the urgency and panic laced in Cameron's voice over the message he left, I was racing to my car as fast as possible. I should have known Nina was too good to be true. There were so many red flags, and I ignored every single one of them. I should have listened to Cameron when he expressed concerns. I should have listened to Maya, who tried to warn me of this months ago.

I just didn't think I had to worry about some young woman with wrong intentions coming into our lives. I've seen the unrealistic Lifetime movies, but it never occurred to me that I'd actually be living in one.

My tires screech as soon as I hit the wrap-around driveway in front of the fountain. Although I don't know what exactly Nina has deceived us on since Cameron couldn't go into detail, all I know is she wasn't who she claimed to be, and that's more than enough reason for me to fire her ass.

Normally, I'm the girl wanting to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I try my hardest to be the better person, but time and time again it kicks me in the ass. Maybe that's why I'm storming up the brick pathway with my hands balled into fists at my sides. My cheeks feel as if they're on fire when I slam the door open.

Water is running in the kitchen, which is Nina's typical nighttime routine. She'll put Izzy to bed, and by the time I return from work, she's cleaning up the dinner she made. It bothers me that if she had just claimed to be who she really was from the beginning and had been able to control herself around my husband, she would have been the perfect nanny.

I wait patiently at the island for Nina to finish the last dish. She's in a pair of jeans and a sweater, wiping her hands on the dish towel before she notices me. "Oh, hey," she says cheerfully as if nothing is wrong. Shr frowns when she scans my face. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright," I seethe, slamming my purse down on top of the island. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Nina? Or is that even your real name?"

Her face blanches of all color. "I'm sorry?"

"Cameron left me a voicemail before his game. Said you aren't who you're claiming to be. Care to explain?"

"I..." She clasps her hands in front of her, seeming to put a mask on to hide any emotions she may be feeling. "I have no idea what he's talking about. My name is Nina."

"And did you previously work for Ryan, Cameron's teammate, or was that a lie?"

She hesitates but eventually says, "I did work for them."

"Bullshit."

"Did Ryan say I didn't?"

I... Fuck, I don't know. Cameron hasn't had the chance to call me. Maybe I should have waited prior to firing her, but if she is any threat to our daughter whatsoever, I refuse to have her working here for another second. I don't need to hear the full story. I trust my husband, and he wouldn't have called to warn me if there wasn't concrete evidence.

"It doesn't matter what he did or didn't say. As of this minute, you're fired. I'll give you a week to get your things out of the guest house, but you're no longer needed here."

Nina throws her head back and laughs. The woman manically laughs, so much different from the shy, innocent woman she typically portrays herself to be. "You can't fire me," she says. "Not without breaching the contract. You'd need a valid reason, and I haven't heard one yet."

"I will pay whatever the fuck the contract states we owe you in order for you to get off this property. I'll call the cops in a heartbeat."

Her eyes glisten with humor. "And wouldn't the media just love that? First Cameron decides to start a fling back up with his ex from college, and now rumors will circulate about the nanny, too?" She takes a step closer to me around the island, shaking her head in pity. "Let's really get to the root of the issue here, Maddie. You're intimidated by me. I get it, alright? I'm young, and Cameron seems to be interested in whomever seems to walk by, but—"

"Who the fuck is this?" I wave my hand up and down, mouth agape. "You know absolutely nothing about our marriage, Nina, and you never will. I am in no way shape or form intimidated by you, so I'd stop while you're ahead. You may think I can be someone you can walk all over, but trust me, I can take matters into my own hands if need be. Matter of fact, you can ask Katie that question."

"Katie?" Nina's eyes grow wide. "I-I don't know her."

And the pieces just keep clicking together.

With a roll of my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest. "Truthfully, I'm not surprised. I wouldn't put it past her to come up with a scheme like this. Have an inside source."

"I can't lose this job," she sneers. "If you want to call the cops go right ahead, but until you present me with a valid reason with factual backup as to why you're firing me, I'd think twice. A lawsuit on top of what you're already dealing with won't bode well for either of you."

My mind is a blur as I try to figure out what the best move is. Cameron isn't done with his game yet, but as soon as he can present that information, we can kick her ass out of here. I don't want to make any decisions before speaking to Cameron first, because as much as a bitch Nina is being, she's right. Do we really need another public scandal on top of the one we already have? My life is hell right now as it is.

"You can sleep in the guest house tonight," I say with a sinister smile, "but I wouldn't get too comfortable. As soon as Cameron returns from this game, I'm certain we'll have the proof we need, and then you'll no longer be employed with us. Matter of fact, I'm giving you a vacation. Effective immediately while all of this gets sorted out." I'll pay for her to be gone for a few days rather than put my daughter at risk.

"But who will watch Izzy?" Her eyes dart to the camera, and just from the way her eyes soften over my daughter on the screen, I know she's grown fond of her. That's too bad, though. She should have thought of that before lying to us during the interview.

"My mom already said she'd fly in to fulfill her grandmotherly duty." Opening up the patio doors that lead out to the guest house, I wave for her to leave. "You're dismissed for now, Nina. We'll be in touch tomorrow."

There's a blazing flash of anger that flickers through Nina's eyes, but she eventually lets out a huff and stalks past me out the door. I make sure to lock it closed behind her, then I watch to make sure she goes into the guest house.

What the fuck is even happening? I still have no idea what Cameron found out about her, but this isn't a situation I was planning on adding onto our plate. We're in limbo waiting for Katie to make her next move, and now we have to worry about a nanny filing a lawsuit unless we can come up with proof that she isn't who she says she is.

I'm...tired. I'm fucking drained. And on top of all of this? I now have to take Izzy away from someone she's grown an attachment to, and that makes me feel like the world's shittiest mom. Rather than take Ryan's word for it, we should have confirmed that she was the Nina he was speaking of. I don't know how the miscommunication happened, but at the end of the day, it was our fault.

Dealing with the fame has been new for me. I hadn't officially stepped into the lights until this year after my study abroad program ended, but what I have learned in this short amount of time is that I'm sucking at it. I'm not going to keep my head down any longer. I don't care what Cameron's publicist has to say about it. If a photographer questions me about the situation? I'm going to be truthful from now on. I'm going to take Katie, Nina, and all the other bitches down with a terrifying fucking wrath none of them know I'm capable of dishing out.

If Katie thought I was crazy all those years ago chasing her down a busy street with her hair extensions in hand? She's got a rude awakening coming.