Love and Lies in the Nursery 1

At midnight, Matthew started cry again, this time more loudly, his tiny voice was shaking the whole house.

Sophia's eyes snapped open, her heart racing as she sat up in bed, the sound of Matthew's cries piercing through the night. She glanced at Raphael, who was still fast asleep, oblivious to the commotion.

Sophia's mind raced as she threw off the covers and hastily got out of bed, her movements fueled by a mix of anxiety and guilt. She hurried to the nursery, the cries growing louder with each step. As she entered the room, she was met with the sight of Matthew's tiny face, red and scrunched up in distress.

The nanny was trying to console him, but he was havering none of it. Sophia's heart skipped a beat as she approached the baby, her hands trembling slightly as she reached out to pick him up. "It's okay, little one," she cooed, trying to sound soothing, but her voice was laced with a hint of desperation.

"What's wrong, huh?" She glanced at the nanny, who shrugged helplessly.

"I tried feeding him, but he won't take it," the nanny answered.

Sophia's mind raced as she tried to calm Matthew down, her thoughts consumed by the fear of being found out."What about the wet nurse?" Sophia asked nervously

"She didn't come yesterday, maybe she was sick or something, but when she called yesterday to say that she won't come, her voice was a bit faint", the nanny explained.

Sophia's eyes widened in alarm, her grip on Matthew tightening as she felt a surge of panic. "how do you mean by her voice... a bit faint? how do you mean?" she pressed, her voice low and urgent.

The nanny hesitated, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. "I think she might be...ill, ma'am. She sounded weak, and her voice was trembling. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that Matthew's refusing to feed..."

Sophia's mind raced as she pieced together the ominous signs. The wet nurse's sudden absence, her faint voice...it couldn't be a coincidence. A cold dread crept up Sophia's spine as she realized that her secrets might be unraveling faster than she could control.

Matthew's tiny hand tightened at Sophia's breast, he need to be breastfed, but how can Sophia do that when she's not the mother of Matthew.

"You can go back to your room, I will take care of him," Sophia instructed the nanny.

Sophia tried to gently pry Matthew's hand off her breast, but he held tight, his small fingers digging into her skin. "Matthew, sweetie, I...I can't," Sophia stuttered, her eyes darting around the room in desperation.

She reached for the baby milk. "Baby shhh... let's drink milk, you have always been a good boy, don't do this now."

But he wouldn't let go, his grip only tightening as he continued to wail. Sophia's anxiety spiked, her mind racing with panic. She tried to distract him with a pacifier, but he spat it out, his tiny face contorted in frustration.

The sound of his cries grew louder, echoing off the walls of the nursery, and Sophia knew she was running out of time. Just as she was about to give up, the door creaked open and Raphael walked in, his eyes bleary with sleep.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice husky, his gaze fixed on the scene before him. Sophia's heart sank, her eyes locked on Raphael's, her mind screaming with fear. She knew she would be caught or might get trapped in her own web of deceit if she doesn't make something up.

Sophia tried to defend herself, "he is refusing the baby milk, the nanny have been trying to feed him, I just don't understand why he's refusing to drink."

"I thought he was sleeping earlier," Raphael yawned, rubbed his eyes and walked towards his wife and baby.

Sophia tried to force a smile, "yeah, but... you know how he can be sometimes."

"That shouldn't be a big deal, honey, he might be managing baby's milk when you were at work but now you are here, carrying him, which baby wouldn't throw a fit just to have the natural thing?" Raphael said, sitting close to them.