He Chose The Nanny, I Chose Revenge

Clara pushed open the heavy oak door of her Manhattan penthouse.

She kicked off her four-inch heels, letting her bare feet sink into the plush runner.

She dropped her Birkin bag onto the marble entryway console and rubbed the tight space between her eyebrows. Fourteen hours of grueling board meetings for the family foundation left a dull pounding at the base of her skull.

A loud, heavy thud echoed from down the hallway.

It came from the playroom.

A second later, a sharp, piercing scream ripped through the quiet apartment.

Clara's stomach dropped. Her heart kicked against her ribs.

She didn't bother grabbing her shoes. She sprinted down the hallway, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor.

She shoved the half-open glass door of the playroom.

Her momentum stopped. A sea of sharp plastic Lego bricks covered the floor, blocking her path.

Her five-year-old son, Leo, sat on the edge of the rug. His small arms were wrapped tightly around a red toy fire truck.

A massive, angry purple welt was already forming on his forehead, right where he had hit the edge of the wooden bookshelf. His eyes were wide and swimming with tears, but his jaw was clamped shut. He was trying so hard not to cry.

In the center of the room sat Autumn, the nanny's five-year-old daughter, exactly the same age as Leo.

Autumn was pointing at her own knee and wailing at the top of her lungs. There was a microscopic red scratch on her skin.

Before Clara could step over the Legos, the heavy mahogany door of the adjacent study flew open.

Chadwick rushed into the room.

He didn't even look at Clara. He didn't look at Leo.

His eyes locked onto the crying little girl in the center of the room.

His eyes flickered to Leo's bleeding forehead for a fraction of a second, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths, before he forced his gaze away and rushed to Autumn.

Chadwick's knees hit the carpet with a heavy thud as he slid to a stop in front of Autumn.

"Where does it hurt? Show me," Chadwick demanded. His voice shook. His hands were actually trembling as he reached out to cup the little girl's calf.

Autumn didn't hesitate. She threw her arms around Chadwick's neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

She rubbed her snot and tears directly into the lapel of his custom Tom Ford suit.

Clara stood frozen in the doorway. A cold, unnatural chill washed over her skin.

She stared at her husband. The sheer panic radiating from his body was entirely disproportionate to the situation.

Clara forced air into her lungs. She carefully stepped over the scattered blocks and knelt beside Leo.

She reached out and gently tilted her son's chin up. The welt on his forehead was hot to the touch.

Leo flinched. He looked past his mother, his lower lip trembling as he watched his father hold another child.

"What happened, Leo?" Clara