HUSH, MY EX-CONVICT HEART

CHAPTER FOUR: A TOUGH DECISION

FABIAN'S POV

Two years.

That's how long it had been.

Doctors and therapists couldn't say what exactly was wrong with her.

“Physically, your daughter seems fine. There's nothing wrong with her speech and hearing abilities. We can only conclude that this is a case of selective mutism, caused by trauma,” doctors had stated.

“Most children tend to retreat into silent mode when something stressful or scary happens and that might be Kira's case.”

Trauma.

One word I had never imagined would be associated with my child.

How on earth could she have been traumatized and I wouldn't be aware?

In those two years, I had seen her shut out everyone who came near her. Including me, her father.

It took a while before she could open up to me again and seeing my child in this condition broke my heart, like it would break every other parent's heart.

But I was shocked when she pointed at this woman, without a second thought.

So confident.

Almost as if she had made up her mind about her before stepping into the room.

I looked at the woman my daughter had chosen.

Zora Stevens.

I remembered her name because I read her resume while I watched her and Kira through the CCTV camera.

Red summer dress and heels that she seemed uncomfortable in. She wasn't wearing much makeup, which highlighted her natural features even more.

I looked over at the other women and they looked disappointed, probably wondering why a mute little child was selecting her own nanny.

I handed Kira over to Mrs. Yuri, my Korean House Manager.

“Take her in,” I said and she nodded before exiting the room.

I turned my attention to the applicants.

“You can leave. We'll get in touch with you,” I said.

Even though I knew I wasn't going to be calling them back, it was a better way to dismiss someone to leave them with their dignity intact.

Just as they were beginning to leave, Zora included, I stopped her.

“Miss Stevens?” I called out.

She stopped.

Then slowly turned around.

“Come with me,” I said and walked towards my office.

I heard her footsteps behind me - walking as quietly as possible even in heels, like someone who had been trained to remain invisible.

I sat behind my desk and gestured for her to sit across from me.

My eyes never left her and soon her eyes met mine.

“Tell me about yourself,” I started.

This wasn't a question I usually start with when interviewing someone. Most times I already know all I need to know about the applicants before the interview.

But somehow, there was a mix-up somewhere so there wasn't enough time to conduct a full background check on her before the interviews began.

She didn't rush to answer the question.

“I was an elementary school teacher for 3 years. I loved my job because I loved interacting with the kids, with or without words, which was why it was easy for me to bond with Kira,” she said.

I watched her speak and I could tell she spoke from a place of passion.

I went over her resume again and pointed out the one thing that stood out most.

“Your resume has a gap,” I stated.

I noticed she stiffened when I mentioned that, making me even more curious about her.

“Do you mind explaining that?”

She looked at me.

“I was going through a personal situation but I'm out of it now and that wouldn't interfere with my abilities to care for your child, Mr Kingston.”

I stared at her for a long time but she didn't look away or blink.

Most people would have.

I got up and began to pace around the office.

“My daughter has not spoken in two years. The doctors and therapists think it's trauma-related,” I started.

She listened.

“She has been through four nannies and she has never warmed up to any of them as much as she warmed up to you and that's the only reason you're still here.”

I stopped in front of her.

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Yes I can,” she said confidently, with no hint of doubt or fear in her eyes.

I pulled out the contract I had prepared from the drawers and handed it to her.

“I'll give you a one-month trial. Every morning when you arrive and in the evenings when you leave, you must report to Mrs Yuri, the House Manager. You mustn't take Kira out of the property without my permission. And most importantly…”

I paused.

“You must be reachable at all times. Do you get that?”

She nodded.

“Yes Mr Kingston,” she replied calmly.

“Now sign the contract when you are ready,” I said.

She read through the contract line by line, page by page before finally picking up the pen and signing at the bottom.

“You resume at 8am sharp tomorrow. Don't be late,” I said firmly.

“Thank you Mr Kingston for the opportunity. I promise you won't regret it,” she said as she got to her feet.

I watched her close the door behind her. As I sat back in my seat, I couldn't help but wonder if I had done the right thing by hiring a woman whom I hadn't conducted a proper background check on to take care of my child.

That night, I couldn't sleep. Thoughts about that strange woman kept me awake. I called my Head of Security, Darian.

“I want you to look into Zora Stevens and get me everything you know about her before 9am tomorrow,” I demanded.

“Yes boss,” he replied.

By 7:30am, Darian delivered what I had requested.

Full background check on Zora Stevens.

I sat back on my chair, a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of me.

I had expected it to be like the usual details - financial records, previous employers.

But what my eyes caught made me freeze for a second.

My eyes read through the page again, hoping that I had misread the document the first time.

By the time my eyes scanned through it for the third time, I knew I hadn't misread anything.

Zora Stevens.

Convicted of Manslaughter in the first degree even though the body wasn't found.

Served 5 out of the 18-year jail sentence.

My mind went back to the “personal situation” she mentioned yesterday.

She called an unliving someone a personal situation.

And this was the woman I had let into my home.

Just then there was a knock on my door. Mrs Yuri came in.

“The nanny Kira chose is here, sir.”