I Thought the New Nanny Was After My Husband, Until I Realized She Was After Something More Precious — Story of the Day

When we hired a new nanny, everything seemed perfect at first. But soon, I noticed the way she looked at my husband, the way he changed around her—it all pointed to one thing. I thought she was after him. But I was wrong. What she really wanted was something even closer to my heart.

No one had ever warned me that when you became a mother, another full-time job was added to your existing full-time job—and it would last a lifetime.

Before Ethan appeared in my life, everything I did had been about work. I had built a good career, and even when I got married, I refused to quit, even though I could have afforded to.

I wanted to stay independent, to be on equal footing with Daniel, and I had done it perfectly. But what I could not do was become a mother.

For ten long years, Daniel and I had tried to conceive. Nothing worked. My eggs were like those of a fifty-year-old woman.

We spent hundreds of thousands on treatments, on IVF, but every attempt failed.

Daniel suggested surrogacy, but I could not bring myself to agree for a long time.

Until one day, at the hospital, I saw a baby, and something inside me clicked. The nurse told me his biological mother had given him up.

That same evening, I talked to Daniel, and that was how Ethan came into our lives. My beloved boy.

I had accumulated sixteen weeks of vacation over the years, so I took them to take care of Ethan. It was hell.

I had no strength, I was not myself. It felt like my life no longer belonged to me. I did not sleep, I smelled, the house was a mess, Ethan cried all the time and only fell asleep in the car.

But as the days passed, we got used to each other. I learned to sleep when he slept, played music for him so he would sleep not only in the car, delegated him to Daniel so I could shower.

After sixteen weeks, I hired a nanny to help me with Ethan while I worked from home. It definitely made my life easier. But when Ethan was almost three, Carmen left us, and chaos returned.

Yes, Ethan was in daycare, but that only covered part of the day. I still needed someone to watch him in the afternoons and evenings while I worked.

I loved being a mother more than anything else in the world, but I also did not want to give up my independence or the career I had built for myself.

I had always promised myself that Ethan would have the best of everything—a safe home, a good education, and a happy childhood. That was why Daniel and I started searching for a new nanny.

We interviewed so many women, I lost count. Some seemed too strict, others too careless.

None of them felt right. Daniel rejected each one without hesitation, barely giving them a chance.

I was starting to feel hopeless, wondering if we would ever find someone we could trust, until Emily showed up at our door.

She was young, barely out of college, but there was something about her—a warmth, a natural ease with Ethan.

He took to her right away, and honestly, so did I. Daniel and I hired her that same day.

For a while, everything seemed perfect. Ethan adored Emily, and I could see how gently she cared for him, like he was her own.

Daniel and I finally had space to breathe, to focus on work again. It felt like life had returned to normal.

But then, little things started to bother me. Daniel began working from home more often after Emily arrived, insisting that I go to the office to unwind.

I caught them exchanging looks, lingering just a little too long. Daniel was always on his phone, smiling at texts he would never show me.

I could not make sense of it at first, but the puzzle pieces slowly began to fit.

Daniel had found Emily for the nanny position and immediately wanted to hire her, even though he had rejected all the others.

Ethan and Emily grew close, he became attached to her and cried every time she left. Had she decided to replace me and take my family?

One morning, as I was getting ready for work, Emily had already arrived and was playing with Ethan.

Before leaving, I peeked into the nursery. Emily and Ethan were sculpting with playdough.

"I want to make a yellow elephant," Ethan said.

Emily giggled. "Like the sun, right?" she asked, kneading the yellow playdough. Ethan nodded, and Emily handed him the soft dough.

"Thanks, Mom," he said, casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world. And he did not even try to correct himself.

My son called another woman mom. In that moment, I felt the ground disappear from under my feet, my body turned to jelly.

I forced a smile. "Emily, can I talk to you for a second?" I said, trying to stay calm.

"Yes, of course," Emily replied and approached me.

"Why is Ethan calling you mom?" I asked.

"Oh, kids do that sometimes. It was accidental," Emily said.

"But you did not correct him," I pointed out.

"I just did not pay attention," Emily said.

I sighed. "Tell me the truth, is there something between you and Daniel? Do you want to take my husband, my child, my family?" I asked, unable to hold back anymore.

"What? Regina, no. I would never even think of such a thing. Like I said, Ethan just accidentally called me mom, but if it happens again, I will correct him," Emily said.

"Alright," I said and left for work.

Daniel stayed home that day, and I felt like I was losing my mind, like I was missing something right under my nose. So I decided to play it smart and return home early without telling anyone.

When I came back, the house was quiet. Ethan must have been napping. Then I heard noises from Daniel's office. I carefully climbed the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible.

When I reached the office, I grabbed the door handle and swung it open. I froze at the scene in front of me. Daniel and Emily. They were not doing anything, but they stood too close, far too close for a nanny and the child's father.

"What is going on here?!" I shouted.

"Regina, honey, you are home early," Daniel said.

"Is that really what you want to say to me right now?" I asked.

"It is all Emily, she said she wants to be with me," Daniel blurted.

Emily remained silent, but I saw how nervous she was, how her eyebrows shot up when Daniel said that.

"Emily, will you say something?" I asked. But she stayed silent, unable to even look me in the eye. "Do you think I do not see what is going on here? Your constant glances, you, Daniel, working from home all the time, always texting someone," I said.

"Regina, you misunderstood everything," Daniel said. "It is all Emily, I have nothing to do with it. I love only you," he added.

"Give me your phone," I told