I thought I had found the perfect nanny for my son, someone who would make my life easier while I juggled work and motherhood. But when I overheard a shocking conversation between her and my mother-in-law, I realized their intentions were far from innocent. What were they planning?
I didn’t want to lie – being a single mom is hard. Motherhood in general wasn’t easy, but at some point, I started to feel grateful that things turned out the way they did.
I loved my Elio with all my heart. He was my life, my everything. And if my ex-husband Paul couldn’t feel that way, if he didn’t want to, then his leaving us turned out to be a blessing. It was better to have no father at all than to have someone like Paul.
Paul was the one who insisted we have a child when we got married. He wanted a son, an heir. It was unclear what exactly he wanted to leave behind – a receding hairline or bad teeth.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
But three years ago, I gave birth to Elio, and I loved that little boy even before I saw him.
When they placed him on my chest, it felt like I could explode from the emotions, and all the struggles before and after seemed worth it in that moment.
Paul never felt like a father. He thought a child was just some toy you could have and watch from the sidelines.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
He didn’t expect how much life changes when you have a baby. So he just… ran away.
I did get him to sign the divorce papers, but he refused to take any responsibility for Elio, just to avoid paying child support.
When all this was happening, I kept wondering how blind I’d been to marry a man like him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
But if it weren’t for Paul, I wouldn’t have Elio, so I thanked him for that, at least.
Paul’s mother, Sylvia, still wanted to stay in her grandson’s life, and although I couldn’t stand her, I couldn’t forbid her from seeing Elio.
It wasn’t my place, so as long as she wanted to and showed it, I let her be part of his life.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
But, of course, there were always arguments. Sylvia had her own ideas about raising my son, and she wasn’t shy about sharing them.
So when I decided to hire a nanny to help me juggle work and the kid, I got an earful about why I was wrong.
“The child needs a mother!” Sylvia exclaimed angrily.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“And Elio has a mother, unlike his father, who abandoned him, by the way, your son,” I replied sarcastically.
“Maybe Paul didn’t turn out to be much of a man, but I did everything I could, and you need to do the same,” Sylvia said.
“Thanks, but from you, advice on parenting is the last thing I’ll take,” I replied.
“But Elio will feel abandoned!” Sylvia screamed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“He won’t feel abandoned because I’ll be with him. And as for the nanny spending a few hours with him, there’s nothing wrong with that. I already work from home most of the time,” I said.
“Then let me stay with him,” Sylvia offered.
“I asked you. You said you’re too busy with your hobbies and want to rest even though you’re retired,” I answered.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Well, I can spare a couple of hours a day,” Sylvia started to justify herself.
“What do you want from me? The decision is already made. I’ve hired the nanny, and she’s very nice and competent. I’m sure you’ll even like her,” I said.
“We’ll see about that,” Sylvia muttered.
Sometimes, I just wanted to kick her out, but she loved Elio, and that was what mattered. So, I tolerated Sylvia for his sake.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Jess, Elio’s nanny, was truly a lovely young woman. She quickly bonded with Elio, and he enjoyed spending time with her.
The first few days, I stayed home to keep an eye on her. After all, I was still his mom, and worrying was my job.
But Jess was practically perfect. She followed all my instructions and came up with games for Elio that I’d never even thought of. They had fun and even did something productive together.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
I sighed in relief and started going to the office more often. I needed a change of scenery too.
No matter how much you love your child, staying at home with a baby all the time can drive you crazy.
Happy mom – happy child, so hiring Jess was the best decision I’d made.
Jess had been with us for nearly a month, and I saw how Sylvia’s attitude towards her had changed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
At first, she’d been totally against it, but it seemed Jess had managed to win her over. Now, Sylvia told me that hiring the nanny had been “tolerable.”
One evening, when I came home from work, I found Sylvia and Jess in the kitchen, sipping tea and chatting happily about something.
“Hey, how’s Elio?” I asked Jess as I set my phone on the table.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“He was a little fussy today, but he’s already asleep,” Jess said.
“Good. I thought I’d get home earlier, but work was such a mess I had to stay,” I said.
“I told you your son would feel abandoned. He doesn’t even see his mom now,” Sylvia chimed in.
“Please don’t start. It’s just for one time. I usually get home much earlier,” I said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“That’s true, Claire comes home early,” Jess said, winking at me.
Well, at least someone in this house was on my side. I looked at the clock.
“Sylvia, don’t you need to go home? I thought you had evening yoga,” I said.
“I’ll leave soon, don’t worry,” Sylvia said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“I’ll change and be right back,” I said, walking out to the hallway.
I remembered I’d left my phone and wanted to go back to the kitchen, but Sylvia and Jess’s conversation stopped me, and I decided to eavesdrop. I turned on the voice memo on my smartwatch, just in case.
“It’s going exactly how I wanted,” Sylvia said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“So when do you want me to do it?” Jess asked.
“I think it’s time. She trusts you now, so you can do it. Elio is allergic to almonds, remember?” Sylvia said.
“Yes, I’ll sprinkle it in his food, but when should I do it so it won’t raise suspicions?” Jess asked.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“She texts you when she’s coming home, right?” Sylvia asked, and Jess nodded.
“Tomorrow, just prepare everything. Then tell her you didn’t have time to feed Elio. I need to get my grandson away from this woman as soon as possible,” Sylvia said.
“Is this safe?” Jess asked.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“It’ll just cause a minor reaction. We won’t even need to go to the hospital,” Sylvia replied.
I stood there a little longer, and realizing I wouldn’t hear anything more useful, I went to the bedroom.
My hands were shaking. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. I trusted her, let her see my grandson, even though I didn’t have to, since Paul gave up his parental rights.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
And Jess? I trusted her with my most precious, only for her to do this? But I wouldn’t let them hurt my child or me, and I already knew how to deal with this. Their plan will fail, and my child will be safe.
The next day, I left the office earlier but intentionally didn’t text Jess, wanting to catch her in the act.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I texted her that I was on my way home, but only when I was standing outside the house.
I quietly entered, not wanting her to hear, and took out my phone to record everything.
Jess was in the kitchen preparing dinner for Elio, sprinkling ground nuts into the food, and I managed to record it all.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Then, I barged into the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I… I’m just preparing dinner for Elio. I haven’t had time to feed him yet,” Jess stammered.
“And you got here so fast,” she added.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“And you expect me to feed Elio myself?” I asked. “So Sylvia can take him from me, right?”
“What? No, of course not. Why would I do that?” Jess said, flustered.
“Stop pretending. I overheard your conversation yesterday. I know what you were planning. Be honest, did she make sure I hired you first, or did she win you over after?” I asked.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“I had nothing to do with this! It was all her! Sylvia paid me to come work as your nanny and then put the nuts in his food,” Jess said, terrified.
“Do you realize I could report you to the police for this?” I asked.
“But Elio wouldn’t be in any danger!” Jess screamed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“You can’t know that!” I yelled.
“Where’s my son?” I asked.
“He’s playing in the nursery,” Jess said.
“So you left him unattended too. Great nanny,” I said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
I was about to go to Elio when the doorbell rang. When I opened it, I saw Sylvia and two social workers standing there.
“There’s the incompetent mother,” Sylvia sneered.
“Good evening. We’d like to talk to you about your son, Elio,” one of the workers said.
“Of course, he’s in the nursery. We can go there,” I said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Sylvia looked pleased as she glanced at Jess but immediately changed her expression when she saw how frightened Jess looked.
We went to the bedroom. The workers asked a few standard questions, looked around the house, and finally one of them said, “I don’t see any reason to take the child. Everything looks fine here.”
“Thank you,” I said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
I walked them to the door and returned to Sylvia and Jess.
“Looks like your little plan didn’t work out, huh?” I said to Sylvia.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sylvia shrugged.
“She heard everything,” Jess whispered.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“Actually, I have a recording of your conversation and a video of Jess putting nuts in Elio’s food,” I said.
“Ah, you…” Sylvia gasped.
“Thought you were the smartest, huh?” I asked.
“You don’t deserve this child! I’ll raise him better!” Sylvia screamed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“I know exactly how you’ll raise him! So he can leave his own child!” I shouted. “And even after everything your son did, I allowed you to see Elio, and this is how you repay me!”
“I know what’s best for him!” Sylvia shouted.
“Well, now you’ll have to keep that to yourself,” I said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“Having this recording and video, I’ll make sure you can’t go anywhere near Elio, not even 5 meters,” I added.
“You won’t take my grandson from me!” Sylvia screamed.
“Your actions led to this—not mine,” I shouted.
“We’ll talk later!” Sylvia yelled and stormed off.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“Yes, in court!” I shouted after her.
Jess stood there, looking lost. “Out!” I yelled, and she quickly ran after Sylvia.
I went up to Elio’s room, silently sat on the floor next to him, and hugged him tightly.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
“I’ll never let anyone take you from me,” I whispered.
“Good, because I love you,” Elio said.
“I love you more than anything in the world,” I said, kissing the back of his head.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora
Tell us what you think about this story and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
