After dinner, as the little guy was getting ready to take the trash out, Raphael stopped him and said, "You just had a fever the other day. Let me handle this. If I make you help with chores and you accidentally fall ill again, Elissa will blame me."

Upon hearing this, Brantley grinned and glanced at Elissa.

His nose was sweaty.

Elissa sat knitting a sweater and, upon hearing Raphael, she smiled and told Brantley to ignore him.

Raphael grinned too.

On the way to dump the trash, he lit a cigarette.

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants, he looked very much like a successful businessman.

After taking out the trash, he smoked a bit before heading back.

That was when he spotted a bunch of middle-aged women in the distance. Judging by their appearance, he figured they were all likely live-in maids. And among them, he noticed one particularly active person.

“Look! See that guy? He used to be my employer. He's a handsome man but I heard he's a kept man. He leans on his wife and even cleaned out her savings. How she puts up with him, I'll never know."

Raphael was shocked to hear this.

What on earth was that woman saying?!

Then the maid dropped a bombshell. "Guess what? He brought back his love child too! And he wants his wife to raise the kid. She claims it's her brother to save face, but I smell a lie. Like father, like son. That boy's going to be just as reckless!"

Raphael, lighting a cigarette, headed toward the group of women.

The other women scattered when they saw him but the gossiping maid stood there, embarrassed.

He quipped, "What's up? Am I interrupting something? You were quite the talker just now. You'd kill it in a debate. But let me clear things up. I might not be the best husband, but my wife was right to dismiss you. You work for someone else in this building, right? Imagine if they found out you were spreading rumors about your previous employer."

The maid was shocked by his words. After a moment, she mumbled, "Sorry, Mr. Jones. It was all just my suspicions."

"Really? Do you always throw around your suspicions like that? Elissa has never said a bad word about you when she called me. It seems you don't appreciate her kindness at all," Raphael said sternly, before turning around and leaving.

Back at home, Elissa sat on the sofa, still absorbed in her knitting, with Brantley sat beside her, his nose in a book.

Everything seemed normal.

But from the maid's tone, Raphael sensed Elissa had been troubled lately, and that Brantley had stepped up to help around the house.

Standing in the doorway, Raphael declared, “Pack your bags! We're going to Czanch. Brantley, I'll find you a new school. Elissa, we're sticking together until the baby's born."

Elissa was stunned by his sudden announcement.

But she wasn't naive and she caught on quickly. Setting aside the yarn, she asked gently, "You saw her and heard the gossip, didn't you?"