# Chapter 14: The Midnight Meeting
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 14 of "The Housemaid." Let me tell you, this chapter is filled with tension, unexpected connections, and a moment that will leave your heart pounding. So grab your favorite drink, get comfortable, and let’s dive right into the story of Millie and her complicated life with the Winchesters.
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It had been roughly three weeks since Millie began living with the Winchesters, and the time had finally come for her first parole officer meeting. She had deliberately scheduled it on her day off, not wanting anyone in the household to know where she was going or why. Her parole officer, Pam, was a stocky, middle-aged woman with a strong jaw and a surprisingly warm demeanor. Pam had genuinely tried to help Millie since her release from prison, even helping her land a waitressing job at a place called Charlie’s after she had been living in prison-subsidized housing.
But life had taken a turn, and things weren’t exactly as Pam thought they were. Millie had been fired from the waitressing job—quietly, thank goodness, because the alternative would’ve meant involving the police and sending her straight back to prison. Then, she lost her apartment and spent a month living out of her car. But she didn’t tell Pam any of that. Lying to a parole officer is a violation, and so is not having a residence. And Millie couldn’t, under any circumstances, risk going back to prison to serve the remaining five years of her sentence.
So there she was, sitting in Pam’s sweltering office, with the window cranked open and a fan blowing papers around the desk. Half the year, Pam’s office felt like a sauna; the other half, like a freezer. Pam greeted Millie with a warm smile, saying how good it was to see her. Millie settled into one of the wooden chairs, forcing a cheerful tone. “Great! Nothing to report.”
Pam flipped through some paperwork, mentioning she had received the message about Millie’s address change. She asked about the new job as a housekeeper for a family in Long Island. Millie confirmed, and when Pam asked why she had left Charlie’s, Millie just said she didn’t really like it. She chewed her lip, the lie sitting heavy on her tongue. The reality was she had been fired—completely unfairly—but admitting that would only lead to more questions she couldn’t answer.
Pam said she was proud of Millie, noting how hard it is for people who’ve been incarcerated since their teenage years to adjust. Millie thanked her, thinking to herself that Pam definitely didn’t need to know about that month living in her car. When Pam asked about the new job and how the Winchesters were treating her, Millie hesitated. She said the woman she worked for was a bit eccentric, but that she was just cleaning, so it wasn’t a big deal. Another slight lie. Nina Winchester had been making Millie increasingly uncomfortable, though she had no proof of anything beyond strange behavior. She’d even searched online to see if Nina had a record, but nothing popped up.
Pam then asked about Millie’s social life—not really a question parole officers are supposed to ask, but the two had grown friendly. Millie admitted it was nonexistent, and Pam laughed warmly, encouraging her to think about making friends and, eventually, dating, but not to settle for just anyone. She looked Millie in the eye and said, “You deserve someone who treats you right.”
Millie murmured in response, but for a moment, she closed her eyes and let herself imagine what it might be like to date a man. And unbidden, the image of Andrew Winchester filled her mind—his easy charm, his handsome smile. Her eyes flew open. Absolutely not. She couldn’t even think it. She was working for this family, and her loyalty had to be to Nina, no matter how awful she was.
Pam complimented her, saying she was beautiful and shouldn’t settle. Millie almost laughed out loud. She had been doing everything possible to look unattractive—baggy clothes, her hair in a tight bun or ponytail, no makeup whatsoever. Yet Nina still looked at her like she was some kind of vamp. Millie just said she wasn’t ready to think about that yet. Pam agreed, reminding her that having a job and shelter is important, but human connections are even more important.
Millie appreciated the sentiment, but she knew her priority: keep her nose clean, stay out of trouble, and never end up back in prison. That was all that mattered.
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Sleep, however, was not easy to come by. When you’ve spent years in prison, you learn to sleep with one eye open, always alert to what’s going on around you. The instinct hadn’t left Millie even after she got a real bed. Now, her old insomnia had returned with a vengeance, made worse by her unbearably stuffy attic bedroom. She had an idea though. Her first paycheck had been deposited, and she planned to buy a television for her room so she could drift off to sleep with background noise, mimicking the sounds of the prison at night.
Until then, she’d been hesitant to use the Winchesters’ television. But the family had a very specific routine every night. Nina would go upstairs at precisely 8:30 to put Cecelia to bed, reading a bedtime story and then singing the same hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Andrew would follow shortly after. By ten o’clock, the first floor was completely empty.
So there she was, sprawled out on the sofa around one in the morning, watching an episode of *Family Feud*. Steve Harvey was joking around with the contestants, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Millie laughed out loud. She remembered watching the show as a kid, imagining she could be a contestant one day, though she wasn’t sure who she would’ve invited to be on her team.
And then, a voice cut through the quiet.
“Is that *Family Feud*?”
Millie jerked her head up, heart leaping into her throat. Andrew Winchester was standing behind her, wide awake and looking like he belonged in the middle of the day. She stammered an apology, saying she didn’t mean to intrude. But Andrew just arched an eyebrow and told her she lived there too and had every right to watch the television.
She grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her chest, mortified by her flimsy gym shorts and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. She mentioned she was planning to buy a set for her room, but Andrew insisted it was fine to use theirs. He said he was just grabbing a glass of water and would be out of her hair in a minute.
Millie debated whether to go upstairs, but her heart was racing too much to even think about sleep. She watched as he shuffled into the kitchen, hearing the tap run. When he came back, she noticed he was only wearing a white undershirt and boxers. At least he wasn’t shirtless.
“How come you poured water from the sink?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Andrew plopped down next to her on the sofa, and she scooted as far away as she could without falling off. He said he’d always just gotten water from the sink, and asked if it was poison. She mentioned something about chemicals, and he laughed, running a hand through his dark hair.
They fell into an easy conversation. Andrew said he was hungry and asked if there were leftovers. There weren’t. He joked about eating peanut butter straight from the jar, and Millie cringed, reminding him not to eat it in front of Cecelia because of her allergy.
Andrew laughed. “No, she’s not.”
Millie was confused. Cecelia had told her about the allergy her very first day there. And Nina had confirmed it. But Andrew pointed out the obvious: if his daughter were truly allergic to peanuts, would they keep a big jar of peanut butter in the pantry? It was a fair point. Was Cecelia making it up to torture her? Millie wouldn’t have put it past her—but why would Nina go along with it?
Before she could dwell on it, Andrew turned his attention back to the TV, correctly guessing “blueberries” as the number one answer on *Family Feud*. Millie played along, suggesting “grape.” Sure enough, the next contestant got it right. Andrew grinned, impressed. They bantered back and forth, guessing fruits, laughing at the absurdity of some answers. Andrew was cracking up when a contestant said “peach,” and Millie giggled at the thought of someone unhinging their jaw to fit one in their mouth. It was playful, light, and for a brief moment, Millie forgot the weight of the world she carried.
She realized she had misjudged Andrew. He wasn’t a stuffy rich guy at all. He was down-to-earth, funny, and clearly a devoted father. She felt a little sorry for him sometimes, being married to someone like Nina. Of course, Millie knew she shouldn’t think like that. Nina was her boss, her paycheck, her place to live. But she was also a slob, contradictory, and incredibly cruel. Even Enzo, the massive estate handyman, seemed afraid of her.
And Andrew—well, Andrew was incredibly attractive. Even sitting as far from him as possible, Millie couldn’t ignore the fact that he was in his underwear, his thin undershirt outlining some very sexy muscles. He could do so much better than Nina.
Just as she began to relax, a screechy voice shattered the moment.
“Gosh, what’s the big joke you’re laughing about down here?”
Nina was standing at the foot of the stairs in a white nightgown, arms folded across her chest, glaring at them. Millie’s heart dropped. She was one second away from peeing her pants. But Andrew seemed totally calm, yawning and saying he’d come down for water and got distracted by *Family Feud*.
Nina’s eyes bore into Millie. She demanded to know why she didn’t have a television in her own room, calling the living room the family room. Millie apologized, saying she’d buy one as soon as possible. Andrew tried to defend her, asking what was wrong with Millie watching a little television if no one was around—but Nina cut him off, reminding him he had a meeting first thing in the morning.
Andrew sighed, his shoulders sagging. “You’re right, Nina. I better turn in.”
And just like that, he trudged upstairs, like a child being sent to bed without supper. It was unsettling to witness Nina’s jealousy up close.
Nina remained at the base of the stairs, her eyes raking over Millie’s gym shorts and tank top—and the absence of a bra. It looked bad, really bad. Millie tried to explain she didn’t think anyone would be awake, but Nina wasn’t having any of it. She demanded Millie wear appropriate attire around the house and stay up in the attic after bedtime. “The rest of the house is for my family,” Nina said coldly. “Do you understand?”
Millie nodded, heart pounding. And then Nina said the words Millie dreaded most: “Honestly, I’m not even sure how much we need a maid. Maybe this was a mistake...”
Oh no. Was she being fired at one in the morning? And if so, there was no way Nina would give her a good recommendation. She’d probably call every potential employer and poison the well. Millie had to fix this.
She dug her fingernails into her palm and blurted out, “Listen, Nina. Nothing was going on between me and Andrew...”
Nina threw her head back and laughed, a disturbing sound caught between humor and anguish. “Is that what you think I’m worried about? Andrew and I are soulmates. We have a child together and soon we’ll have another baby together. You think I’m scared that my husband would risk everything in his life for some trampy servant living in the attic?”
The words hit Millie like a slap. She swallowed hard. “No, he wouldn’t.”
“Damn straight he wouldn’t,” Nina said, locking eyes with her. “And don’t ever forget it.”
Then, with a jerk of her head toward the coffee table, Nina commanded, “Clean up that mess—right now.”
She turned on her heel and disappeared upstairs, leaving Millie frozen. There wasn’t really a mess—just the water glass Andrew had left behind. But her cheeks burned with humiliation as she walked over and snatched the glass off the table.
And before she could stop herself, she hurled it to the ground.
The glass smashed spectacularly, shards scattering everywhere. A piece dug into the pad of her foot, and she winced, realizing how incredibly stupid that was. She blinked at the mess she had created, her chest heaving. She had to clean it up. She had to find shoes. She had to make sure Nina never knew.
It was fine. It would be fine.
But Millie knew—she had to be more careful in the future.
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**Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating:**
Oh, this chapter was an emotional rollercoaster! I really felt for Millie in this one. She’s walking this razor-thin tightrope between survival and disaster, managing her parole, her job, and her complicated feelings for a man she absolutely should not be thinking about. The scene in the living room with Andrew was so warm and human—it was lovely to see Millie laugh for a moment and feel like a normal person. But then Nina had to appear and shatter everything, as always. Her jealousy and cruelty are truly chilling, and I’m worried for Millie’s safety in that house. The moment she smashed the glass was such a powerful release of all the anger she has to suppress every single day.
I’m giving this chapter a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.6 / 5 Stars.
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**Next Chapter Prediction:**
From here, I predict the tension is only going to escalate. Millie now knows how possessive Nina is—and how quickly her job could be taken away. But there’s something even deeper lurking beneath the surface. Andrew said Cecelia doesn’t have a peanut allergy, but both Nina and Cecelia insist she does. That’s a huge red flag. And with Nina mentioning a new baby on the way, something tells me the Winchesters’ perfect household is hiding far darker secrets than Millie ever imagined. What will she discover next?
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