# Chapter 23: A Dangerous Invitation
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? Today, I’m going to walk with you through Chapter 23 of *The Housemaid*—a chapter that starts with relief, bubbles with temptation, and ends with the kind of dread that makes your stomach twist into knots. So sit back, take a deep breath, and let’s step back inside that beautiful Winchester house where nothing is ever as safe as it seems.
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On that quiet Sunday afternoon, two pieces of news arrived like little gifts wrapped in sunshine. First, Andrew had apparently managed to refund those show tickets, which meant I wouldn’t have to work for free or hand over money I didn’t have. Second—and this was the one that made my heart want to do a ridiculous little dance—Cecelia was going to be gone for two entire weeks.
Two weeks. Without that little monster.
I honestly couldn’t decide which piece of news thrilled me more. Sure, saving my money was wonderful, but not having to wait on Cecelia hand and foot? That felt like a vacation of its own. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with that child—she’s got all of Nina’s worst traits wrapped up in a tiny, demanding body.
And her luggage? Lord above. It looked like she had packed for a year-long expedition to the moon. I swear, she must have stuffed every piece of clothing she owned into those bags, and then, just for good measure, filled every remaining inch with rocks. That’s how heavy it felt, anyway, as I carried her ridiculous luggage out to Nina’s snow-colored Lexus.
“Please be careful with that, Millie.” Nina hovered nearby, watching me with fretful eyes as I used every ounce of strength I possessed to hoist the monstrous suitcase into the trunk. My palms were bright red and raw from the straps digging into my skin. “Please don’t break anything,” she added.
What could Cecelia possibly be bringing to summer camp that was so fragile? Clothes, books, bug spray—what else could a kid need? But far be it from me to question Nina. “Sorry,” I muttered.
I went back inside to fetch the last piece of luggage just in time to catch Andrew jogging down the stairs. He saw me reach for that enormous bag, and his eyes widened with genuine concern.
“Hey,” he said. “I’ll carry that for you. It looks really heavy.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted quickly—mostly because I spotted Nina stepping in from the garage.
“Yes, she’s got it, Andy.” Nina waggled a finger at him. “You need to be careful about your bad back.”
Andrew shot her a look that was half annoyance, half hurt. “My back is fine. Anyway, I want to say goodbye to Cece.”
Nina pulled a face. “Are you sure you won’t come with us?”
“I wish I could,” he said softly. “But I can’t miss an entire day of work tomorrow. I’ve got meetings in the afternoon.”
She sniffed. “You always put work first.”
You know what? That comment stung just hearing it. It was completely unfair. For all of Nina’s complaints, Andrew was home every single night for dinner. He did occasionally work on weekends, sure, but he’d also shown up at two dance recitals this month, one piano recital, a fourth-grade graduation ceremony, a karate demonstration, and even one long evening at some art show at the day school. But still, he only said, “I’m sorry.”
Nina sniffed again, tilting her chin away from him. Andrew reached out to touch her arm, but she jerked away and disappeared into the kitchen to fetch her purse.
So instead of making peace with his wife, Andrew heaved the final piece of luggage into his arms and carried it out to the garage. He said goodbye to Cecelia, sitting there in that snow-white Lexus, wearing an absolutely gorgeous lacy white dress that was wildly inappropriate for summer camp. But of course, I kept my mouth shut. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Two whole weeks without that girl. I wanted to jump up and down with joy, but I forced my lips into something resembling sadness. “It will be sad without Cecelia here this month,” I said as Nina came back out of the kitchen.
“Really?” she said dryly, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you couldn’t stand her.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. Okay, yes, it was true. It was really, really true. But I had no idea Nina had noticed. And if she had figured that out, did she also realize that I wasn’t exactly her biggest fan either? That thought sent a chill right through me. I needed to be more careful. A woman like Nina can smell weakness like blood in the water.
Nina smoothed down her white blouse and swept back out to the garage. The second she left the room, it felt like every bit of tension drained out of my body. When Nina is around, I’m always on edge. It’s like she’s watching me, dissecting everything I do, waiting for me to slip.
Andrew emerged from the garage a few moments later, wiping his hands on his jeans. I have to admit, I love the way he looks on weekends—a simple T-shirt, denim, that tousled hair. And when he smiled and winked at me, my traitorous heart fluttered.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same relief I did about Nina leaving.
“So,” he said, crossing his arms, “now that Nina is gone, I have a confession to make.”
“Oh?” My pulse jumped. A confession? Would he say the words I secretly dreamed about? *I’m madly in love with you, Millie. I’m leaving Nina so we can run away to Aruba together.* Yeah, right. Not exactly likely.
“I couldn’t get a refund on those show tickets,” he admitted, hanging his head like a guilty schoolboy. “I didn’t want Nina to give you a hard time over it. Or try to *charge* you, for heaven’s sake. I’m sure she was the one who told you the wrong date.”
I slowly nodded, processing. So the “refund” had been a lie—but a kind one. He had protected me from Nina’s manipulation. “Thank you, Andrew. I appreciate it.”
“So…” A smile crept across his face. “You should take the tickets. Go to the city tonight and see the show with a friend. You can even stay overnight at The Plaza hotel room.”
I almost gasped. “That’s so generous.”
The right side of his lips quirked up. “Well, we’ve got the tickets. Why should they go to waste? Enjoy it.”
I toyed with the hem of my T-shirt, my mind spinning. I couldn’t begin to imagine what Nina would say if she ever found out about this. And honestly, the thought of going gave me a little spike of anxiety. “I appreciate the gesture,” I said slowly, “but I’ll pass on the show.”
“Really?” He looked genuinely surprised. “This is supposed to be the best show of the decade! You don’t like Broadway?”
He had no idea about my past. He had no idea about the last ten years of my life. “I’ve never even been to a show on Broadway,” I admitted.
“Then you definitely need to go! I insist!”
“Right, but…” I took a deep, shaky breath. “The truth is, I don’t have anyone to go with. And I don’t feel like going alone. So like I said, I’ll pass.”
Andrew stared at me for a long moment, rubbing his finger against the stubble on his jaw. And then, with a tone that made my stomach flip, he said, “I’ll go with you.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
He hesitated, and I could see the gears turning in that head of his. “I know Nina has jealousy issues,” he admitted. “But that’s no reason to let these expensive tickets go to waste. And it’s a crime you’ve never seen a show on Broadway before. It’ll be fun.”
*Yes,* I thought. *It will be fun. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.*
My imagination went wild. I pictured the two of us driving into Manhattan in his BMW, sitting together in the orchestra section of one of the hottest shows on Broadway. Maybe grabbing a bite to eat afterward at a lovely restaurant, sharing a glass of Prosecco. Having a real conversation with Andrew without Nina hovering nearby, glowering at me like I was poison.
It sounded absolutely wonderful. And absolutely terrifying.
“Sure,” I heard myself say. “Let’s do it.”
Andrew’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Awesome. I’ll go change, and let’s meet down here in about an hour, okay?”
“You got it.”
As I climbed the stairs to the attic, that bright, hopeful feeling started to curdle. Something dark and heavy settled into the pit of my stomach. As much as I was looking forward to tonight, I couldn’t shake the terrible feeling that something awful was about to happen.
I already had an entirely inappropriate crush on Andrew. And spending the entire night with him, just the two of us, felt dangerously like tempting fate.
But that was ridiculous, wasn’t it? We were just two adults going to Manhattan to enjoy a show. We were completely in control of our actions. We would be fine.
Right?
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### Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
That chapter had my pulse racing, and I’ll be honest—I’m genuinely nervous. The way Millie’s hope and dread are tangled together is so beautifully written that you can’t help but feel her anxiety right along with her. Andrew is such a charming, caring presence, but there’s this ominous undertone running through the whole scene. We all know that secrets in this house never stay buried for long, and this little “harmless” trip to Broadway? It feels like the calm before the storm. The chemistry between Andrew and Millie is intoxicating, but it’s also a ticking time bomb. I loved the tension, the subtle manipulation from Nina, and the unbearable sense of foreboding that creeps in at the very end. This chapter kept me glued to the page, heart pounding.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
### Next Chapter Prediction
I have a feeling the night at the theater will not go as planned. Just when Millie starts to let her guard down and enjoy a perfect evening with Andrew, something is going to go horribly wrong. Maybe a jealous Nina sends a “friendly” text that reveals she knows more than she’s letting on. Maybe someone from Millie’s past suddenly appears in Manhattan. Or worse—maybe tonight is when Andrew’s true nature is finally exposed, and Millie realizes she’s been dancing with danger all along. One thing is certain: that bad feeling in her gut is there for a reason, and the next chapter is going to be a wild, heart-stopping ride.
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