# Chapter 14: The Accused Victim
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’s Secret*—and let me tell you, this chapter is a punch straight to the gut. Just when you think Millie has caught a break, the world flips upside down. So get comfortable, because this one is going to make your blood boil.
Millie is done being quiet. She is *not* going anywhere until she makes a formal statement that will put Xavier behind bars. From her window, she watches the ambulance drive away, and she feels a dark sense of satisfaction. She hopes the bastard needs surgery. She can still feel the red mark on her arm where he grabbed her, and the back of her head throbs where she hit the wall. But Xavier? He is much worse off. Good. That’s what he deserves.
But something is wrong. The police are hanging around far longer than they should. Then one officer points directly up at her window. A moment later, her door is pounding. She opens it to find Officer Scavo—a man with too much stubble and a bored expression that says he has seen it all before. He asks if she’s Wilhelmina Calloway, and she winces at the sound of her full name. She already knows this man is not on her side.
Scavo asks to come in. Millie reluctantly lets him in, but she refuses to sit down. The female officer who hugged her earlier is gone. This time, there is no sympathy. There is only suspicion.
His first question is about her clothes. He looks her up and down, implying that maybe her slightly snug T-shirt had something to do with the attack. Millie can’t believe it. She was wearing a coat over it, for heaven’s sake. But Scavo doesn’t care. He asks her to repeat the story, and she does—calmly, clearly, holding up her bruised wrist as evidence. He looks unimpressed.
Then he drops the hammer. Xavier is telling a completely different story. According to him, he was just being friendly, and Millie “freaked out.” She sprayed him with mace and pushed him down the stairs. Scavo tells her that a neighbor saw her standing over Xavier, kicking him repeatedly in the ribs while he was unconscious. And he says Xavier might have a couple of broken ribs. Millie’s mouth opens, but nothing comes out except a squeak.
She wants to explain. She wants to scream that she was just upset. But Scavo is already twisting the knife. He brings up her prison record. Her “history of violent behavior.” The word “attacker” is thrown back at her like a weapon. And the worst part? She did kick him while he was down. She *really, really* wishes she hadn’t now.
Scavo tells her it’s her word against his, and the witness saw her kicking him. Xavier hasn’t decided whether to press charges yet, but if he does, Millie is in serious trouble. She isn’t under arrest. Not yet. But she is told to “stay local.” She hates this man. She hates this entire awful situation. Where is the female officer who hugged her and told her Xavier could never hurt her again? Where is the justice?
Millie manages to keep her composure until Brock arrives at her door. His hand is still raised to knock, and when he sees her, he wraps her in his arms. It feels good, but Millie refuses to cry in front of him. She wants to tell him what happened. She wants to tell him what Officer Scavo said. But that would mean explaining her prison record, her past, all the reasons why no one believes her. She can’t do that. Not now. Not with Brock.
She thinks about Enzo. If Enzo were here, he would understand. He might even rip Xavier limb from limb with his bare hands—and she would be okay with that. More than okay. But Brock? She almost laughs out loud imagining him doing something similar. No, Brock is different. He’s safe, dependable, and a lawyer. Maybe, if Xavier presses charges, Brock could defend her. That would be *super* good for their relationship.
Brock suggests she can’t sleep in her apartment tonight. For once, she completely agrees. He offers to take her back to his place. Then he suggests she take about a week’s worth of clothing. Maybe she should start looking for another place to live. Millie knows he’s right. If Xavier comes back to this building, she can’t stay. The rent is already too high, even with the Garricks’ money. Where will she go? But she can’t think about that now. She just packs.
Then the scene shifts, and we are inside the Garricks’ master bedroom. It’s so large that if Millie spoke, she swears there would be an echo. She is folding a pile of laundry—mostly Wendy’s delicate nightgowns, since Wendy never seems to leave her room. One nightgown catches her eye. A beautiful white one with lacing at the collar. But at the collar, there is a stain. An irregular stain, brown layered with red, ground deep into the fabric.
Millie has seen stains like this before. She knows exactly what it is.
Blood. A fair amount of it.
Her heart stops. She closes her eyes, unable to keep the dark thoughts from flooding in.
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**Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating:**
This chapter made me feel so many emotions—anger, frustration, and a deep sense of injustice. Watching Millie go from victim to accused in the blink of an eye was absolutely infuriating. You really feel her helplessness when no one believes her. And then that final discovery with the bloody nightgown? Chilling. This chapter deserves every star.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
**Next Chapter Prediction:**
Millie is about to stumble into a mystery far more dangerous than Xavier’s lies. That bloodstain on Wendy’s nightgown has to mean something. Is Wendy a victim herself? Is Douglas Garrick hiding something darker behind those penthouse walls? Millie is going to start digging, and I have a feeling she’s going to uncover a secret that puts her in even more danger.
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