The Au Pair (2025) s01e03 Episode Script

1
I feel so alone in this, Sandrine.
I had a baby before,
but she died at birth.
I didn't even get to see her.
Everyone else thinks
she's so perfect.
I don't buy it for a second.
Whatever you think you know,
you're wrong.
They all fell for it. Not me.
I'm worried about Amber.
She went to talk to Sandrine.
I haven't seen her since.
'Why did you let her confront her?'
'Just think.
'Where could she be?'
Hey, baby.
Stay away from my family.
Don't you see I AM your family?
Everything she says is a lie.
I am your daughter.
SIREN WAILS,
SHE PANTS
Zoe.
Got a big headache?
Here's for the brave girl.
She do that as well?
It's Holt.
George,
can you take over for a second?
Yes, of course.
Right. Now I'm just going to check
your eyes.
OK? Just look at the beam.
Yep. OK.
And the other one.
Do we have any idea
where she could be?
Hopefully, being pulled
limb from limb by some police dogs.
She would deserve it.
POLICE RADIO
CHATTER
DOOR CLOSES
Zoe. George.
Amber, how are you doing?
I've had better birthdays.
Holt sent a car out
to look for Sandrine.
And we've got dogs in the woods.
Whoa!
Amber.
Hey.
I think she needs to go to hospital.
Just a scan, to be on the safe side.
Yeah, I'll take her.
I'm coming.
No, Noah, you stay here with me,
please.
No. No way.
I'm going with Amber and Dad.
We'll do everything we can
to keep you safe.
George.
Bye-bye.
Amber's gonna be fine. Trust me.
She said she was my baby.
It sounds crazy,
but could it be possible?
What do you mean?
Sandrine.
She told me she came to find me.
Why would she say
something like that?
God knows.
All that matters now is she's gone.
Maybe there was a mistake or
Zo.
Will you listen
to what you're saying?
I don't know how she knew
about the baby you lost,
but she's just using it
to torment you.
I told her.
You told her?
There you go, then.
No, we shared something.
I told her because I trusted her.
And that's exactly
what people like her do.
They get you to trust them.
I need to speak to Mum.
Ooh. Let me try.
No, I'll go and see her.
All right.
I can make some calls.
See if I could find out
who the team were that day.
Yeah, they could clear this up
just like that.
Thank you.
PHONE CHIMES
Is that Amber?
She's fine.
They're doing a CT, just to be sure.
Great.
So we let the police deal
with this now, huh?
And try to get some rest. Mm?
PHONE CHIMES
PHONE CHIMES
'Hello?'
IN FRENCH:
CATS GROWLING OUTSIDE
DOG BARKING
SIGHS
SIGHS
SIGHS
Chris, wake up.
Hidden in her room.
The date of birth.
What do you mean?
It's the same.
May the 1st, 2002.
It's strange,
but it's a coincidence.
Chris, I think
Sandrine is my daughter.
But I need to be sure.
CAR DOORS
CLOSING OUTSIDE
POLICE RADIO CHATTER
Be careful.
Her sheets are still warm.
Put a call in. She can't be far.
Zoe, what are you doing here?
Can I come in?
Of course.
Look at that.
Stephanie Lacroix.
Sandrine.
Your au pair?
She goes by another name?
Look at the date of birth.
She says that she's my daughter.
I struggle to believe it,
but then I found her passport,
and now I
It's just a date, Zoe.
A coincidence.
I was so young when it happened.
I just accepted
everything that you told me.
But you were the midwife, so
I need you to explain what happened.
Let's not go over that again.
I gave birth to a baby girl.
You took her away from me.
Said there were complications,
that they tried to save her,
but that she died - asphyxia.
Exactly, Zoe. She died.
Yeah, but what if she didn't?
You know, what if someone took her?
Zoe, we buried her. All of us.
Your baby died.
And only months ago,
you had a miscarriage.
You're grieving them both.
You're clinging onto anything.
I don't know what you want me
to say, what will help you.
I just want to know
if there is any chance in the world
that she lived.
Zoe, it's just
a horrible coincidence.
You want it to be true.
ZOE SIGHS
Help me, Mum.
I'm sorry, Zoe, I don't
I don't know what else to tell you.
Thanks.
FRONT DOOR CLOSES
I know how hard that must have been.
But it was the right thing to do.
GEORGE: I've been looking for you.
How are you feeling?
I don't know.
I went to see Mum.
Oh?
And was she able to help?
Do you think she would ever lie
to me?
Well, you have
a difficult relationship with her.
Which is complicated.
Yeah, but would she?
No. I I don't believe she would.
If she was involved, I
Zo
..your mother feels a deep pain
for what happened that day.
We all do.
And for your mother and I,
seeing you go through all that
I just need to be sure.
What about medical records?
They must be kept at the hospital.
I'm not even sure they keep them
for that amount of time.
But I did make some calls,
and I will keep digging
for the answers.
Get every account I can.
I promise you.
Thanks, Dad.
ZOE: Come on, Chris.
I need answers,
and the medical records
will give me that.
Of course I can check.
And then what are you going to do?
I'm worried about you, Zoe.
So look for me.
Check the computer.
Or if you won't do it, then let me.
I can't just let it go.
What if Sandrine
is telling the truth,
and my parents have been lying
all these years?
I know, I understand. I really do.
The date of birth,
that is strange, I agree,
but the more I think about it,
the more that I think
that Sandrine is behind it all.
She's trying to turn us
against each other.
Why would she do that
if she's your daughter?
I've got to go to theatre.
See you at home?
OK.
Shit. My fob.
Fuck.
Zoe.
I just Sorry.
OK.
OK.
I'm so sorry. I
Hey, that Sandrine story,
it's all lies.
Hey.
You'd better go.
OK.
DOGS BARKING
PHONE CHIMES
ZOE SIGHS
She's fucking crazy.
But she's sending me messages.
Can't we track her phone
or something?
We're already on it,
and the whole village is on alert.
I know it's hard, but it's vital
you don't respond to her.
Got an update?
We have run some background checks.
Stephanie Lacroix.
She has, shall we say,
a chequered history.
Well, no surprises there.
As a youngster, shoplifting,
burglary, theft,
even common assault.
SIGHS
But it's the more recent stuff.
Litany of deceptions.
Fraud, several counts.
Impersonation.
Well, she's a fantasist.
Identity theft. She's a con artist.
Whatever you want to call it.
She had a passport. We saw it.
Well, likely a fake.
We're checking it.
So she's nothing but a psychopath.
And I fell for it.
It's nothing you've done.
People like Stephanie,
they manipulate, they lie.
They're highly skilled.
But why? For what?
What did she go
to those lengths for?
How fucking dare she do this?
Who knows what her end goal was.
Is it possible
that you could have met before?
Could she have targeted you
in any way?
PHONE BUZZES
I need to go and get Noah.
I'll let you know when we hear more.
I spoke to Rashid,
the doctor on call that day,
and he remembers it all too well.
He's very sorry.
He put me in touch with the team,
and they all spoke
of the same complication
..and they all recalled the lengths
the team went to
..albeit in vain.
So it seems nobody's forgotten.
I can't believe
I thought she was my daughter.
HE CRIES OU
WOMAN: Hi.
Hi.
Mrs Hughes?
Ah.
Could you grab Noah for me?
Is he out yet?
No, he's not here.
Lola's the last one.
Ms Dalton?
Ms Dalton, is everything all right?
RINGING TONE
Holt. It's Noah.
Please, don't scream. Don't run.
OK?
OK?
I didn't mean to frighten you.
I'm not gonna hurt you. OK?
What happened with Amber,
it was an accident.
You know that?
I came to you
because I need you
to get this letter to Zoe.
It explains everything.
My whole story.
Will you do that for me?
SIRENS APPROACH
I'm sorry I scared you. I'm sorry.
SOFTLY: Please, let me go.
Noah
you're the only friend I have.
It's all gone so wrong.
DOG BARKS
Take it to the police if you want.
I'll give it to her.
SHE SIGHS
Thank you.
KNOCKING,
AMBER GASPS
You scared the shit out of me.
Sorry.
How was school?
RAYE SIGHS
Raye?
OK. I know this is the last thing
you need right now,
but I don't know what to do.
Oh, fuck.
Yes.
Fuck. Erm Yeah.
When did they start?
Like, how often are they?
Often enough.
Well, then we need to find out.
We need to call someone. No!
It's that or I call an ambulance.
Amber, no.
You could die.
The baby could die. We
We literally don't have a choice.
Amber, no. Just
OK.
Please, let me ring my dad.
Look, he won't tell anyone
about this.
We can trust him, I promise you.
OK. OK.
OK.
SHE SOBS,
BREATHES HEAVILY
BREATHES HEAVILY
POLICEMAN: Here she comes.
I'm OK. Thanks.
You all right, yeah?
She's coming now.
Noah.
Oh! Noah, where were you?
What happened to you?
Yeah. Poor kid got in a scrap.
Oh. Who with?
Someone at school?
Was it this Tyler again?
He didn't say.
Oh. Thank you.
I didn't mean to panic anyone.
It's just with what happened
with Amber and everything.
That's all right.
Thank you.
Bye.
All right. We understand.
You all right? Take your bag.
Braxton Hicks?
Braxton Hicks.
It's just your uterus practising
for labour.
You're not having this baby.
At least not right now.
See? What did I tell you?
You told me I was having it.
Do your parents not know?
Nobody knows except me. And now you.
Please, don't tell them.
They'll kick her out, Dad.
Seriously.
OK.
Erm
I won't say a word to anyone,
but this baby will be coming soon,
so you need to work out
what you want to do.
She wants to give it away.
Is that true?
OK. Erm
It's a long process.
You'll need to consider options
for the baby in the interim.
How How long?
At least a year.
She can't wait a year, Dad.
Why don't you get Raye
a glass of water?
I'll be right back. OK.
Hey, Raye.
Everything is going to be fine.
I'm happy to speak to your parents.
OK, no. OK.
We'll work something out.
Are you OK?
I was with Sandrine.
What? She came to your school?
Noah, did she hurt you?
No.
Well, what did she want?
She told me to give you this letter
and to call the number.
SANDRINE: "Zoe, I am writing this
letter to explain myself to you,
"in the hope that you may believe me
when I say I'm your daughter.
"My name is Stephanie Lacroix.
"I was raised in a small town
outside Auriesville.
"My parents, my adopted parents,
that is,
"treated me very badly.
"I was beaten,
starved and humiliated.
"One day, I was contacted
by a woman.
"She said she knew
who my real mother was
"and gave me your name in a file
with this photograph.
"She will tell you everything
you need to know.
"Yours in hope."
PHONE CHIMES
Bonjour.
'Bonjour, madame.
'Do you speak English?'
Who is this?
My name is Zoe Dalton.
I'm calling about someone you know.
'Stephanie Lacroix.'
Where is she? Is she safe?
I don't know.
The police are looking for her.
'The police? Why?'
She came to find me.
She caused a lot of harm.
And then she told me
she was my daughter.
ZOE EXHALES
'People are telling me
'that Stephanie is a fantasist,
or a con artist.'
But then she wrote me a letter
laying out everything,
and I don't know what to believe.
I mean, she's even got a photo
of me from back then.
She is your baby.
SHE EXHALES
You just have to trust me.
I can't tell you more.
But please,
don't call this number again.
'Wait. Erm Just anything.
A name.'
I just heard about Noah.
Sandrine kidnapped him?
She gave him this letter.
Well, you don't believe this,
do you?
Well, how do you explain this?
You took that photo.
Well, I
She must have taken it,
I don't know, from an album?
I called the number
on the back of the letter.
Some woman in France.
She says it's true.
A woman in France? Come on, Zo.
She sounded afraid, like
whatever I was asking her was
Yeah. And the number to call
came from Sandrine.
A letter Sandrine has written.
Well, why can't anybody
give me a straight answer?
Zoe, please,
we've been through all this.
Just look at the evidence.
Listen to what the police
are saying,
what the medical records say.
SHE EXCLAIMS
Zo, you've gotta stop this.
BREATHES HEAVILY
Zo?
I need to know.
Where are you going?
RINGING TONE
LYDIA: 'Hello? Zoe?'
Are you home?
'Yes. What is it?'
I'm coming over.
What are we doing here?
Zoe.
Don't do this.
Zoe, stop!
There's nothing there.
Your baby didn't die.
LYDIA WEEPS
I'm so sorry.
ZOE EXHALES SHARPLY
Why, Mum?
Why did you do it?
It was for your own good.
What?
You were so young.
How were you going to raise a child?
You told me she died.
I thought
that in time you'd get over it
and have your whole life
ahead of you.
We buried her in that grave.
What's even in there?
It's just a box
with some stones inside.
LYDIA CRIES
We agreed it was for the best,
your father and I.
You did it together?
No, it wasn't like that.
The hospital he used to work at,
Auriesville in France.
He had a contact there
who knew of a couple
who wanted to adopt.
Your father promised me
it was a good home.
I didn't know what else to do.
So you just went along with it?
What about the medical records?
No. George said
he'd take care of everything.
He faked them.
All my life, I grieved that baby.
ZOE SNIFFS
All my life.
Zoe!
KEYS JANGLE,
ENGINE STOPS
EXHALES HEAVILY
What did you hope to achieve, Lydia?
Did you think
she'd suddenly forgive you?
How could you do this to us?
No, George. No.
How could WE do it?
Oh How could we keep that
for all these years?
And look what it has done to us.
HE SIGHS
Look what it has done to Zoe.
Oh
But she knows now.
Finally, the lying is over.
I won't be doing any more.
And I feel good about that.
Oh, God.
You have no idea what you've done,
do you?
I mean, no idea at all.
HE GRUNTS
Oh, Lydia.
RINGING TONE
'Hello?'
Hello. Inspector Holt?
'Speaking.'
George Dalton.
'How are you, George?'
Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks.
I just wondered if you had
any further information on Sandrine.
'Well'
I promised to keep Zo updated.
'We've had an unconfirmed sighting
just south of the woods.'
She's been where?
'Don't be alarmed.
The woods by the school.'
Right. OK. Thank you.
'Happy to help.'
ENGINE STARTS
SANDRINE:
'Yes, yes. I'll meet you there.
'I promise
I can explain everything.
'OK. Er I'm
I'm waiting for you.'
SANDRINE: 'My parents told me
that I was not theirs,
'that they did not love me,
'and that the only reason
they took me in
'was because my real mother
didn't want me either.
'I was angry at you,
the person who abandoned me.
'I used to fantasise about making
you pay for what you did to me.
'Then I found you online
and saw the perfect life you have.
'That is why I came to find you.'
I called Holt.
He hasn't seen her since.
Zoe.
That was taken
before it all happened.
I've never seen this before.
Where did you get it?
Sandrine wrote this?
Sandrine's my daughter.
Based on this?
Mum told me everything.
Dad decided it was for the best.
He controlled the whole thing.
Even now, he's still trying
to manipulate the facts.
Whole life is based on a lie.
My baby lived.
And she came to find me.
How could you do that
to your own daughter?
How could you do that to anyone?
I'm so sorry, Zoe.
We're gonna get through this.
Chris?
Thank you.
KEY BEEPS
So, what am I gonna do with you now?
SCREAMING,
PANTING
SHE SCREAMS