Victoria whipped around, her eyes wild with panic as she pulled her key fob from her purse and frantically pressed the button. Outside, the massive iron gates stayed firmly shut.
Victoria: Open these gates, Mark! You're holding me against my will!
Mark: You held my daughter inside a hollow wall for twenty-four hours! You can wait five minutes for the police to arrive!
Lily: Daddy, my tummy hurts... I didn't get any breakfast or dinner yesterday.
Clara: Oh, baby girl... come here with me. Let's get you some water and a blanket from the kitchen.
Mark: Take her, Clara. Please, keep her away from this woman.
Clara wrapped her arms around Lily, lifting the child gently into her arms. She carried her past Victoria, who glared at them with venomous eyes.
Victoria: You think you're a hero, don't you, Clara? Just a trashy maid poking her nose into family business.
Clara: I might be a maid, Victoria, but I'm a mother first. My daughter died of leukemia three years ago. I would have given my life to save her. And you... you treated a healthy, precious child like garbage because of money.
Victoria: You don't know anything about my life!
Clara: I know enough. I know you're going to prison for a long, long time.
Clara walked into the spacious, ultra-modern kitchen, sitting Lily down on a high barstool. She quickly poured a fresh glass of orange juice and brought over a soft woolen throw blanket from the lounge area.
Lily: Thank you, Clara. You were so brave with the hammer.
Clara: You were the brave one, sweetie. Hiding that little camera was so smart.
Lily: I remembered what my real mommy told me before she went to heaven. She said if I ever felt unsafe, I had to keep proof so Daddy would believe me.
Clara: Your real mommy is watching over you right now, Lily. She's so proud of you.
In the foyer, the sound of approaching sirens began to echo down the long, quiet suburban street. The wails grew louder, reflecting off the glass windows of the estate.
Mark: That's the police, Victoria. Your time is up.
Victoria: Mark, please... listen to me! I was desperate! I have gambling debts! Men were threatening me!
Mark: What did you say?! Gambling debts?!
Victoria: Two hundred thousand dollars! I owed loan sharks in Atlantic City! I needed access to Lily's trust fund to pay them off before they hurt me!
Mark: So you decided to torture my daughter instead?! You put a child in danger to pay off your own disgusting vices?!
Victoria: I was going to let her out after I got the signatures! I wasn't going to let her starve!
Mark: You walled her in, Victoria! You had drywall installed over the entryway to hide her!
The flashing red and blue lights illuminated the front windows, casting long, dramatic shadows across the marble floor. Heavy boots pounded up the front stone steps.
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