Elena: Take a deep breath, little sweetie. You're safe with daddy now.
Marcus: Is she breathing okay? Lily, look at daddy. Look at me, sweetie.
Elena: She swallowed some water, Mr. Vance, but she's breathing. She's just terrified.
Marcus lifted his baby girl, holding her head against his shoulder as her small body shook with heavy, ragged sobs. His custom dark business suit was completely drenched, ruining the expensive fabric, but he didn't care in the slightest. His eyes were locked onto his new wife, who was sitting on the lounge chair, cradling her swollen jaw.
Victoria: Marcus, please, you have to let me explain! I was only trying to teach her how to hold her breath!
Marcus: Teach her how to hold her breath? She is two years old, Victoria! You were holding her underwater by her hair!
Victoria: That's a lie! That illegal maid is making up stories because she wants to get me fired!
Elena: I am a legal citizen, Mrs. Vance, and I saw what you did with my own eyes. You held her down!
Victoria: Shut your mouth! You're just a hired servant in my house!
Marcus: This is my house, Victoria! Built with my money, long before I was stupid enough to put a ring on your finger!
Victoria gasped, her manicured hand flying to her throat as if she had been struck again. She looked at Marcus with tears pooling in her eyes, trying desperately to play the victim, but Marcus turned his back on her entirely.
Marcus: Elena, take Lily inside. Wrap her in a warm blanket and wait for the paramedics in the foyer.
Elena: Right away, sir. Come here, little angel.
Elena carefully took the toddler from Marcus's arms. Lily whimpered softly, reaching back toward her father, but Elena spoke gently, soothing the little girl as she hurried through the open glass doors into the air-conditioned mansion.
Victoria: Marcus, sweetheart, look at me. You know how much I love Lily. I would never hurt our little girl.
Marcus: She is not your girl. Her mother died two years ago, and I am starting to realize I made the biggest mistake of my life bringing you into this home.
Victoria: How can you say that? I gave up my career to move into this mansion with you! I’ve done everything to be a good mother to her!
Marcus: A good mother doesn't drown a toddler in a swimming pool!
Victoria: It was an accident! She slipped off the edge, and I was trying to grab her hair to pull her out!
Marcus: I saw you, Victoria. I ran out those doors and saw your hands holding her head down. Do not lie to me!
Victoria's posture suddenly shifted. The apologetic, fearful expression on her face dissolved, replaced by a cold, sharp glare that made Marcus’s stomach churn. She stood up slowly from the lounger, smoothing down her designer dress.
Victoria: Fine. Think whatever you want, Marcus. But remember who you're talking to. We signed a prenuptial agreement, but if you accuse me of a crime without real proof, my family lawyers will tear your trust fund to shreds.
Marcus: Are you threatening me? In my own home?
Victoria: I'm just telling you to be careful. You're emotional right now. Let the police come. Let them see there are no marks on her body. It’s your word against mine.
Marcus: It’s not just my word. Elena saw everything.
Victoria: Who is a judge going to believe? A prominent Dallas socialite, or a house maid who can easily be paid off?
Marcus felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the wet clothes clinging to his skin. He looked at the woman he had married six months ago, realizing he was standing in front of a complete stranger. The siren sounds grew louder, bouncing off the brick walls of the gated community estate.
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