Vanessa stopped a few feet away from where Lily was sitting with her paper.
Her face looked cold, stripped of the sweet smile she usually wore for David.
Lily looked up with big brown eyes and held out her small colorful drawing.
Lily: Look, Vanessa, I made a picture of you and Daddy and me.
Vanessa did not reach down to take the simple paper from the child's hand.
Instead, she reached out her long nails and pulled the paper right away.
She folded the paper quickly and dropped it onto the clean floor.
Vanessa: You need to understand something very clearly right now.
Lily: What do you mean?
Vanessa: You are not going to ruin my perfect photos today.
Lily blinked fast as her eyes filled up with small hot tears.
She did not understand why her future stepmother was speaking so harshly.
Lily: I just wanted to wear my pink dress for Daddy.
Vanessa: That pink dress looks cheap and terrible next to my white gown.
Lily: Daddy said I look like a princess.
Vanessa: Your daddy only says those soft things because he feels sorry for you.
Vanessa stepped closer until her dark shadow fell completely over the young girl.
She bent down slightly so her face was level with the child's small ears.
Vanessa: Get out of my sight! You are ruining my wedding day!
Lily let out a small sob and pressed her back against the wooden railing.
Her little hands shook as she dropped her small pink ribbon onto the steps.
Vanessa: Go back to your room before I make sure you leave this house forever.
Lily: This is my daddy's house!
Vanessa: It will be my house in one hour, and you don't belong here.
Lily began to cry out loud, her small shoulders shaking with deep sadness.
The loud sound of screaming echoes traveled straight down the long central hallway.
David was just walking out of his private office with his tuxedo jacket on.
He heard the harsh shouts echoing over the high ceilings and grand windows.
His heart raced instantly when he recognized the sharp tone in the air.
He ran down the polished wooden hallway as fast as his feet could move.
When he reached the balcony, he saw Vanessa pointing her finger at his child.
David: Stop screaming at her... what happened? Tell daddy.
David rushed down the marble stairs, taking three steps at a single time.
Vanessa turned around fast, trying to change her cold face back into softness.
Vanessa: David, darling, she just knocked over the beautiful flowers!
David: I don't care about any flowers right now.
He dropped down on both knees beside his sobbing daughter on the marble floor.
He wrapped his strong arms around her little body to keep her safe.
David: Shh, it is okay, Lily, Daddy is right here with you.
Lily: She told me I don't belong in this family.
David froze completely as those dark words sank into his mind.