Arthur Vance walked into his quiet home after a long day at the office.
He placed his leather briefcase on the entryway table.
The large house felt colder than usual today.
His young wife Victoria was sitting on the sofa.
She wore an expensive red dress for the evening party.
Arthur noticed that she looked annoyed and stressed.
Their newborn son Noah was crying softly in his crib nearby.
Arthur: Is Noah doing okay tonight, Victoria?
Victoria: He has been screaming all afternoon, Arthur.
Victoria did not turn around to look at him.
She picked up a heavy iron from the nearby table.
She was working on her designer dress for the upcoming gala.
Arthur felt a slight pang of worry in his heart.
He knew Victoria was having trouble adapting to being a mother.
She preferred her fancy parties and shopping trips in the city.
Arthur: Where is Elena right now?
Victoria: I sent the maid to clean the guest house.
Arthur frowned slightly as he took off his suit jacket.
He loved his son more than anything in the world.
Noah was his long-awaited child after years of waiting.
He walked toward the kitchen to get a glass of water.
Behind him, Noah's cries grew louder and more desperate.
Victoria set the steaming iron down with a loud thud.
Her face looked twisted in sudden, unreasonable anger.
She hated the constant noise of the crying baby.
She felt that the infant was ruining her peaceful routine.
Victoria: Quiet down, you little brat!
She grabbed the hot iron firmly by its handle.
She stepped closer to the helpless child's crib.
Her eyes were cold and filled with reckless anger.
She held the hot metal close to the soft blanket.
She wanted to scare the child into silence.
She did not care about the terrible danger she created.
In the kitchen, Arthur heard the baby's sharp scream.
He paused with his glass halfway to his mouth.
Something about that scream sounded completely wrong.
It was not a normal cry of hunger or tiredness.
It was a pure cry of utter terror.
Arthur dropped the glass into the stainless steel sink.
He began walking back toward the bright living room quickly.
At that exact second, the heavy front door opened wide.
Elena the maid had returned to fetch fresh laundry supplies.