Victoria stood beside the grand piano, holding the screaming newborn baby high over the polished black wood. Her red silk dress caught the full glare of the bright daylight streaming through the high windows, making her look like a terrifying figure in the quiet home. The baby's frantic cries filled the high ceilings of the hall, echoing off the marble walls.
Sarah rushed forward, her hands outstretched in desperation, begging the angry woman to stop before an irreversible tragedy happened right before her eyes.
Sarah: Victoria, please! Look at what you are doing! He is just an innocent child!
Victoria: He ruined my life the moment he was born! I will not let a baby steal my fortune!
Sarah: Stop! You will go to prison for this!
Victoria: Nobody dictates terms to me in this house!
Outside the front entrance, the dark sleek sports car pulled into the circular driveway with a fast screech of tires. David had felt a strange, heavy knot in his stomach all the way from the office, prompting him to rush home earlier than planned. He stepped out of the vehicle, smoothing his jacket, and walked briskly up the wide stone steps toward the front doors.
As he unlocked the massive double doors, the sound of intense baby crying and screaming voices cut through the heavy wood. David shoved the heavy double doors open with all his force, bursting into the bright marble hall just as a nightmare unfolded before him.
Victoria lifted the tiny child higher into the air above the piano. Driven by a cruel, erratic flash of madness, her hands opened, tossing the helpless infant into the air toward the sharp wooden edge of the grand piano.
David: No!
David screamed in absolute terror, his heart dropping into a dark void as he froze in the doorway, unable to reach the child in time. Time seemed to slow down to a painful crawl. The baby tumbled through the air under the grand American flag hanging high on the bright white wall, his tiny cries filling the wide space.
Sarah did not hesitate for a single second. Diving across the polished marble floor like a brave guardian, her body slid hard against the floorboards right under the shadow of the falling child. With arms extended at their maximum reach, Sarah caught the newborn safely against her chest, wrapping her body around him to cushion the impact just inches above the hard piano keys.
The loud, chaotic sound of piano keys crashed out as Sarah's shoulder grazed the keyboard during her desperate dive. The jarring noise echoed through the grand room, followed immediately by the soft, frightened whimpers of the safe baby resting securely in Sarah's shaking arms.
Sarah: I caught him! He's safe! He's safe!
Sarah sobbed with pure relief, kneeling on the cold marble floor, hugging little Leo tightly to her heart, checking his arms and legs to ensure he was completely unharmed.
Victoria stood motionless beside the piano, her eyes widening in complete shock and sudden terror as she looked from Sarah to the open doorway. The realization of what she had just done hit her like a violent wave, freezing the blood in her veins as she turned her head slowly toward the front entrance.