Lily reached the top step of the marble staircase and paused to catch her breath.
Her pink dress rustled softly against the polished stone floor under the chandelier.
Victoria stepped up right behind the little girl without making a single sound.
She looked down at the crowded foyer below where dozens of people were talking.
Suddenly, Victoria moved her foot forward in a quick and sneaky sweeping motion.
She hit the back of Lily's heavy cast with a firm and hidden push.
Lily lost her balance instantly as her crutches slid out across the slippery marble.
A sharp gasp came from the little girl as she began tumbling downward.
The heavy sound of her body hitting the stone steps echoed through the entire house.
Lily screamed in sheer panic as she rolled down the steep white staircase.
The guests below stopped talking immediately and turned around in complete terror.
Gasps of shock filled the high-ceilinged room as the terrible accident unfolded fast.
David dropped his glass onto the tile floor, shattering it into tiny pieces.
He rushed forward across the wide foyer with his heart pounding against his ribs.
He slid across the floor just in time to catch Lily at the bottom step.
He pulled her frail little body into his arms and held her tight.
Lily was pale and completely unconscious in her father's desperate embrace.
David checked her neck for a pulse while his hands shook uncontrollably.
He checked her injured leg to see if the fresh cast had been cracked.
Panic squeezed his chest as he tried to wake his precious daughter up.
He cried out her name softly while the guests gathered around in a circle.
High above them, Victoria stood at the top of the grand marble stairs.
She adjusted her royal blue dress and looked down with a cold expression.
A faint smile crossed her face for a tiny fraction of a second.
She pretended to look shocked only after she realized people were watching her.
David looked up toward the balcony with tears blurring his angry eyes.
He saw the lingering smirk on Victoria's face before she masked it away.
A wave of pure realization washed over David in that terrifying moment.
He knew without a doubt that his wife had just pushed his daughter.