Brenda tried to pull her legs over the rim of the bathtub, but her wet robe was too heavy. She looked at the two police officers, her eyes wide with panic. The female officer stepped forward, grabbing Brenda by her wet wrist and pulling her up into a standing position. Water pooled around Brenda's feet as she stood shivering on the cold tile floor. The glamour she usually showed off to Dallas high society was completely gone.
Brenda: Get your hands off me! Do you know who my husband is? He is a partner at Davis Financial!
Officer Smith: Ma'am, stay still. You are under arrest for injury to a child.
Brenda: David, tell them to stop! You cannot let them take me to jail like a common criminal!
David: You are a criminal, Brenda. In fact, you are much worse than that.
David set Maya down gently on the dry rug near the bathroom door. He leaned down, whispering softly to his daughter while keeping his arm around her shoulders. He told her to go with Maria down to the kitchen to get some ice for her head. Maya nodded quickly, taking Maria's warm hand. Maria gave David a firm nod before leading the small girl out into the hallway, away from the scene.
David: Take Maya downstairs, Maria. Get her some cold juice and call our doctor immediately.
Maria: Yes, Mr. Davis. I will take good care of her right now.
Once the door closed behind his daughter, David stepped closer to Brenda. The air between them felt ice cold. Brenda wiped wet hair away from her face, trying to sound confident again. She thought she could still talk her way out of this, just like she always did when they had arguments about money or family matters.
Brenda: David, listen to me. We can fix this quietly. We don't need a public scandal for your company.
David: My company? Is that all you think about? The money and the public reputation?
Brenda: We signed a prenuptial agreement, David! If you divorce me, you still have to pay me millions!
David: You really think that contract is going to save you today, don't you?
David pulled a white paper envelope out from his inner suit jacket pocket. He unfolded a thick legal document stamped with a official red state seal. He held it up right in front of Brenda's face. Brenda squinted at the text, reading the dark black header at the top of the page. Her breath hitched in her throat as she recognized the name of the law firm at the bottom.
David: I hired a private investigator two weeks ago, Brenda. I knew you were hiding something from me.
Brenda: What... what is that document?
David: It is a complete record of your past. Your real name isn't even Brenda Miller, is it?
Brenda froze instantly, her mouth dropping open. The female police officer tightened her grip on Brenda's arm, clicking one side of the steel handcuffs onto her wet wrist. Brenda did not even fight it this time. Her eyes were fixed on the legal papers in David's hand.
David: You changed your name in Florida six years ago after you spent two years in prison for grand larceny. You forged your background checks when you applied to work at my foundation!
Brenda: David, I changed! I did that when I was young and stupid!
David: You married me for Maya's trust fund! You found out my late wife left twenty million dollars to Maya, and you wanted control of it!
The second police officer took Brenda's other arm, pulling it behind her back to snap the second cuff into place. Brenda let out a small sob, but it was not from remorse. It was the sound of a greedy woman realizing she had lost everything she had worked so hard to steal.