recorded temperature in Dallas hit ninety-five degrees early that Saturday morning.
Mark stood inside the air-conditioned kitchen of his suburban home.
He wiped down the marble counter while looking out the wide back window.
Outside, the bright sun reflected off the crystal-clear water of their backyard pool.
His eight-year-old daughter Lily was sitting by the patio table.
She was wearing her favorite pink summer dress and kicking her feet softly.
Mark smiled as he watched her carefully color inside a storybook.
Lily had been quiet since her mother passed away three years ago.
Her soft laughter was a sound Mark cherished more than anything else.
Then Victoria walked out onto the patio wearing a bright gold dress.
Victoria was Mark's second wife of just six short months.
She looked elegant, but her posture was always tense and formal.
Mark noticed the sharp look on Victoria's face as she approached Lily.
Victoria did not like the mess of coloring books on the table.
She grabbed the edge of the paper and yanked it away.
Victoria: Take your toys inside right now, Lily.
Lily: I'm just waiting for Daddy to finish breakfast.
Victoria: I don't care what you are waiting for.
Mark set down his dish towel and headed toward the back door.
He could see Victoria's hands moving closer to the young child.
Her voice was rising, carrying across the calm waters of the pool.
Mark felt a strange cold knot forming in his stomach.
He opened the glass door just as Victoria snapped at Lily.
Victoria: Get out of my sight!
Before Mark could step outside, Victoria reached out with both hands.
She pushed Lily hard, sending the little girl off the tiled edge.
Lily screamed as she lost her footing on the wet concrete.
A massive splash echoed across the sunlit backyard instantly.