Arthur lay on his side for several long moments, holding his crying daughter against his chest while his mind cleared from the terrible fog of oxygen deprivation. He could feel Lily's tiny heart hammering against his ribs, her warm tears soaking into the collar of his shirt. Slowly, using the edge of the hallway table for support, Arthur pulled himself up onto one knee, his strong frame trembling slightly from the sheer shock of what had just transpired in his own home. He looked down at the empty epinephrine pen on the marble floor, then up at his wife, who had backed away toward the front doors, her face pale as a sheet.
Arthur: You... you put something in my tea, didn't you, Victoria?
Victoria: Arthur... no! You are confused! She is lying to you!
Lily: She locked the cabinet, Daddy! She told me to let you die!
Arthur: I heard her voice, Victoria. I heard every single word before I lost consciousness.
Victoria: It was a mistake! You were having an attack, and I panicked! I did not know what to do!
Arthur: You stepped on my daughter's hands! You tried to stop her from saving my life!
Arthur stood up to his full height, his eyes dark with a powerful, protective fury that Victoria had never seen before in all their years together. He pulled Lily behind his back, keeping her safe from the woman who had tried to destroy their family for a stack of legal papers and a trust fund payout. Victoria reached into her handbag, nervously pulling out her keys as she realized that her grand plan to claim the estate had completely fallen apart in a matter of minutes under the bright morning sun.
Victoria: You cannot prove anything! It was just an allergic reaction to your own diet!
Arthur: The security cameras in this hall record audio and high-definition video twenty-four hours a day, Victoria. Everything is saved to the cloud servers.
Victoria froze, her hand stopping inside her purse as her eyes darted up to the subtle black dome camera mounted right beside the US flag on the upper wall. She had completely forgotten about the state-of-the-art security system Arthur had installed throughout the mansion grounds just last year. Her mouth opened in silent panic, but no words came out as the full reality of her legal doom settled in.
Arthur: You built a life of lies in this house. But today, my daughter showed me what true loyalty looks like.
Victoria: Arthur, please... let us talk about this in private! Think of our reputation!
Arthur: The only place you are going to talk is in a police interrogation room with a criminal lawyer by your side.
Arthur reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his cell phone with steady fingers, and dialed the emergency three-digit number while keeping his cold, unyielding gaze fixed entirely on his treacherous wife. Victoria took two steps back toward the heavy oak front doors, looking for any possible escape route, but the loud sound of distant police sirens began to echo down the long driveway outside the mansion gates.