The grand estate stood tall under the bright afternoon sun in sunny Florida.
Mark looked out the high window of his home office on the top floor.
He had built his software company from the ground up through hard work.
His sweet seven daughter Lily was playing downstairs with her expensive toys.
Mark loved his daughter more than anything else in the entire world.
His new wife Sarah had moved into the luxury mansion three months ago.
Sarah always acted sweet around Mark when he was paying attention.
When Mark was busy, Sarah was very cold to little Lily.
Lily tried her best to make her stepmother like her every day.
She brought Sarah fresh drawings and colorful flowers from the big garden.
Sarah always threw the drawings away when Mark left the room.
On this warm Tuesday afternoon, Mark came home early from his job.
He heard arguing on the upper balcony near the grand marble staircase.
Mark walked quietly down the long hallway toward the loud voices.
He saw Sarah standing near the high white railings with Lily.
Sarah looked very angry and her face was red with rage.
Lily was crying softly and holding her favorite small teddy bear.
Mark froze in place behind the thick curtain in the hallway.
Sarah raised her voice and yelled loudly at the small girl.
She told Lily that nobody wanted her in this big house.
Lily stepped backward toward the open railing of the grand balcony.
The railing was low and dangerous for a small child.
Sarah pushed Lily toward the edge without any hesitation at all.
Lily lost her balance and slipped backward over the smooth marble ledge.
Mark let out a loud scream of terror from the hallway.
He ran faster than he had ever run in his entire life.
Lily fell toward the hard marble floor of the grand foyer below.
Mark sprinted down the smooth steps four at a time.
He slid across the polished floor with his arms wide open.
He caught his daughter securely right before she hit the ground.
The force of the catch knocked the air out of his lungs.
Lily gasped for breath and buried her small face in his neck.
Mark checked her arms and legs to make sure she was safe.
The small girl whimpered softly and held onto his dark suit coat.
Mark felt a deep anger rising up inside his chest immediately.
He stood up slowly with Lily safely tucked against his chest.
He turned his face back toward the balcony with furious eyes.
Sarah stood at the top looking down with a pale face.
Mark set Lily down behind the heavy couch in the living room.
He told her to stay there until he came back down.
Then Mark charged up the grand staircase like a storm.