Mark pulled his high-end blue sports car into the long gravel driveway.
The afternoon sun reflected brightly off the polished hood of his favorite vehicle.
He spent most of his long workdays sitting inside crowded executive boardrooms downtown.
His successful real estate empire demanded countless hours of his time every week.
Yet all he wanted today was to return home to his young baby boy.
He stepped out of the luxury car while straightening his dark navy silk tie.
The large suburban mansion stood quiet against the clear blue Carolina sky.
Mark loved his growing family more than anything else in the whole world.
He married Elena two short years ago after a very brief whirlwind romance.
She was a former runway model who loved fine jewelry and high social status.
Their life looked completely perfect to everyone watching from the outside world.
Mark walked up the grand stone steps carrying his heavy leather briefcase.
He unlocked the heavy front door and stepped inside the cool front foyer.
The air inside smelled faintly of expensive French perfume and fresh blooming lilies.
He expected to hear soft nursery music playing softly upstairs near the bedroom.
Instead, a heavy silence hung over the dark hardwood floors of the house.
Mark set his leather briefcase down near the wooden coat rack by the wall.
He took a deep breath as he unbuttoned his tight suit jacket.
Mark: Elena, I am back early from the corporate meeting!
No one answered his call from the upper floors of the wide house.
He walked further inside toward the long grand hallway with checkered marble tiles.
A framed painting of the American flag hung proudly on the white wall.
Then he heard a sudden muffled cry coming from around the far corner.
The distinct sound of a distressed infant made his heart skip a beat.
Mark quickened his pace as his shoes clattered against the hard marble floor.
He turned the corner and saw a sight that made his blood freeze.
Sarah, the young house maid, was crawling on her hands and knees in panic.
Little baby Leo was crawling rapidly across the cold checkered tiles beside her.
Elena stood nearby in a gorgeous champagne dress, watching with cold indifferent eyes.
Sarah: No, wait, please hold on little one!
Elena: Stop making such a dramatic scene in my hallway, Sarah.
Mark: What on earth is going on here right now?
Mark dropped his suit jacket directly onto the cold checkered marble floor.
He sprinted forward across the hallway before anyone could say another single word.