Julian stared down at the small silver flash drive held in Elena's steady, trembling hand.
The silence in the grand living room grew heavy and cold as seconds ticked by.
Ruby took a step back toward the curtain, her confidence completely vanishing in an instant.
She tried to catch Julian's arm to distract him from taking the tiny drive.
Ruby: She is just making up stories to save herself from going to prison!
Elena: Plug it into your laptop right now and watch the video yourself!
Julian looked between the two women as suspicion finally took root in his mind.
He walked over to his dark oak desk near the tall glass patio window.
He set the crying baby down gently inside a safe soft playpen nearby.
He took the silver flash drive from Elena without saying a single word to her.
He opened his laptop and inserted the drive into the side USB port cleanly.
The screen lit up instantly, displaying a list of recorded video files with timestamps.
Julian clicked on the most recent video file recorded just ten minutes earlier today.
The clear footage showed the quiet nursery with the baby resting in his white cradle.
It showed Ruby entering the room holding the hot iron with a sinister expression.
It showed her lifting the iron close to the innocent infant playing in the crib.
Then it showed Elena bursting through the doors to save her child from harm.
Julian watched the video twice, his hands gripping the edges of the wooden desk.
His face turned from confusion to deep, burning rage as the truth became obvious.
He slowly turned his head to look directly at Ruby standing by the window.
Julian: How could you bring a hot iron near an innocent child?
Ruby: Julian, please let me explain what happened, it was an accident!
Julian: You lied to my face and tried to frame an innocent mother!
Elena stood up slowly from the marble floor, wiping the dust off her trousers.
She felt a huge wave of relief wash over her tired, aching body.
The truth was finally out in the open, and nobody could deny it now.
Ruby backed up against the wall, looking for a quick exit from the mansion.