David carefully guided Grace out of the metal cage into the warm sunlight of the hallway.
Grace leaned heavily on his shoulder, her legs weak from sitting on the cold floor for hours.
David walked her over to a soft velvet armchair in the adjacent sitting room and helped her sit down.
He poured her a glass of fresh water from a crystal pitcher on the nearby table.
Grace drank the water quickly, her breathing starting to slow down as the panic faded away.
She looked up at David and explained how Evelyn had tricked her three months ago.
Evelyn had invited Grace over under the pretense of discussing a surprise baby shower party.
Once Grace was inside the private wing, Evelyn locked the doors and confiscated her personal phone.
She brought in hired security guards to build the cage inside the empty storage room overnight.
Evelyn told Grace that David knew all about it and had agreed to lock her away.
She forced Grace to sign fake letters saying she had taken money and fled to another state.
David stroked Grace's hair gently, feeling a deep sorrow for ever believing his mother's lies.
He realized now why his mother was so desperate to keep Grace completely hidden away.
His late father had left a massive trust fund that was set to unlock on the child's birth.
According to the late father's will, the money went directly to Grace as the child's mother.
Evelyn had been trying to force Grace into signing away her parental rights before the baby arrived.
If Grace signed the legal papers, Evelyn would regain full control of the multimillion dollar estate.
David picked up the manila folder that Evelyn had dropped on the hallway floor earlier.
He opened it and found the fraudulent legal papers hiding behind the standard trust documents.
Evelyn had drafted a full surrender of custody rights for Grace to sign under extreme pressure.
David felt his blood boil as he read the cruel terms his mother had created.
He walked back into the hallway where Evelyn was waiting silently near the front doors.
She tried to explain that she did everything to keep the estate within the main bloodline.
David told her that her greed had completely destroyed any real family bond they ever had.
He ripped the fraudulent papers in half right in front of her shocked face.
The paper scraps fluttered down onto the white marble floor like useless fallen leaves.
Sirens began to wail softly in the distance, getting louder as emergency vehicles approached the house.
Evelyn looked toward the front gates, her posture slumping completely as her dream ended.
David returned to Grace's side and knelt down beside her armchair to comfort her again.
He placed his hand gently on her round belly and felt their baby kick softly inside.