Carter: "Lily! Oh God, Lily!"
Lily: "Mmmph! Mmmph!"
Carter: "I'm here, baby! Hold still, Daddy's got you!"
Carter set Lily down on the wide rim of the stone well, his hands shaking violently as he worked at the tight knots binding her small wrists. The heavy rope fell away, leaving red marks on her skin.
Evelyn: "Carter, step away from her right now! She is not your daughter!"
Carter: "Shut your mouth, Evelyn!"
Evelyn: "She is the daughter of a traitor! Her mother lied to you about the trust fund!"
Carter ignored his mother's harsh shouts, reaching up to gently peel the thick gray tape from Lily's mouth. Lily gasped for air, her chest heaving as tears streamed down her dirty cheeks.
Lily: "Daddy! Daddy!"
Carter: "I've got you, sweetheart! I've got you!"
Carter pulled Lily tightly against his chest, cradling her head against his shoulder. His heart pounded in his chest as he felt her tiny frame shivering against his white shirt.
Lily: "SHE TRIED TO HURT ME IN THE DARK!"
Carter: "Nobody is going to hurt you ever again, Lily. I promise you."
Lily: "She dragged me out of my room while you were in the office! She said I was going to sleep at the bottom of the well!"
Carter: "Is this true, Evelyn?!"
Evelyn stood beside the stone well, her burgundy dress caught in the light breeze. Her face was pale, her lips trembling as she stared at her son holding the crying girl.
Evelyn: "She was going to ruin the Sterling name, Carter! Just like her mother did six years ago!"
Carter: "My wife didn't ruin anything! YOU drove her away!"
Evelyn: "Your wife was a fraud! She married you for the inheritance! And this little brat is nothing but a reminder of her betrayal!"
Carter: "She is a seven-year-old child! She is my daughter!"
Carter stood up slowly, setting Lily safely behind his legs on the grass. His face twisted instantly into an expression of blinding, intense rage as he looked at the woman who had raised him.
Carter: "You tried to murder my child in cold blood."
Evelyn: "I was protecting the estate! The Sterling trust fund belongs to you, not to her!"
Carter: "I don't give a damn about the money!"
Carter charged forward fiercely, his boots kicking up grass as he closed the distance between them. Evelyn gasped, taking a panic-stricken step backward against the stone wall of the well as Carter towered over her.
Evelyn: "Carter! What are you doing?! I am your mother!"
Carter: "You are a monster!"
Evelyn: "You wouldn't dare touch me! Think about the family reputation!"
Carter: "The reputation is dead, Evelyn. And so is my respect for you."
Carter grabbed Evelyn firmly by her shoulders, forcing her back away from the well as heavy footsteps echoed from the driveway near the front gates.