Arthur Vance pulled his dark grey suit jacket tight as his car turned into the long stone driveway.
He had spent three straight days in emergency board meetings across the state line.
His phone had been completely dead for the last four hours of his long drive back.
Something inside his chest felt heavy and restless as he stared at the grand mansion doors.
His infant son Toby was supposed to be resting safely inside with his stepmother Elena.
Arthur had married Elena six months after his first wife passed away from a sudden illness.
She had seemed kind and loving whenever Arthur was present in the house.
Yet deep down, Arthur always felt a strange distance between Elena and little Toby.
He stepped out of the high-end vehicle and walked briskly toward the grand marble entrance.
The afternoon sun was bright, but the front yard felt strangely quiet and deserted.
He placed his gold key into the heavy front lock and turned it without making a sound.
The massive dark oak doors creaked open just an inch as he stepped into the entryway.
A sudden muffled sob echoed from the center of the grand marble hallway.
Arthur paused instantly in the doorway as his heart began to beat rapidly in his chest.
He recognized the soft crying sound of his small ten-month-old son Toby.
The infant was crawling on the cold marble floor near the foot of the wide curved staircase.
A soft harness strap was pinned under a heavy decorative chair nearby to restrict the baby.
Standing a few feet away stood Elena in a bright red satin designer gown.
She was holding a glass of juice and looking down at the crying child with total indifference.
Near the edge of the hallway stood Maria, the hardworking young housemaid.
Maria looked terrified, her apron crumpled as she held her hands over her chest.
Arthur stayed back in the dark shadow of the entry door to watch the alarming scene play out.
He could hardly believe his eyes as he saw how cold his home had truly become.
His breath hitched in his throat as he listened carefully to every single word spoken.
The quiet room suddenly felt colder than the harsh winter air outside the mansion windows.