Mark pulled his silver sports car into the long driveway of his giant family mansion.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly across the high marble pillars of the front porch.
He had just finished his big business trip two full days earlier than anyone expected.
Mark wanted to surprise his young wife Sarah with a special gift he bought overseas.
They had kept their romantic marriage a complete secret from his greedy stepmother Victoria.
Victoria had controlled the family estate ever since Mark's wealthy father passed away three years ago.
She always treated Sarah like a common housekeeper instead of a family member.
Mark grabbed his heavy leather suitcases from the back seat of the luxury car.
He walked up the grand stone steps with a bright smile on his face.
He pulled out his brass house key and gently opened the tall front doors.
The grand foyer was bright and silent under the tall sparkling crystal chandelier above.
A giant American flag hung proudly along the tall white wall near the entrance.
Mark set his heavy bags down on the polished white marble floor with a quiet thump.
He suddenly heard a soft whimpering sound coming from the center of the hall.
Mark: Sarah, is that you down there?
He took three quick steps forward and froze in complete shock at what he saw.
A woman was crawling on her hands and knees across the cold marble floor.
She was wearing a dirty grey cleaning uniform that was torn at the sleeves.
Her dark hair was messy and covered her face as she wiped the floor with a rag.
Mark: Oh my goodness, what happened to you?
The woman slowly lifted her pale face and looked up at him with tearful eyes.
Mark felt his stomach drop instantly when he recognized her soft brown eyes.
It was his beloved wife Sarah, and she was crying quietly in painful distress.
Her delicate cheek had a dark red mark as if someone had slapped her face.
She was holding her lower back with one hand while trying to clean the floor.
Sarah: Mark, you came back so early today.
Mark: Why are you cleaning on your knees like this?
Sarah: Victoria told me I had to finish wiping the entire floor before noon.
Mark felt a wave of intense heat rise up through his entire chest.
Sarah was four months pregnant with their very first child and needed total rest.
Mark: Get up off the floor right now, Sarah.
Sarah: I cannot stop until the job is done.
Mark quickly pulled out his smartphone to check the internal security camera app on his screen.