Julian carried Elena carefully up the grand staircase, ignoring Victoria's furious screams echoing from the foyer below. He pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the master bedroom, setting Elena down gently on the soft king-sized bed.
Julian: Stay right here, sweetheart. I'm getting the first aid kit.
Elena: Julian... please don't leave me alone... I'm so scared she'll come back up...
Julian: She won't step foot in this hallway again. I promise you.
Julian walked into the master bathroom and returned with a warm wet washcloth and a box of bandages. He sat on the edge of the mattress, tenderly wiping the cut on Elena's brow.
Elena: Ow...
Julian: I'm sorry, baby. I know it hurts. I should have been here hours ago.
Elena: I tried to tell her we were married, Julian. I pulled out my wedding ring from my pocket, but she snatched it out of my hand and threw it across the hall.
Julian: She threw your ring?
Elena: She said a maid had no right to wear silver, let alone diamonds. She told me if I didn't sign a resignation letter, she would call the police and claim I stole silver plates from the kitchen.
Julian pressed his eyes shut, his hands trembling with rage. He took a deep breath before opening them again, looking into Elena's tear-filled eyes.
Julian: She's been doing this to you ever since I left for the Chicago business conference, hasn't she?
Elena: She forced me to scrub the stone floors on my hands and knees every single morning. She made me clean the guest rooms twice a day. If I stopped to rest because my back hurt from the baby, she threatened to fire my sister from the corporate office.
Julian: Why didn't you call my personal phone, Elena?
Elena: She took my phone on Monday, Julian! She locked it in her study safe! She said if I tried to contact you, she would use her influence to cancel my father's medical insurance policy!
Julian: That evil, cruel woman... She knew my father's trust fund pays for your dad's hospital care.
Elena: I was so worried about the baby... I didn't care about the humiliation, Julian. I just wanted our child to be safe.
Julian: You and our baby are going to be protected. I'm going to make sure she pays for every single second of torment she put you through.
A sharp knock sounded at the open bedroom door. Julian stood up quickly, placing himself between the door and the bed. But it wasn't Victoria standing in the doorway. It was Marcus, the chief of estate security, holding a small silver object in his palm.
Marcus: Mr. Vance? I'm so sorry to disturb you, sir.
Julian: What is it, Marcus?
Marcus: We found Mrs. Vance's wedding ring under the entryway hall tree, sir. And... we have something else you need to see immediately.
Julian: What something else?
Marcus: The foyer security camera system, sir. It recorded the entire interaction between your mother and Mrs. Vance from seven this morning until you arrived.