Richard tapped the glass screen of his smartphone once. A bright digital beep echoed through the quiet foyer as the high-definition video playback filled the display.
Richard: "Come here, Evelyn. Look at this screen."
Evelyn: "Richard, darling... there's no need for this..."
Richard: "I said LOOK AT IT!"
Evelyn took a slow, hesitant step closer to her husband. On the bright screen, the playback was crystal clear. It showed Evelyn walking out of the second-floor hallway, holding baby Liam out over the stair railing by his tiny arms.
Video Audio (Evelyn): "He ruins everything in this house! His precious little existence is the only reason Richard hasn't handed me full control of the family trust fund!"
Evelyn: "That... that's not what I meant! I was just frustrated!"
Richard: "Keep watching."
On the video playback, Evelyn clearly opened her hands, letting the infant drop. The camera caught the exact second Clara threw herself down the stairs, catching the child against her uniform while crashing hard onto the marble floor.
Video Audio (Evelyn): "Oops. My hands slipped."
Richard turned off the phone screen. His face was dark with pure, unbridled rage as he looked at the woman he had married eight months ago.
Richard: "You dropped my three-month-old child down a stone staircase on purpose."
Evelyn: "Richard, please! I was stressed! I haven't been sleeping well! The post-partum pressure of being a new stepmother is overwhelming me!"
Richard: "You tried to murder my son for an inheritance!"
Evelyn: "No! It was an accident! My hands really were slick with lotion!"
Clara: "She slapped me across the face when I tried to take him back to the nursery twenty minutes ago, Mr. Vance."
Richard: "Is that where that bruise came from, Clara?"
Clara: "Yes, sir. She hit me and threatened to have me arrested if I told you about the trust fund papers she found in your office."
Richard: "What trust fund papers?"
Clara: "She was going through your desk yesterday. She found the legal document that leaves the entire estate to Liam when he turns eighteen."
Richard turned his cold gaze back onto Evelyn, who was now backing away toward the front doors.
Richard: "You went into my private safe?"
Evelyn: "I am your wife! I have a right to know about our family finances!"
Richard: "You have a right to nothing in this home! Not a single dollar!"
Evelyn: "Richard, listen to me! We can fix this! We can get counseling! I'll go to therapy!"
Richard: "The only place you are going is to a state prison cell."