Julianna rushed forward, her high heels clicking loudly against the hardwood as she tried to put herself between Harrison and the maid. Her face was pale, but her eyes snapped with fierce, desperate anger as she grabbed Harrison's sleeve.
Julianna: Harrison, do not be ridiculous! That girl was hired from a temp domestic agency just two days ago!
Harrison: Shut up, Julianna. Just shut up for one second and let me look at her.
Clara: Harrison... it is really me. I came back for our boy.
Harrison: You are... you are supposed to be dead. The police told me you drowned in the lake three years ago!
Clara: I did not drown, Harrison. I was pushed off that boat.
Julianna pulled her hand back from Harrison’s arm as if she had been burned. She quickly smoothed down her dark dress, taking a forced step back while trying to lower her voice into a soft, worried tone.
Julianna: Darling, she is clearly mentally unstable! Look at her! She is taking advantage of a innocent child’s grief just to scam us for money!
Harrison: Clara, how are you standing in front of me right now? I went to the station. I identified your belongings three years ago!
Clara: You identified a purse and a ring that were placed on a stranger's body, Harrison. I woke up in a quiet facility three states away with no memory, no phone, and no way to call home.
Noah shifted in Clara’s arms, hugging her neck even tighter as he looked at his father with wide, honest eyes.
Noah: Mommy, do not cry. I kept your picture under my mattress like you told me!
Harrison: She spoke to you before today, Noah? When did you see her?
Noah: She whispers to me every night when she tucks me in, Daddy! She sings that special song you used to sing!
Julianna: This is a completely coordinated scam! I am calling our private security right now to have this crazy woman removed from the estate!
Harrison turned his head fast, his eyes turning cold as steel as he glared directly into Julianna's panicked face.
Harrison: You touch that phone and I will have security throw you off this property, Julianna!
Julianna: I am your fiancée! I have managed this massive estate and cared for your son every day while you were grieving!
Clara: You did not care for him, Julianna. You locked him in his playroom whenever Harrison was at the corporate office. You treated him like a burden!
Julianna: You lying little leech! You slipped into my home wearing a house maid badge thinking you could steal my life?!
Clara: Your life? This was my house, Julianna! This was my husband, and this is my biological son!
Harrison felt his head spinning as he looked between the two women. The room seemed to shrink around him, the air thick with tension and heavy emotions that had been buried for far too long.
Harrison: Clara, why did you not come straight to my office when your memory returned? Why hire on as kitchen staff?
Clara: Because every single time I tried to call your corporate line over the last six months, your guards turned me away. Someone was paying them to block my name.
Harrison turned his gaze back to Julianna, his jaw tightening until the muscle twitched under his skin.
Harrison: You managed my personal security schedule after the accident, Julianna. You handled all incoming visitor logs at the main building.
Julianna: I was protecting your peace from crazy impostors! Do you know how many random women claimed to be your missing wife once the news reported on the multi-million dollar family trust fund?
Clara: I never cared about the trust fund! I only wanted my baby back!
Harrison: Step away from my son right now, Julianna.
Julianna: Harrison, think about your career! The board meeting is tomorrow morning! If you cause a scene with a simple house servant, the company stock price will plummet!
Harrison: I do not give a damn about the stock price! Clara, pull back your right sleeve.
Clara slowly lifted her right arm, pulling back the white cuff of her grey uniform. Across her skin ran a small, crescent-shaped mark from a childhood fall—a tiny detail only Harrison knew about.
Harrison: Oh God... it really is you. You are alive.