Clara shivered in the cold tub water, demanding to know what was recorded on the digital screen. Arthur revealed that he had captured everything from the moment she picked up the flat iron to the shocking statement Lily made about her late mother. Clara desperately argued that an eight-year-old child's words would never hold up in a court of law. Arthur then revealed he also possessed an audio recording from yesterday afternoon, detailing a phone conversation Clara had with her divorce attorney regarding the estate settlement.
Clara froze instantly, her jaw trembling as she tried to accuse Arthur of using illegal wiretaps. Arthur explained that it was not a wiretap, because she had been standing in his private study using the house landline, speaking loud enough for the room microphone to catch every word. Officer Miller warned Clara again to step out of the bathtub, but she refused to move without her personal attorney present. Arthur informed her that her attorney was currently being detained at his downtown office, undergoing questioning regarding his role in her financial fraud scheme.
Arthur hit play on the tablet file timestamped from the previous afternoon, letting the audio amplify clearly across the tiled bathroom. Clara's recorded voice filled the room, discussing plans to clear the estate taxes and ship Lily off to a strict boarding school in Europe. The lawyer's recorded voice questioned what would happen if Arthur asked about the medical overdose of the first Mrs. Vance. Clara's voice replied on the tape that Arthur was completely clueless, believing his wife died of natural heart failure while handing over financial authority after the five million dollar life insurance policy paid out.
The recording echoed off the double mirrors, striking the room like a thunderbolt. Lily looked up at Arthur, telling him she knew her mother had not just gone to sleep, because she heard her crying the night Clara gave her a cup of water. Arthur turned pale, asking Clara what she had done to Sarah. Clara shrieked that the audio was fake and generated by artificial intelligence to avoid paying her prenup settlement. Arthur replied that the police cyber crimes division had already verified the digital signature as authentic an hour prior.
Officer Miller announced that Clara Vance was officially under arrest for felony domestic battery, child abuse, grand larceny, and primary suspicion in a homicide investigation. Clara panicked, claiming Sarah had a documented heart condition. Elena pointed out that the condition had magically worsened the exact month Clara began managing her daily medication schedule. Clara screamed at Elena to keep quiet, pleading with Arthur to remember that she was his wife and claiming she did everything to secure their future together.
Arthur asked how burning an eight-year-old child with a hair iron showed love. Lily added that Clara admitted to hating her because she looked too much like her mother. Arthur asked the officers to step back for a moment so he could speak to Clara face-to-face one last time before she was dragged away. Officer Miller asked him to keep it quick so the forensics team could clear the crime scene. Arthur stepped up to the edge of the marble tub, looking directly into Clara's eyes.
Clara begged for mercy, offering to go to counseling and blaming her actions on financial stress. Arthur told her the only real stress in the house arrived the day she crossed the threshold. Clara claimed she was only trying to discipline Lily for being disrespectful, but Elena quickly corrected her, stating Lily had been sitting silently reading a book in her room until Clara dragged her into the bathroom by her ponytail. Arthur told Clara she had ruined herself and would now pay for every single tear his family had shed.