The high double doors of the grand mansion swung open with a loud, echoey creak, allowing the bright Texas daylight to spill across the dark entrance hallway. Marcus walked into the house wearing his tailored black tuxedo, having just come from the high-level legal signing at the downtown bank. He carried a leather briefcase under one arm, his expression calm and relaxed after a successful morning securing his family's financial future. But the moment his polished shoes stepped onto the white marble floor, the sharp smell of iron blood and the sight of shattered crystal stopped him in his tracks. His eyes widened in absolute shock as he took in the horrific scene unfolding before him in the center of the lobby.
Sarah lay curled on her side in a pool of blood, her hands trembling over her pregnant belly as quiet tears streamed down her pale face. Victoria was kneeling a few feet away, clutching her torn collar and sobbing dramatically while pointing a shaking finger directly at the bleeding woman on the floor. Marcus felt the air pull entirely out of his lungs, his briefcase slipping from his hand and crashing onto the floor with a heavy thud. For a second, time seemed to freeze entirely within the grand entrance hall as the reality of the situation crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Victoria: Marcus! Thank God you came back in time! She went completely crazy!
Marcus: Sarah! Oh my God, Sarah!
Victoria: Marcus, stay back! She attacked me with the crystal vase! I tried to calm her down, but she fell!
Marcus did not listen to a single word coming out of Victoria's mouth. He immediately broke into a rapid sprint across the long hallway, his heavy footsteps echoing loudly against the high marble walls. His heart was hammering wildly against his ribs as he rushed toward his wife, completely ignoring Victoria who was attempting to grab his arm to hold him back. When he reached Sarah, he dropped to his knees right beside her, completely unconcerned about the sharp glass cutting through the fabric of his expensive suit trousers. His face was pale with sheer terror as he gently placed his large hands over hers, feeling the cold trembling of her skin.
Marcus: Sarah, look at me! Look at me, sweetheart! I am right here!
Sarah: Marcus... the baby... please check the baby...
Marcus: Shh, do not move, my love. Do not try to move at all. I am going to get help right now.
Victoria: Marcus, you need to listen to me! She snapped because of the prenup paperwork! She threatened me!
Marcus turned his head slowly, his eyes locking onto Victoria with an intensity so fierce it instantly cut off the rest of her sentence. The terror in his eyes rapidly transformed into an absolute, burning rage that filled the entire room with heavy pressure. He looked at the shattered glass scattered exclusively behind Sarah's position, then at the bruised marks on Sarah's shoulders, and finally at Victoria's perfectly intact skin beneath her torn clothing. The legal training he had used for years made him instantly analyze the physical evidence before him, seeing right through the pathetic fabrication Victoria had assembled in a rush.