The Hawthorne Estate stood proudly on a hill overlooking the city, its grand foyer illuminated by towering crystal chandeliers and polished white marble floors that reflected every beam of afternoon sunlight. Expensive paintings decorated the walls, and priceless antiques filled every corner of the luxurious mansion.
To outsiders, the house represented wealth and perfection.
Inside...
It hid something far darker.
Nineteen-year-old Lily worked there as a maid.
Every morning before sunrise, she cleaned the enormous estate from top to bottom while enduring constant insults from the lady of the house, Vanessa Hawthorne.
That afternoon, a glass of expensive red wine accidentally slipped from Lily's trembling hands.
The crimson liquid spread across the white marble floor.
Vanessa exploded with anger.
"Look what you've done!"
Without waiting for an explanation, she shoved Lily to her knees and threw a rag toward her.
"Scrub every drop!"
Tears streamed down Lily's face as she desperately cleaned the stain.
Her hands shook.
Her uniform was soaked.
The scrubbing echoed through the silent foyer while Vanessa relaxed comfortably on a nearby sofa, watching with cold satisfaction.
Lily kept her head down.
She had learned long ago that answering back only made things worse.
Then...
The enormous black front doors suddenly flew open.
A loud bang echoed through the mansion.
Heavy footsteps followed.
Every servant immediately stopped what they were doing.
Standing in the doorway was Richard Hawthorne.
The powerful businessman had returned home days earlier than expected from an overseas trip.
Still holding his briefcase, Richard slowly stepped inside.
His eyes moved across the room.
Then they stopped on the crying maid kneeling on the marble floor.
Something about her face felt painfully familiar.