The afternoon sun burned bright over the sprawling estate garden.
Elena adjusted her clean white apron as she crossed the terrace.
She had worked for the rich family for nearly three years.
Her duty was always to keep the large household running smoothly.
Yet today felt different from any other normal morning shift.
A strange quiet hung over the outdoor swimming pool area.
Elena noticed Victoria standing near the edge of the blue pool.
Victoria was the new stepmother who moved in five months ago.
She always wore fine clothes and soft sage green dresses.
However her eyes always seemed cold when no one looked.
Elena paused near the heavy glass doors leading to the kitchen.
She saw Victoria gently pushing the baby stroller forward.
The silver wheels moved slowly toward the deep water edge.
Elena felt her heart stop completely in that terrifying second.
There was no lock engaged on the rear wheels of the stroller.
Victoria slowly took two steps back with her hands open.
She acted as if the stroller was simply sliding on its own.
Elena did not hesitate for even a single beat.
She dropped her cleaning tray onto the hard stone floor.
The loud crash echoed across the wide concrete patio space.
Elena ran faster than she had ever run in her life.
Her black shoes skidded across the slippery wet tiles.
Elena: Get back away from that stroller right now!
Victoria turned her head with a fake look of deep surprise.
Victoria: What are you screaming about, you silly maid?
The stroller wheels hit the very lip of the pool ledge.
Elena lunged forward across the slick concrete floor.
She grabbed the padded handle just in time with both hands.
The front wheels wobbled over the clear blue water surface.
Elena pulled the heavy carriage back toward the safe ground.
Her heart hammered wildly inside her chest as she breathed heavy.
She looked inside the hood to check on little Maya.
The small infant was fast asleep, unaware of the danger.
Elena held the handle tightly until her knuckles turned white.
She turned around to face the wealthy woman in green.
Elena: You pushed this carriage on purpose toward the pool!
Victoria: How dare an ordinary servant make such wild lies!
Victoria raised her chin and narrowed her dark eyes angrily.
Victoria: You tripped over your own feet and scared me!
Elena shook her head as tears of real relief filled her eyes.
She knew what she had seen with her own two eyes.
The steep slope of the patio made accidents look easy.
Victoria had planned this dangerous moment with great care.
Elena stood firmly between the baby and the cold water pool.
She was not going to back down from this terrible truth.