The grand estate of the Sterling family sat high on the pine hills.
Its massive marble columns sparkled brightly under the warm morning sunlight.
Inside the warm house, quiet footsteps echoed along the long, empty hallways.
Sarah adjusted her clean white apron with cold and trembling hands.
She had worked as a maid in this mansion for three full years.
Every single day she wiped down the shiny crystal chandeliers and polished mahogany tables.
Yet the vast house always felt cold and completely empty to her heart.
The master of the house was a wealthy businessman named Arthur Sterling.
Arthur spent long hours working hard at his downtown corporate office building.
His young wife Elena spent her days spending his vast family fortune.
Elena loved expensive designer clothes, gold jewelry, and high society parties.
However, she never showed any real warmth toward her newborn baby boy.
Little Leo was only four months old and needed sweet maternal love.
Sarah spent more time cradling the small child than his own mother ever did.
She rocked him gently to sleep when he cried late at night.
She sang quiet lullabies while the cold wind blew against the glass windows.
Elena often looked at the sweet baby boy with clear annoyance and anger.
She complained that his soft crying gave her severe head pains every afternoon.
Sarah noticed the cold look in Elena's dark eyes whenever Arthur left home.
It was a dangerous look that made Sarah feel very nervous every day.
She kept a close eye on the nursery whenever she cleaned upstairs.
She wanted to make sure the helpless child remained safe from any harm.
One sunny Tuesday afternoon, Arthur left early for an important city meeting.
He kissed his young son softly on his small warm forehead before leaving.
He told Elena to take extra good care of their precious little baby.
Elena just nodded her head with a fake, beautiful smile on her face.
As soon as Arthur's heavy car pulled away, her gentle expression completely disappeared.
She turned toward the nursery with an angry and sharp scowl.
Sarah watched secretly from the dark shadows of the long hallway carpet.
She felt a sudden knot of terrible fear tighten inside her deep stomach.
She knew that something very wrong was about to happen in that room.
She put down her heavy cleaning bucket and stepped quietly toward the door.