The night air felt heavy around the bright swimming pool.
David held his tiny son close against his chest.
The white baby blanket felt cold and damp against his hands.
He looked at the clear blue water rippling under the lights.
His heart beat fast with panic and dark confusion.
David: How could this happen in my own yard?
Victoria stood beside him in her elegant green dress.
Water dripped from her golden hair onto her bare shoulder.
She looked shaken but spoke with absolute certainty.
Victoria: I saw her do it with my own eyes.
Victoria: She left the brake unlocked on purpose.
Victoria: Then she pushed it toward the deep end.
David turned his gaze toward the pool deck.
Elena was kneeling on the cold tiles near the stroller.
Her blue uniform was completely soaked through with water.
Tears swept down her pale face as she shook uncontrollably.
Elena: Mr. Vance, please listen to me.
Elena: I swear on my life I did not do that.
Victoria: Stop lying to him, Elena!
Victoria: You ran away when it tipped over!
Victoria: I had to dive in to save him myself!
David looked down at his newborn son's sleeping face.
The infant was safe and dry in his arms now.
Yet the terror of the moment hung in the quiet air.
He wanted to trust Victoria because she was his fiancé.
She had lived in his mansion for six months.
She always treated his estate like her own home.
David: Elena, why were you even near the pool so late?
Elena: You asked me to bring his blanket outside.
Elena: You said the breeze was getting chilly.
Victoria: I never heard him ask you for anything.
Victoria: She is making up excuses to cover her crime.
Elena raised her shaking hands toward the sky.
Elena: I jumped into the water first!
Elena: I pulled the stroller up to the steps!
Elena: She grabbed the baby after I brought him out!
Victoria took a quick step closer to David.
She rested her soft hand gently on his arm.
Victoria: Look at her hysterical behavior, David.
Victoria: She knows she failed at her duties.
Victoria: She is trying to turn you against me.
David looked down at his soaked maid with troubled eyes.
Elena had worked for his family for three years.
She had always been gentle, quiet, and honest.
She took care of his late wife during her final illness.
She loved this baby like her own family member.
David: Elena, step inside the house right now.
David: We cannot resolve this out in the dark.
Elena lowered her head down onto the wet tiles.
Her heavy sobs echoed against the tall concrete walls.
Elena: You don't believe me at all, do you?
Victoria: Send her away before she causes more harm.
David gripped his sleeping baby tightly against his heart.
He felt a terrible sense that something was deeply wrong.