Mark turned his head slowly to look up at the small overhead security camera.
He had forgotten that the security installation crew finished setting up yesterday afternoon.
The high-definition cameras recorded twenty-four-seven direct to a secure cloud server.
Victoria took a quick step back toward the master bedroom doorway in obvious fear.
Victoria: Mark, there is really no reason to check those silly camera feeds right now.
Mark: Why shouldn't I check the footage if you have nothing to hide, Victoria?
Sarah: Pull up the live mobile app on your smartphone right now, Mark!
Mark reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his sleek black smartphone.
He opened the security application and quickly tapped on the upper staircase camera log.
The screen displayed crisp 4K footage from just ten short minutes ago.
Mark watched the high-definition video playback in utter silence as the truth played out.
The video clearly showed Victoria reaching down to deliberately unlatch the heavy metal gate.
It showed her pushing the gate open and stepping back into the shadows intentionally.
It captured the moment toddler Leo toddled toward the drop before Sarah caught him.
Mark's hands began to shake with absolute fury as he stared at the screen.
His face flushed deep red as the horror of what almost happened sank in.
He looked up from his phone screen and stared directly into Victoria's eyes.
Mark: You lied right to my face after putting my child in serious harm's way!
Victoria: Mark, please listen to me, it was just a terrible misunderstanding!
Mark: You opened that gate on purpose and left my innocent son exposed!
Victoria: I was just trying to get Sarah out of our lives for good!
Mark: You put a two-year-old baby in danger for your own selfish games!
Sarah stepped back into the safety of the living room holding little Leo tightly.
She felt an immense sense of relief knowing the truth was finally out in the open.