Arthur stood in the quiet hallway of his big house and looked at the long marble floor.
He worked hard every single day as a successful lawyer to build a safe life for his daughter.
His young daughter Lily was only seven years old and she meant everything in the world to him.
Her sweet mother had passed away three years ago after a long and very hard illness.
Arthur had been so lonely until he met a charming woman named Elena at a charity event.
Elena seemed kind and sweet whenever Arthur was sitting in the same room with her.
She brought soft toys for Lily and cooked nice dinners for the small family every weekend.
Arthur believed that Elena would make a wonderful stepmother for his precious young child.
He asked Elena to move into his grand mansion so they could all live together happily.
But as soon as the wedding was over, Elena began to change her behavior completely.
She stopped smiling at little Lily whenever Arthur walked out of the heavy front door.
Elena complained about the messy toys on the living room rug every single afternoon.
She told Arthur that Lily was spoiled and needed very strict discipline at home.
Arthur loved his daughter and he did not like hearing Elena speak so harshly.
He thought Elena was just stressed about managing such a huge home by herself.
He hired more housekeeper help so Elena could relax and enjoy her comfortable daily life.
Yet the dark tension inside the large house kept growing bigger every single week.
Lily became very quiet and stopped playing her favorite piano songs after school ended.
She spent long hours sitting alone in her bedroom with her pink stuffed rabbit.
Arthur noticed his daughter was hiding behind the furniture whenever Elena walked past her.
He tried asking Lily if something was wrong during their regular quiet morning breakfasts.
Arthur: Do you like your new room, Lily?
Lily: It is okay, Daddy.
Arthur: Is Elena being nice to you today?
Lily: She tells me not to talk to you.
Arthur: Why would she say that, sweetie?
Lily: She says you are too busy for me.
Arthur felt a sharp pain in his chest when he heard those sad words.
He promised his daughter that he would always make time to listen to her.
That night Arthur decided to keep a much closer eye on his new wife.
He realized that his peaceful home was slowly turning into a very unhappy place.
He needed to find out what was truly happening behind his back each day.