Vanessa forcefully pushed the terrified young girl right over the high balcony ledge.
Clara screamed out in pure terror as her feet slipped off the slick floor.
Her hands frantically tried to grab the smooth wooden railing, but she lost her balance.
At that exact split second, the heavy double entrance doors burst wide open.
David had forgotten his main corporate laptop and had quickly returned home to retrieve it.
He heard his daughter's horrified scream echo loudly across the white marble foyer.
David looked up instantly and saw Clara falling straight down from the second floor.
David: No! Clara!
David dropped his heavy leather briefcase and sprinted forward with absolute maximum speed.
He slid across the slick white marble floor right beneath the upper railing.
David reached out his strong arms and caught Clara safely just inches before impact.
The force of the catch knocked the air out of his chest completely.
He held his young daughter tightly against his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Clara wrapped her small arms around her father's neck, trembling violently from total fear.
Clara: Daddy! She pushed me off the balcony! She tried to get rid of me!
David stared up at the high upper balcony, his heart pounding wildly inside his chest.
Vanessa was standing near the ledge, looking down with a cold indifferent expression.
Vanessa: She just lost her balance, David, it was completely an accident.
Clara: No, Daddy! She deliberately shoved me with both of her hands!