Victoria: Don't you dare touch me with those filthy handcuffs[cite: 1]!
Two deputies stepped forward, grabbing Victoria's wrists and twisting her arms firmly behind her back[cite: 1].
The cold steel handcuffs clicked shut around her wrists with a sharp, heavy double snap[cite: 1].
Victoria: Ouch! You are tearing the seams of a fifty-thousand-dollar French designer gown[cite: 1]!
Deputy Miller: Keep your hands behind your back, ma'am. You are under arrest for attempted aggravated child abuse[cite: 1].
Victoria: Ethan! Tell them to take these off! We can make a deal! I'll sign whatever papers you want[cite: 1]!
Ethan: The only document you will ever sign is a full confession to the district attorney[cite: 1].
Sheriff Thomas: Miss Vance, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law[cite: 1].
Victoria: I demand my phone call! Call Arthur Vance at the Senate office right this minute[cite: 1]!
Sheriff Thomas: You'll get your phone call at the county detention facility, ma'am[cite: 1].
Maria: Sheriff, make sure you take that iron as forensic evidence. Her fingerprints are all over the handle[cite: 1].
Sheriff Thomas: Already on it, Maria. Deputy, bag that iron and secure the baby blanket[cite: 1].
The deputy pulled out a heavy plastic evidence container, using sterile tongs to lift the scorched iron off the floor[cite: 1].
Victoria thrashed against the deputies' grip, her hair coming undone from its neat bun, strands sticking to her sweat-soaked face[cite: 1].
Victoria: You will pay for this, Ethan! The Vance family will crush your shipping contracts in three states[cite: 1]!
Ethan: Your father's firm is already under federal investigation for tax evasion, Victoria. You have no power here[cite: 1].
Victoria: You ungrateful bastard! I could have given you the world! I could have given this company total dominance[cite: 1]!
Ethan: I would rather lose every dollar I own than share a single second of my life with a child abuser[cite: 1].
The deputies marched Victoria out of the grand living room, her gold heels dragging against the marble floor[cite: 1].
Outside the front doors, the news vans had already begun gathering along the estate gates, tipped off by the emergency dispatch[cite: 1].
Camera flashes exploded through the entrance glass, catching every angle of the disgraced heiress being forced into a police cruiser[cite: 1].
The heavy car door slammed shut, cutting off her shrill screams as the red and blue emergency lights sped down the driveway[cite: 1].
Back inside the living room, the sudden silence was deafening, broken only by the soft purr of the air conditioning[cite: 1].
Dr. Harrison walked in carrying his medical bag, his face full of concern as he rushed over to the sofa[cite: 1].
Dr. Harrison: Ethan! Maria called me on the emergency line! Where is the little boy[cite: 1]?
Ethan: He's right here, Doctor. Please, examine his chest and skin thoroughly[cite: 1].
Dr. Harrison gently unbuttoned Toby's onesie, using a stethoscope to listen to his tiny heartbeat while inspecting his pale skin[cite: 1].
Maria stood beside them, her hands clasped tightly against her grey uniform apron as she held her breath[cite: 1].
After five tense minutes, Dr. Harrison looked up with a warm, reassuring smile[cite: 1].
Dr. Harrison: His heart rate was elevated from the stress, but there are zero thermal burns on his body[cite: 1].
Ethan: Thank God... Thank God[cite: 1].
Dr. Harrison: Maria's quick reaction saved this child from catastrophic second-degree burns, Ethan[cite: 1].
Ethan: Maria saved my entire life today, Doctor[cite: 1].
Toby cooed softly, reaching his small hands up toward his father's burgundy lapel, his bright blue eyes clear of tears[cite: 1].
Ethan pulled the baby into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to Toby's forehead as a tear slipped down his cheek[cite: 1].
Ethan: You're safe, my little man. Daddy will never let anyone hurt you again[cite: 1].