Sarah stood up and grabbed a heavy brass statue off the table.
Richard tried to reach out and grab her arm.
Richard: Sarah, do not ruin the marble!
Sarah: Get out of my way!
She raised the heavy brass statue high into the bright air.
She smashed it down onto the cracked marble tile hard.
The polished stone shattered with a loud crunching sound.
Dust flew up as the pieces fell into a dark void.
Richard stepped back with a sudden gasp of absolute terror.
The champagne glasses on the table clinked together loudly.
Sarah pulled away the jagged pieces of marble with her hands.
Beneath the floor lay a secret compartment built into the foundation.
It was a dark, hidden space nobody was supposed to know about.
Sarah looked down into the dark opening with wide eyes.
Two tiny hands were reaching up toward the bright light.
Sarah: Hold on, sweetie!
Sarah: Mommy is right here!
It was little Toby, shivering on a thin blanket below.
He had been locked inside the hidden chamber below the room.
Sarah leaned down and pulled her small child into the light.
Toby wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and sobbed.
Sarah held him tight against her chest, shaking with emotion.
Leo wrapped his arms around both of them in relief.
Sarah looked down into the hidden chamber again carefully.
She saw a heavy metal door that led outside to the yard.
Someone had deliberately placed the toddler inside from the outside hatch.
Then they had closed the marble tile over the top hidden latch.
It was a calculated trap meant to scare her family.
Sarah felt a heavy wave of anger rise deep inside her.
She turned her head slowly to look at her husband.
Richard stood frozen in his spotless white suit.
His face had gone completely pale like a sheet.
Sarah: You knew this was down here.
Sarah: You tried to stop us from looking!
Richard took a slow step backward toward the grand hallway.
Richard: Sarah, listen to me for a second.
Richard: It was just a misunderstanding!
Sarah handed Toby safely over to Leo's careful arms.
Sarah: Take your brother to the sofa, Leo.
She stood up slowly, her eyes locked on Richard.
Her navy blue suit was covered in gray marble dust.
Her hands were bruised, but she felt no physical pain.
She only felt the fierce protective rage of a mother.