Caleb: [Frantically dialing numbers on smartphone]
Victoria: Put that phone down, Caleb! We can handle this internally like civilized people!
Caleb: Civilized people don't throw newborns off balconies, Mother! You belong behind bars!
I pulled my smartphone from my pocket with my shaking hand, hitting the emergency speed dial while keeping my son shielded against my chest. The giant American flag hanging in the grand hall fluttered slightly from the draft of the open front doors, framing our desperate stand. My voice cracked with a mixture of leftover terror and unbridled fury as the dispatcher's voice finally came through the speaker. Victoria leaned over the second-floor railing, her face pale and twisted with panic as she realized I wasn't falling for her manipulation.
Dispatcher: 911 emergency, what is the address and nature of your emergency?
Caleb: 911, send the police immediately! My mother just tried to throw my newborn baby off the balcony!
Dispatcher: Stay calm, sir. Are you and the baby safe right now? Officers are being dispatched to your location.
Victoria: They'll never believe your word against mine! It'll be your word against a pillar of society!
Caleb: Did you forget about the 4K dome security cameras tracking every single inch of this multi-tier atrium?
The blood completely drained from her face at the mention of the surveillance system, shattering her arrogant delusion of absolute immunity. She gripped the wrought-iron railing so hard her knuckles turned white, her mouth opening and closing without producing a single coherent word. The high-tension drone in my mind gave way to a cold, razor-sharp focus on ensuring she faced maximum legal consequences. I cradled my son closer, whispering soft reassurances as he finally began to calm down against my warm jacket. The luxury mansion around us suddenly felt like a haunted tomb, stripped of all its superficial glamour and reduced to a literal crime scene.
Caleb: The police are already on their way, Victoria. Enjoy your last few minutes of freedom in this house.
Victoria: You're destroying our family legacy over a newborn who won't even remember this!
Caleb: He won't have to remember it, because I will spend every day of my life protecting him from monsters like you.
Victoria: [Sobbing frantically and backing away from the railing into the shadows of the hallway]
Caleb: Don't you dare run now. Stand right there and face what you've done.