Chapter 1 - The Green Light
"Stop! Get that away from him!"
Sarah's voice cracked through the drawing room.
Fourteen-month-old Leo was coughing in his crib, twisting under his blanket as a cloud of hot steam drifted over the rail. Victoria Vale stood beside him with a heavy iron in one hand, her thumb still on the steam button.
Sarah rushed forward.
"What are you doing?"
Victoria lowered the iron. "Pressing a scarf."
"Your scarf is across the room."
Leo reached for Sarah, crying. She lifted him immediately and held him against her chest.
Victoria's expression hardened. "Give him to me."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"He's scared."
"You're a maid."
"And he's a baby."
Victoria grabbed Sarah's arm.
"Give. Him. To me."
Sarah turned her body, shielding Leo.
"Touch him again and I'll scream for Mr. Ethan."
Victoria smiled.
"Who do you think he'll believe? His future wife or the woman who polishes his silver?"
Footsteps sounded in the hall.
Ethan Mercer walked in carrying a leather briefcase.
He stopped.
Leo was sobbing against Sarah.
The iron lay on the rug.
Victoria instantly covered her mouth and began to cry.
"Ethan! Thank God. She attacked me."
Sarah stared at her. "What?"
"She lost her temper. I tried to take Leo, and she shoved me."
"That's a lie!"
Ethan looked at his son.
"Sarah, what happened?"
"She was holding that iron over his crib."
Victoria gasped. "How dare you?"
Sarah pointed to the fireplace.
A tiny green light glowed above the mantel.
The baby monitor camera.
Everyone followed her finger.
Victoria's face went pale.
Ethan slowly took out his phone.
"Let's not argue," he said. "Let's watch."
Victoria stepped toward him.
"Ethan, wait."
He opened the monitor app.
For three seconds, the screen was black.
Then the video loaded.
Victoria appeared beside the crib.
The iron rose in her hand.
Her thumb pressed the steam button.
Once.
Twice.
Leo began to cry.
Ethan stopped breathing.
Then the recording continued.
Victoria leaned closer to the crib and whispered something.
Ethan turned up the volume.
Her voice filled the room.
"Your father won't choose you forever."
Ethan's eyes lifted.
"What does that mean?"
Victoria said nothing.
Then another voice came through the recording.
A man's voice from somewhere off-camera.
"Don't leave marks this time."
Sarah felt the blood drain from her face.
Ethan replayed it.
The man spoke again.
"Don't leave marks this time."
May you like
Ethan looked toward the hallway.
Because that voice belonged to someone who had been inside his house for years.
