Chapter 1 - The Fall

"Hold still," Vivian whispered. "She's mine now."

Maya Torres looked up from the bottom of the grand staircase and saw five-year-old Lily Mercer hanging over the upstairs balcony rail.

For half a second, Maya could not understand what she was seeing.

Vivian had one arm locked around the little girl's waist. Lily's bare feet kicked against the white marble balusters. Her face was wet with tears, and one side of her cheek was already turning purple.

"No!" Maya screamed. "Don't let her go!"

Vivian looked down.

There was no panic on her face.

There was a smile.

"Watch her fall."

Then she opened her hands.

Lily dropped.

Maya ran before her mind caught up with her body. She kicked a brass side table out of the way, lunged across the sunken living room, and threw both arms forward.

The child hit her hard enough to drive Maya backward into the couch. Pain exploded through Maya's left wrist, but she held on.

Lily screamed once, then buried her face against Maya's chest.

"I caught her," Maya gasped. "I have her. I have you, sweetheart."

Above them, Vivian's face drained white.

"How did you reach her in time?"

Maya stared up at the woman she had served breakfast to that morning.

"Because I saw you."

Footsteps pounded through the foyer.

Julian Mercer came through the front doors with his suit jacket over one arm and his phone still in his hand.

"What is happening in here?"

His eyes found Lily first.

Then the bruises.

Then Maya's swelling wrist.

Then Vivian standing at the balcony.

"How could you do this?" he shouted.

Vivian rushed down the stairs. "It wasn't what it looked like. She slipped. I tried to catch her."

"She threw her on purpose," Maya said.

Vivian snapped toward her. "You are lying. You expect him to believe a maid over his wife?"

Julian crossed the room in three hard steps and took Lily from Maya as carefully as if she were made of glass.

Lily clung to his shirt.

"Daddy," she whispered, "Vivian said if I was gone, you would finally love her more."

Julian went still.

The room seemed to lose all its air.

Then Maya noticed something on the upper floor behind Vivian.

A small red light was blinking beside the hallway smoke detector.

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The security camera was still recording.

Or at least, Maya thought it was.