The water dripping from Maya Lin’s uniform was ice-cold, but the shock that paralyzed her blood was far worse.

"Arthur, listen to me, it's not what it looks like—" Marcus stammered, backing away toward the wall.

Arthur didn't argue. He lunged forward, grabbed Marcus by his shirt collar, and slammed him against the server rack. Arthur was a tall, powerful man, and the rage that had been building inside him since afternoon exploded with terrifying force.

"You have five seconds to tell me what is on that drive," Arthur snarled, his fist raised. "Or I will break your jaw and let the police deal with your corpse."

"It was Victoria!" Marcus squealed, shaking in terror. "She paid off my gambling debts! She told me to wipe the local drives at two o'clock! She said she just wanted to get the maid fired so she could hire her own agency! I didn't know she was going to hurt the baby, I swear!"

Arthur let go of Marcus, letting him slump to the floor.

He turned to the desk, grabbed the mouse, and clicked open the backup video file.

The high-definition video played smoothly on the large monitor.

The timestamp read: 14:12:05 PM.

On the screen, Maya was seen laying a blanket inside the stroller beside the pool. Victoria stepped out from the gazebo, wearing her green silk dress. Victoria said something to Maya, pointing toward the main house. Maya nodded politely and turned her back, walking toward the gazebo to fetch a fallen toy.

The moment Maya’s back was turned, Victoria walked up to the stroller.

She didn't just push it.

Victoria took her high-heeled shoe, slammed her heel against the brake release mechanism until it snapped, and then gave the stroller a hard, deliberate, violent shove straight into the deep end of the pool.

On the tape, Victoria stood back, crossed her arms, and watched the heavy stroller submerge.

Then, Maya appeared on screen, sprinting like a mother wildcat. Without a second of hesitation, Maya launched herself through the air, diving headfirst into the water, fighting the heavy sinking stroller, tearing the safety harness open underwater, and bringing Leo to the surface.

The video showed everything. Victoria’s cold, smiling face as the baby sank. Maya’s heroic, self-sacrificing dive. And Victoria’s frantic, dramatic shouting the moment Arthur ran out onto the deck.

Arthur stood in front of the screen, his breath coming in ragged, painful gasps.

He had shoved Maya. He had called her a monster. He had let the police drag her away in handcuffs while the real demon stood under his roof, drinking his wine, pretending to love his son.

A surge of pure, blinding guilt and fury hit Arthur so hard he nearly collapsed.

He grabbed the USB drive, pulled it from the tower, and looked down at Marcus.