Mark pulled his blue sedan into the wide driveway of his estate.
The afternoon sun hit the tall glass windows of the grand mansion.
He felt a strange heavy feeling in his chest as he turned off the engine.
He had spent the last three weeks traveling across the country for business.
His investment firm was closing the biggest deal of his entire career.
Yet all he could think about was his nine-month-old son back home.
Little Leo was the light of his life after years of hard work.
Mark grabbed his black leather briefcase from the passenger seat.
He smoothed down his sharp blue suit jacket and stepped outside.
The quiet breeze swept across the manicured green lawn of the property.
Something about the house felt strangely silent and cold today.
He walked up the wide stone steps toward the heavy double doors.
He pushed the front doors open and stepped into the tall foyer.
The bright white marble floor sparkled beneath the large crystal chandelier.
Mark stopped in his tracks near the entrance.
A soft crying sound was ringing through the large hallway.
He saw his wife Victoria standing near the bottom of the grand staircase.
She wore an elegant gold dress and held a glass of iced tea.
She was staring down at the floor with a cold look on her face.
On the marble floor below stood their housemaid, Elena.
Elena was on her hands and knees with a wet scrubbing brush.
Her uniform was soaked with dirty water from a yellow bucket.
Her hair was messy and her eyes were bright red from crying.
Near the edge of the hallway rug, tiny baby Leo was crawling on his hands.
The baby was crying softly while reaching out toward his mother.
Victoria did not bend down to scoop up the crying child.
She simply tapped her designer shoe against the hard polished floor.
Mark set his heavy leather briefcase down on the entry table.
His stomach dropped as he watched the scene unfolding before him.
Mark: What is happening in here right now?
Victoria turned her head quickly with a fake warm smile.
Victoria: Oh Mark, darling, you came back home early today!
Mark: Why is Leo on the cold floor crying like that?
Victoria took a slow sip from her glass and shrugged her shoulders.
Victoria: He is just being moody because he missed his nap time.
Mark rushed across the polished marble floor toward his young son.
He knelt down on the hard ground and lifted Leo into his arms.
He pulled the little boy close against his warm chest.
Leo buried his small face into Mark's dark suit jacket.
The baby began to calm down as soon as Mark held him tight.
Mark rubbed his son's back with a gentle hand.
He noticed that the baby was trembling softly in his arms.
He looked over at Elena who was still kneeling beside the bucket.
The young maid wiped a tear off her pale cheek with her sleeve.
Her hands were trembling as she held onto the wooden brush handle.
Mark: Elena, why are you scrubbing the floor at this hour?
Elena looked up at Mark with absolute panic in her eyes.
She cast a quick scared glance toward Victoria near the stairs.
Victoria glared down at Elena with narrow threatening eyes.
Victoria: Get back to work, Elena, and finish cleaning that mess.
Mark: Stop talking to her like that, Victoria.
Mark stared into Elena's red eyes and stepped closer to her.
He saw deep exhaustion and genuine fear written across her pale face.
Mark: Speak to me, Elena, tell me what is going on.