For the next twenty-four hours, Victoria kept a close eye on every corner of the large house. She confiscated all the landline phones in the kitchen and ordered the security guards at the front gate to block Sarah from leaving the property. Sarah was effectively trapped inside the mansion, forced to watch Victoria slap and yell at little Lily whenever the child made the slightest noise.
On Wednesday morning, Victoria walked into the grand kitchen wearing her crisp white dress. Sarah was busy preparing a fresh tray of fruit for the child upstairs, her left cheek still swollen from the violent hit she had received the previous afternoon. Sarah knew she needed physical proof if she ever wanted Arthur to believe the dark truth about his new bride.
While Victoria walked into the back garden to take a phone call from her divorce lawyer, Sarah quickly ran to the security control room behind the pantry. She knew the mansion had hidden security cameras installed in the main hallway and living room, but Victoria had supposedly turned them off months ago. Sarah searched through the desk drawers until she found a small memory card containing backup footage from the previous week's recording system.
She quickly hid the small card inside her shoe just as Victoria walked back into the hallway with a suspicious look on her face. Victoria noticed Sarah coming out of the control room and immediately narrowed her cold eyes.
Victoria: What were you doing in that room, Sarah?
Sarah: I was just looking for extra cleaning supplies for the guest bathrooms.
Victoria: Stop lying to me! You are up to something, aren't you?
Sarah: I am just doing my job, Mrs. Vance. Please let me take lunch to Lily.
Victoria: You will not go anywhere near that child today! Get back into the kitchen!
Victoria stepped closer and raised her hand again, but this time Sarah stood her ground and did not flinch. She knew that Arthur was scheduled to return home early on Thursday afternoon because his New York meeting had been moved up by several hours. If Sarah could just protect Lily for one more day, the wealthy businessman would walk through those front doors and face the horrific truth.
That night, Sarah stayed awake inside her small room in the servant quarters. She listened carefully to every noise in the hallway, fearing that Victoria might try to throw her out before morning. Outside, a heavy thunderstorm began to roll across Chicago, sending flashes of bright lightning across the ceiling. Sarah held a tiny photo of her own family and prayed that Arthur would return home before Victoria caused any more severe harm to the innocent child.
At three o'clock in the morning, Sarah heard a faint crying sound coming from the main corridor. She quietly unlocked her door and crept down the dimly lit hallway toward Lily's room. She found the five-year-old child sitting on the cold floor outside Victoria's bedroom door, sobbing silently with a small bruised mark on her tender cheek.
Sarah: Oh, my sweet angel! What happened to your face?
Lily: Stepmother pushed me because I asked for a glass of water.
Sarah: Come with me, Lily. I will protect you tonight no matter what happens.
Sarah lifted the crying child into her arms and carried her back into the servant quarters, locking the heavy door tightly behind them. She wiped the tearful stains from Lily's cheeks and held her close, knowing that the ultimate confrontation was coming in just a few short hours.