Chapter 1 - The Broken Trust
I stared at the woman I had married, feeling like I was looking at a complete stranger.
Lily whimpered in my arms, sensing the sudden shift in the room's energy.
Maria slowly backed away toward the door, her hands trembling as she clutched her apron.
“Daniel, you are overreacting to a stupid glitch in a camera,” Claire spat, trying to snatch the device again.
I shoved her hand away and took a step back, shielding my daughter with my body.
“That was not a glitch, Claire,” I said, my voice dangerously low and shaking with rage.
I looked down at the screen, tapping the replay button despite her loud protests.
The video loaded again, showing my sweet Lily sitting peacefully on the woven nursery rug.
Then Claire walked into the frame, her face completely void of the motherly warmth I thought I knew.
She looked toward the hallway to ensure no one was watching her.
Instead of picking Lily up gently, she grabbed the baby’s arm and twisted it sharply while digging her nails in.
Lily’s silent scream on the monitor matched the horrible reality of what had just happened in this very room.
Claire had intentionally hurt our child just to frame our housekeeper.
“Why would you do this?” I demanded, tears of betrayal and confusion stinging my eyes.
Claire stopped struggling and stood perfectly still, her chaotic energy vanishing in a terrifying instant.
She straightened her silk blouse and looked at me with an eerily calm expression.
“You really have no idea what is going on in this house, do you, Daniel?” she whispered.
Before I could process her cryptic words, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black remote.
She pressed a button on it, and the lights in the entire house instantly went dark.
The heavy steel security shutters on the nursery windows slammed down with a deafening crash.
Maria screamed in the pitch-black room, dropping to the floor in terror.
The thick oak door of the nursery slammed shut before I could even run toward it.
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The heavy deadbolt clicked into place from the outside, echoing loudly in the darkness.
We were locked in a pitch-black room, and Claire was out there in the house alone.
