Before Elena could process the icy look on Margarethe's face, the grand glass doors of the main house burst open. Julian Vance rushed out onto the patio in his dark button-down shirt, his dark hair messy and his face pale with absolute panic. He had heard the loud splash and the sound of his child screaming from all the way inside his soundproofed office.
Julian: What happened out here? Leo!
Margarethe immediately changed her expression, letting out a dramatic, sobbing gasp and throwing her hands up toward her face. She pointed an accusing, polished fingernail directly down at Elena, who was still sitting wet on the floor holding the crying infant.
Margarethe: Julian! Thank God you came out! She pushed him in! She pushed the stroller right into the pool!
Elena's eyes widened in total horror. The breath left her lungs as if she had been hit in the chest with a heavy brick. She shook her head violently, trying to stand up while holding the baby securely.
Elena: What? No! That is a terrible lie! I jumped in to save him! Margarethe, why are you saying that?
Margarethe: Don't you dare speak to me, you monster! Julian, I turned my back for one second to pick up my sunglasses, and I saw her shove the stroller into the deep end with my own eyes!
Julian's eyes filled with a terrifying, wild fury. He did not ask questions. He did not look at the situation calmly. He was a father whose only child had almost drowned, and he saw his maid dripping wet next to his crying son while his fiancé screamed bloody murder. He strode forward with heavy, thunderous footsteps, his jaw clenched tight enough to break bone.
Julian: Get your filthy hands off my son!
Julian grabbed Leo from Elena's arms with one quick, violent pull. At the same time, he shoved Elena hard in the shoulder. Elena lost her footing on the wet, slippery marble patio and crashed heavily onto her side. Her knee cracked hard against the stone, sending a sharp wave of pain shooting up her leg, and her hands scraped against the rough edge of the pool deck.
Elena: Mr. Vance, please! I didn't do it! Please believe me!
Elena lay on the cold ground, crying hysterically as water ran down her face in heavy streams. She looked up at Julian, holding her scraped hands out in desperate plea. But Julian was completely blind with rage, pulling the crying infant tightly against his chest while Margarethe rubbed his back with fake comfort.
Margarethe: She tried to drown your own son, Julian! She is insane! We have to call the police right now and have her locked up in prison forever!
Julian: You are fired, Elena. You are a sick, evil woman. If anything is wrong with my boy, I will make sure you spend the rest of your life behind bars.
Elena: Please listen to me! I jumped into the water! Why would I jump into the deep end with my clothes on if I pushed him? That makes no sense!
Margarethe: She jumped in because she realized I caught her red-handed! She was trying to cover up her crime!
Julian stepped back toward the glass doors, holding little Leo, who was still wailing from the shock of the cold water. He looked down at Elena with pure disgust and hatred, refusing to hear another single word from her mouth.
Julian: Get off my property before I have my security guards throw you into the street. Pack your things from the maid quarters and leave. You are lucky I am not putting you in handcuffs right this second.
Elena sat on the hard stone deck, watching the man she respected take his child inside with the woman who had almost ended the boy's life. The wet uniform felt like ice against her skin, but the coldness in her heart was far worse. She knew she was completely innocent, but in a world where rich people's words carry all the weight, a poor maid had no voice at all.