Her mouth opened in a scream so loud it seemed to tear through the entire estate.
"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!""
Maria looked up, confused.
Vanessa pointed directly at her.
"SHE'S TRYING TO HURT MY BROTHER'S BABY!""
Maria stared at her.
"What?""
Vanessa ran toward the house, screaming louder.
"CALL THE POLICE! THE HOUSEKEEPER TRIED TO DROWN ETHAN!""
Maria's stomach dropped.
"No! Vanessa, you pushed him! I saw you!""
But Vanessa was already rushing toward the back doors, tears streaming down her face with astonishing speed.
And as Maria knelt beside the crying baby, she realized that saving Ethan might have been the easiest part of what she had just done.
Because the woman who had tried to kill him was about to tell everyone that Maria had done it.
And she was already making them believe her.
Daniel Whitmore arrived in the backyard with his phone still in his hand.
He had been speaking to his business partner when Vanessa's frantic call interrupted him.
"Daniel, please come home!"" she had sobbed.
"Something horrible has happened to Ethan!""
He had abandoned the meeting without another word.
Now he stood beside the swimming pool, staring at his soaked housekeeper, his crying son, and the overturned stroller floating near the deep end.
"What happened?"" Daniel demanded.
Maria scrambled to her feet.
"Sir, I saved him! The stroller went into the pool, and I jumped in to get him out!""
Daniel rushed to Ethan.
"Give me my son!""
Maria immediately handed the baby over.
Daniel cradled Ethan against his chest, pressing his cheek against the child's damp hair.
"Hey, buddy. Daddy's here. I've got you.""
Ethan continued crying.
Daniel's face tightened with fear.
"Vanessa, call an ambulance!""
"I already did!"" Vanessa cried.
Then she turned toward Maria.
"You disgusting woman! How could you do something like this?""
Maria stared at her in disbelief.
"You know what happened! You pushed the stroller into the pool!""
Vanessa recoiled as though Maria had struck her.
"How dare you accuse me?""
"You were standing right there!""
"Because I was trying to stop you!""
Maria took a step forward.
"That's a lie!""
Vanessa's hand flew across Maria's face.
The slap cracked through the backyard.
Maria stumbled sideways, one hand rising to her cheek.
Daniel looked up sharply.
"Vanessa!""
She immediately clutched her chest.
"I'm sorry, Daniel! I just can't believe she'd do this to Ethan!""
Maria could barely speak.
"Sir, please. I have worked for you for seven years. You know me. I would never hurt your son.""
Daniel looked at the housekeeper who had served his family for years.
Her wet hair clung to her face. Her uniform was soaked through. One of her shoes had come off in the pool, leaving her standing barefoot on the hot stone.
For a moment, uncertainty flickered across his face.
Then Ethan began crying harder.
Daniel's fear returned as anger.
"How could you be so careless with my son?""
Maria shook her head desperately.
"I wasn't careless! I saw her push the stroller!""
Vanessa wiped her eyes.
"Daniel, I told her to leave us alone. She followed me outside, started shouting, and then grabbed the stroller.""
"That's not true!"" Maria cried.
Vanessa pointed toward the pool.
"Look at it! Look at what she did!""
Maria glanced at the overturned stroller.
"Because you pushed it!""
"Stop lying!"" Vanessa shouted.
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Enough!""
The word silenced everyone except Ethan.
Daniel looked down at his son, whose tiny fists trembled against his shirt.
Then he turned toward Maria.
"Get away from my child.""
Maria's face crumpled.
"Sir?""
"You're fired. Effective immediately.""
For a moment, she seemed unable to understand him.
"But I saved him.""
"Leave the property.""
"Please, sir. Look at the camera. There's a security camera above the back door. It must have recorded everything.""
Vanessa went rigid.
Daniel glanced toward the house.
"The camera?""
"Yes, sir!"" Maria said quickly.
"I saw you install it last year. It points straight at the pool.""
Vanessa's face turned pale.
Then she recovered.
"Daniel, that camera hasn't worked for months.""
Maria looked at her.
"How would you know?""
Vanessa hesitated.
"IโI heard the security guard talking about it.""
"Which guard?"" Daniel asked.
"One of them. I don't remember.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
Before he could question her further, the estate's security guard, Marcus Reed, hurried into the backyard.
"Mr. Whitmore? I heard shouting. Is the baby all right?""
Daniel adjusted Ethan in his arms.
"Get the security footage from the backyard. Immediately.""
Marcus nodded.
"Yes, sir.""
Vanessa stepped between Marcus and the back door.
"There's no point. That camera hasn't been working.""
Marcus frowned.
"Actually, ma'am, I checked the system this morning. All exterior cameras were online.""
Silence.
Maria stared at Vanessa.
For the first time since the stroller entered the pool, Vanessa looked genuinely frightened.
Daniel noticed.
"Then get the footage," he ordered.
Marcus turned and hurried inside.
Vanessa grabbed Daniel's arm.
"Wait. Don't you think we should take Ethan to the hospital first?""
"An ambulance is coming," Daniel replied.
"Then stay with him. I'll handle the staff.""
She tried to pull him toward the patio doors.
Daniel didn't move.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?""
Vanessa's lips parted.
"I'm not. I'm worried about my nephew.""
"Then stop talking and let me think.""
His voice was quieter now, but the anger in it made her release his arm.
Maria stood near the pool steps, shivering despite the heat.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to make Daniel understand that she had risked her own life to save his child.
Instead, she watched him hold Ethan and realized he was looking at her as though she were a stranger.
A memory suddenly came to her.
Three years earlier, Daniel's late wife, Catherine, had been standing in the kitchen when Maria received a phone call from her daughter's school.
Maria had started crying because Sofia had been accepted into a nursing program but couldn't afford the remaining tuition.
Catherine had quietly written a check.
When Maria tried to refuse it, Catherine had taken her hands.
"Maria, you spend every day taking care of other people," Catherine had said.
"Let someone take care of you for once.""
Maria had never forgotten those words.
After Catherine died, Maria promised herself she would look after Ethan whenever she could.
Now she had saved the child Catherine had left behind, and Daniel was throwing her out.
The ambulance arrived seven minutes later.
Two paramedics examined Ethan while Daniel stood beside them, answering questions with a strained voice.
"He's been crying continuously," one paramedic said.
"We'll take him in for a precautionary evaluation.""
Daniel nodded.
"I'm coming with him.""
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
"I'll come too.""
Daniel looked at her.
"No. Stay here until we understand what happened.""
Her expression hardened for half a second.
Then she nodded.
"Of course.""
As the paramedics carried Ethan toward the ambulance, Maria tried one final time.
"Mr. Whitmore, please. Let me come with you.
I know his routines. I can tell the doctors what happened.""
Daniel didn't even turn around.
"You've done enough.""
The ambulance doors closed.
Maria stood motionless as the vehicle pulled away.
Vanessa watched it disappear beyond the iron gates.
Then she walked toward Maria.
The frightened expression vanished from her face.
She leaned close enough that only Maria could hear her.
"You should have kept your mouth shut.""
Maria looked at her, stunned.
"You almost killed him.""
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
"Watch your words.""
"You pushed an innocent baby into a swimming pool!""
"And you have absolutely no proof.""
Maria looked toward the security camera.