I leaned over my baby, my hands reaching for him.
"Stop!"
Sarah’s scream was deafening. It wasn't the scream of a helpful nanny. It was a theatrical, booming shriek meant for an audience.
Before I could even register what was happening, Sarah rushed me. She swung her arm with brutal force, slamming her open palm against my wrist.
The heavy iron flew from my grip. It crashed violently onto the white marble floor, the sharp sound echoing like a gunshot through the massive room.
I stumbled back, clutching my wrist, crying out in pain and confusion.
Sarah didn't look at me. She dove for the chair, scooping Leo up into her arms, pulling him tightly against her dark blue uniform. She spun around, facing the archway of the living room, her chest heaving as she played the role of a desperate shield.
"What are you doing?" I stammered, my head spinning wildly. "He was choking, I was trying to—"
"What the hell is going on in here?!"
The voice hit me like a physical blow.
I turned. Ethan was standing in the doorway. He looked impeccable in his navy blue tuxedo, but his face was an absolute storm of confusion and rising rage. He looked from the heavy iron lying on the marble, up to me, and then to Sarah, who was currently hyperventilating on cue.
"Mr. Vance!" Sarah cried, her voice cracking with perfectly manufactured terror. She pointed a shaking finger directly at my face. "She tried to burn your baby with a hot iron!"
The world stopped. The air left my lungs.
"What?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over Leo's crying. "No. Ethan, no. She handed it to me. She told me he was choking—"
I took a step toward my husband, raising my hands in a desperate plea for him to see reason, to look at me and see the woman he married.
But Ethan didn’t look at me with love, or even with doubt. He looked at me with a hatred so pure and concentrated it paralyzed me.
He marched across the marble floor, completely ignoring Sarah. He stepped directly into my space. I shrank back, my eyes wide, but I couldn't move fast enough.
Ethan pulled his arm back and swung.
The impact of his hand against my face was devastating. The sheer force of the backhand lifted me off my feet. The room spun in a blur of white and blue, and then I was crashing hard onto the marble floor. My shoulder took the brunt of the fall, sending a shockwave of pain down my spine.
I lay there, gasping for breath, the ringing in my ear drowning out all other sound. I clutched my burning cheek, looking up in absolute terror.
Ethan stood towering over me, a dark shadow blocking the sunlight. He pointed a rigid, unforgiving finger at my face.
"You monster," he roared, his voice shaking with fury. "You are dead to this family!"
"Ethan, please," I sobbed, the tears finally breaking loose, sliding down my face and stinging the raw skin of my cheek. "She's lying! Look at her, she's lying!"
"I have spent the last three months watching you lose your mind!" Ethan shouted, bending down so his face was inches from mine. "I’ve paid for the best doctors. I’ve covered up your erratic behavior. I’ve made excuses for you. But this? Trying to torture my son because you can't handle being a mother?"
"I didn't!" I screamed.
"Get up," he snarled, grabbing my arm and hauling me to my feet with enough force to wrench my socket. I cried out, stumbling as my heels slipped on the marble.
Ethan didn't let go. He dragged me across the living room, past Sarah, who was still holding my crying child. I reached out for Leo, but Ethan yanked me hard, dragging me toward the grand staircase.
"Where are you taking me?" I panicked, kicking at the floor. "Ethan, stop! Give me my baby!"
"You are never touching that boy again," Ethan said through clenched teeth.
He pulled me up the stairs, my knees bruising as they banged against the wooden steps. He dragged me down the hallway toward the master suite, shoving me violently into our large, walk-in closet.
I crashed into a row of heavy winter coats, falling to the carpeted floor.
"Ethan, please!" I begged, scrambling around to face the door.
"I'm calling Dr. Aris," Ethan said, standing in the doorway, his face a mask of cold detachment. "I'm signing the papers tonight. You are going to a facility, Clara. You are a danger to yourself and my child. I'm taking emergency custody."