Chapter 5 - Sirens and Promises
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Vanessa’s confident smirk vanished the second she heard the 911 dispatcher’s voice come through my phone’s speaker.
“Emergency 911, what is your location?”
“My name is Adrian Vance,” I spoke clearly into the receiver, keeping my eyes locked on Vanessa. “I need armed officers at 412 Maplewood Drive immediately. I have clear video footage of my fiancée attempting to murder my eight-month-old daughter by pushing her stroller down a marble staircase.”
“You bastard!” Vanessa screamed.
She lunged forward, her long acrylic nails reaching for my face, attempting to snatch the phone from my hand.
I caught her wrist in mid-air, twisting her arm back firmly until she gasped in pain. I shoved her back toward the velvet sofa, sending her stumbling onto the cushions.
“Officers are en route, Mr. Vance. Stay on the line,” the dispatcher instructed calmly.
For ten agonizing minutes, nobody moved. Vanessa sat on the sofa, her posture rigid, her eyes darting around the grand room like a trapped wild animal. She didn't cry anymore. She didn't beg. She simply glared at me with a silent, promises-of-vengeance promise that chilled me to the bone.
When the red and blue emergency lights finally flashed through the tall front windows, three uniformed officers rushed through the unlocked front door with their hands resting on their holstered sidearms.
“Where’s the suspect?” the lead officer demanded.
I pointed directly at the sofa. “Right there.”
Olivia stepped forward without being asked and handed the officer her phone, showing the clear security footage. The officer watched the video once, his jaw tightening in disgust as he saw Vanessa intentionally disable the brake and push the infant toward the edge.
“Vanessa Reed, stand up and put your hands behind your back,” the officer ordered, pulling pair of steel handcuffs from his utility belt.
Vanessa rose slowly. As the cold metal clicked around her wrists, she turned her head toward me, a dark, chilling smile spreading across her painted lips.
“You think this is over, Adrian?” she whispered softly, making sure only I could hear her over Emma’s quiet whimpers. “You have no idea who I really am. You have no idea what you just started.”
As the police escorted her out the front doors, I collapsed onto the bottom step of the staircase, burying my face in my trembling hands.
Clara walked over slowly, holding Emma tight against her shoulder, while Olivia sat beside me and wrapped her thin arms around my waist.
“I’m so sorry, Clara,” I choked out, looking up at our loyal housekeeper with tears burning my eyes. “I doubted you. I almost let her ruin everything.”
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Clara placed a warm, weathered hand on my head, her eyes filled with gentle forgiveness.
“You were blinded by love, Mr. Adrian,” she said softly. “But now your eyes are open. And God help us, we need to find out what else that woman was hiding in this house.”
